Peroxide in Your Home: What You Didn't Know

So many of us use bleach in our homes every day, even if we don't like it. Despite the bad smell and high price it has become a staple cleaning agent and most don't consider there may be an alternative. I know what you are thinking; bleach keeps my whites white, my bathroom germ free, and my floors sparkling. You are certain that there is nothing readily available that will beat out your bottle of Clorox, right?

I want to share with the world that there is something better, cheaper, and less dangerous out there. I have personally tested each and every one of these uses and will vouch for the ability of this (not so) secret product. Don't get your shoes on and grab your car keys because odds are you already have a bottle at home.

You use it every now and then when someone gets a scrape, but from today on you will use it daily. It is 3% peroxide, and I guarantee you will wish it came in gallon bottles after reading this article.

I am going to share with you some of the uses of peroxide that myself and my family have tried, I'm sure there are more uses out there though. Keep in mind while reading this that peroxide costs less than $1, any store, any brand!!

Peroxide can replace your mouthwash, just fill the little cap on the bottle and hold it in your mouth for 10 minutes each day. It will kill the germs that cause bad breath, tooth decay, and sores in your mouth as well as whiten your teeth without harmful and expensive bleaching agents. All the benefits and you have just saved a ton of money over time.

You know the airborne germs everyone talks about in our bathrooms? The ones that can make your toothbrush the dirtiest thing in your home, even the toilet seat has less germs than most peoples toothbrush; I know, that is gross, but it's a fact and peroxide can kill those germs too. Just leave your toothbrush to soak in a cup of peroxide and the germs are gone. I keep fresh peroxide in my toothbrush cup so there's no extra clutter on the counter top. Instead of placing the toothbrushes with the heads up after use start placing them head down in the peroxide.

Use peroxide instead of harsh cleaning agents for counter tops and tables. You can do this two ways, either mix a solution of 50% peroxide and 50% water in a spray bottle and use it to clean with, or pour it directly on your rag. Both methods will work well but I prefer keeping spray bottles of the solution. I use this solution all over my house. No more expensive bottles of 409 or whatever your current cleaning spray is, and no more heavy cleaning smells around your home. Peroxide will not harm your septic system either, saving you even more money in the long run.

The cutting board in your kitchen can be a real danger as far as germs go. I think everyone worries about salmonella, ecoli, etc... and a wooden cutting board can harbor these germs in its pores. When the world found out about this we panicked and began searching for the best disinfectant money could buy, it was the height of the "antibacterial" everything era. Since then we have learned that antibacterial products can be misleading and even as harmful as the germs you are trying to kill. Peroxide will kill those germs, no newly discovered and possibly dangerous product is necessary! Just use that 50/50 solution we talked about and you can feel secure that the germs will be gone.

There are all sorts of things that can cause fungus to grow on your feet. If you look in the drug store or Wal Mart you can find numerous products that claim to kill each type of foot fungus, but you don't need any of them! Save your money for something else and simply spray your feet with that same solution you already have mixed up for your counters. Spray all over your feet and toes and then let them air dry once a day and before you know it your feet will be fungus free. This will also help keep foot odor at bay, it's a win-win folks!

Hate the thought of chemicals in your nose spray but need the relief they offer? Don't worry, peroxide can help that too. Next time you have a cold or plugged sinuses just tilt your head back and spray that 50/50 solution into your nostrils, hold for a few minutes and then blow your nose with a tissue. The peroxide will bubble as it kills the infection and cleans out your sinuses.

I guess it goes without saying that you should use peroxide for all your cuts and scrapes, but I will mention it anyways. When used several times a day peroxide has been known to kill even the toughest infections on skin. I have heard that it has even cured gangrene on patients during the war. It's best to soak the infected area for 5 minutes or so several times daily until it heals.

It's the weekend, or a holiday and you have a toothache; they always come when the dentist office is closed don't they? It won't "fix" the underlying dental problem but holding peroxide in your mouth will lessen your pain greatly and help to kill the bacteria in your mouth. Hold each cap full in your mouth for about ten minutes; you can do this as often as needed until you can get in to the dentist. Please remember that while this method may help your pain subside you should still make that appointment to keep the problem from worsening. In this case it helps, but is not a substitute for proper dental treatment.

