Avoiding Germs: Have a Holly Jolly Hydrogen Peroxide Holiday

-- fizz impressively on contact
-- bring renewed life and vigor to your family's branches and vine
-- be free from all traces of salmonella and other bacterial food poisoning
-- be filled with the bright smiles of good oral health
-- leave behind no stains, foul odors or harmful by-products

Hydrogen peroxide, that inexpensive brown bottle on the bottom shelf of your local drug store, has recently taken on a new and exciting life as a cure-all for everything from bacteria-laden water to emphysema. (Although the medical proof behind the emphysema treatment is still, at this point, a bit dubious. People who claim to be doctors inject hydrogen peroxide directly into the veins of their short-winded patients in the belief that the hydrogen peroxide bubbles will travel through the bloodstream and finally clean out the area of the lung where the capillaries meet the tiny air sacs of the lungs, the alveoli. At this point of exchange, inhaled oxygen is released into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide from the bloodstream is released to the lung for exhalation, along with the junk form the lungs causing the emhysema. That's the idea, anyway.)

And a fascinating idea it is. No doubt it offers great hope to those suffering from emphysema even though it has yet to be medically proven or deemed as safe. However, there are many other great uses of hydrogen peroxide that have been proven. There has been a huge increase in the number of water treatment facilities that are using hydrogen peroxide to kill off bacteria in the water supply. Also in the "green" movement, hydrogen peroxide has recently gained a great deal of popularity because it kills germs including toxic mold, removes most protein-based stains and biodegrades harmlessly into hydrogen and water.

It is exciting and interesting to see all the many uses for hydrogen peroxide, but before you run to Wal-Mart and drop five dollars on a new bottle of some cleaning fluid with the word "oxy" in it, let's have a look at what you can do with the ugly, brown, fifty-cent bottle from the pharmacy department. (By the way, hydrogen peroxide is stored in an opaque bottle because exposure to light will cause it to biodegrade quickly and lose it's efficiency -- something to keep in mind about those pretty orange "oxy" cleaners that come in the clear bottle.) Now, on to the list!

1. Are you bothered by public drinking fountains, especially when the one getting the drink is your child who just can't keep his mouth off the spicket? Try carrying a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide and splash it over the fountain first.

2. Worried about e-coli in your salad and fresh veggies? This is especially a concern if you are a fan of organic produce, as these veggies are fertilized with manure rather than chemical-based fertilizers and carry a much higher risk of contamination. Not to worry, though. In a clean kitchen sink or bowl, soak those veggies in a mixture of about one ounce of 3% hydorgen peroxide per gallon of water. Wash, rinse, drain and return to the refrigerator. Not only are they clean now, they'll be crunchier, too.

3. For your kitchen tools, especially wood or rubber cutting boards, little nicks and grooves are great places for bacteria to hide. To ensure that a cutting board is safe to use, rinse it first with hydrogen peroxide. You might also want to soak knives, forks and wood-handled tools or to clean your can- opener blade with hydrogen peroxide. You can also use hydrogen peroxide to wipe out the inside of your refrigerator or in a spray bottle to sanitize countertops and deodorize the air.

4. Do you have one of those cups in the bathroom where everyone puts their toothbrush when they are done brushing their teeth? What a great way to pass germs from one family member to the next! Keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the bathroom and teach kids to pour a little over their brush before putting it away. You can also use hydrogen peroxide as a germ-killing mouthwash and tooth whitener, just be careful not to swallow it.

5. Outdoors, sanitize lawn tools, especially mower blades, with hydrogen peroxide to prevent the spread of lawn fungi. Also use on pruning shears or any equipment that has come into contact with bacteria or fungi. For your pet, you can provide a cleaner water supply by adding one ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide per quart of their drink-ing water. You can also sanitize picnic tables and children's play equipment with hydrogen peroxide.

6. Mist some in your hair before going out to play in the sun to pick up some quick highlights. (Mist from above for a more natural effect.

You can also use hydrogen peroxide to clean jewelry, to relieve sewer gas odors coming from drains, to provide healthy bubbles for fish in aquariums, to treat protein-based stains in carpet and clothing (test first for color-fastness), as a bacteria-killing shower spray, to treat black mold in grout and to soak seeds before planting. Finally, if you want to get really creative, pop a mixture of yeast and hydrogen peroxide into your mouth and go foam your way about the neighborhood next Halloween. (You might even be able to hook yourself up with a free rabies shot this way!)