If you are looking for natural highlights in your hair but don't want to damage it with chemical dye you needn't look further than your already mixed 50/50 peroxide and water solution. Just spray it on your hair while it's wet after a shower and comb through. The peroxide will lighten your hair gradually so as soon as you get the results you want you can stop using it. You won't get that burnt orange look like you often get with bleaching agents and your hair will remain soft and healthy. Most people will not even notice the gradual change in your hair, at least not like going to work one day with a new color.

If you or someone in your family has ever gotten a boil or other skin infection you know how difficult and even painful they can be. Add a cup of peroxide to your bath water to help get rid of these infections.

We all like to have bright whites, but you have seen the damage that bleach can do over time to your clothing. Instead of adding Clorox to your whites add a cup of peroxide; you will get that bright white look without the damage. Peroxide will also not harm most colored fabric so those pesky bleach splashes on your clothing will be a thing of the past. As an added benefit it will also get rid of laundry odors including that mildew smell.

Blood stains are everyone's worst enemy; whether on your clothes or bedding, it can seem impossible to get out. I worked at a dry cleaner years ago and asked the owner what her secret was to getting out tough blood stains. It is a well kept secret in the laundry world, but she shared it with me since I was a friend of the family. Pour a little peroxide directly on the stain and rub it in. For very tough or even old stains you can use a scrub brush to scrub in the peroxide. Once you have done this just launder or rinse the item as usual. The very tough stains will sometimes require 2 or 3 treatments, just repeat until the stain is gone.

Peroxide works wonders to remove stains from your carpet too. Just pour a little directly on the stain and work it in with a scrub brush before shampooing. I have removed some very tough stains this way, including blood, ink, and food stains. I even add peroxide to the shampoo when using the steam cleaner. I would advise testing a small area before going crazy with this, although it is very mild and usually does not harm fabric I would never trust it on dark colored material without the test. You just want to be sure that it is not going to lighten the color of your carpet, if you already have light colored carpet it won't matter.

One use that surprised me was cleaning my mirrors, peroxide will clean your mirrors without streaking and they will look beautiful every time. No more streaks on the glass and again, you have saved money and skipped the harsh chemicals.

Have boys in your home and tired of the urine smell in the bathrooms? It is inevitable that if you have boys there will be urine splashed around the edges of your toilets. Most times the smell is noticeable before you actually see a stain on the floor because the urine hides in the seam between the toilet and floor. If you spray your mixture of peroxide and water around the toilet each day the odor and germs will be gone.

Peroxide also works for pet stains and odors, no more expensive trials of different pet stain/odor removal products. It's all in that little brown bottle that most of us have taken for granted.

Using peroxide to clean your face will help get rid of those unwanted pimples. Since pimples surface due to the dirt in your pores causing a slight infection it only makes sense that peroxide will kill the bacteria causing the break out.

If you have an infant or toddler in your home you know that diapers can leak at night. Use your spray bottle of peroxide and water on the mattress to keep odor at bay and kill the germs without harming your little one. You can even use it instead of stinky Lysol or bleach to clean the baby toys and keep them germ free.

Fill a small bowl half full of peroxide and soak your fingernails in it to get rid of stains caused by smoking, this will also help cure nail fungus and keep your cuticles infection free. Make this part of your healthy nail routine today!

Have a nagging earache from the cold wind or sinus drain? Just a couple drops of peroxide in the ear canal will help resolve the ache. You do not want to do this if you are experiencing excruciating pain, severe drainage, or have noticed any blood in the ear. Doctors have told me to use peroxide for earaches several times, however if there is a rupture in your eardrum you don't want to add any liquid without first talking to your doctor. It's easy to do, just tilt your head so the sore ear is up and drip the peroxide into the canal. The ear canal is small so it will fill quickly, it doesn't take much. Hold your head there for 2 or 3 minutes, you will feel the peroxide bubbling as it kills the infection. When you are done flip your head over while holding a towel or tissue to the ear, this will allow all the fluid to drain back out. You can repeat this several times a day and it will take the pain away.

There really are no limitations to what peroxide can do for you, if you can dream it try it out. You are sure to be surprised by the power of it as well as by the many ways you can save money. I am open to hearing more ways to use it if anyone knows something that I did not mention. I am certain that someone out there is using it for something I have yet to try, if it's you please tell me all about it!