I haven’t been able to live without hydrogen peroxide
DISCLOSURE: I’m not attempting to give medical advice. You should consult your dentist or doctor before using hydrogen peroxide
- My dentist suggested I soak my toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide between uses to keep it clean and prevent the transfer of germs. This is particularly helpful when you or someone in your family has a cold or the flu. I’ve been fighting a bug!
- Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to freshen breath. It kills the bacteria that causes halitosis. Note: Not recommended following dental surgery.
- Mixed with salt and baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works as a whitening toothpaste. Ronda says: I brush my teeth with it. My teeth have gotten whiter and my dental exams have gone so much better!
- It’s said to helps with early stages of gingivitis as it kills bacteria.
- Clean a wound with hydrogen peroxide. Note, some readers caution against this use, especially for repeated cleanings.
- Use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide to clean and freshen kitchen counters.
- Clean your cutting boards to kill salmonella and other bacteria.
- Sanitize your kids’ lunch boxes/bags.
- Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing rinse thoroughly with cool water.
- Dab hydrogen peroxide on pimples or acne to help clear skin.
- Use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system. It’s said to help with rotting.
- Hydrogen peroxide helps to sprout seeds for new plantings. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten.
- Use H2O2 instead of using chlorine bleach when washing a white load. Toss in half a cup straight out of the bottle along with your usual laundry detergent. Did you know it’s one of the main ingredients in Oxiclean? It works well against grass, blood and red wine stains.
- Remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.
- Soaking your feet in a peroxide solution helps soften calluses and corns, and disinfects minor cuts.
- Spritz a weak solution of H2O2 on your hair to bring out your natural highlights.
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Can kill harmful bacteria, including E. coli, viral agents, and mold and mildew spores.
- Use it to remove ear wax. Use a solution of 3% with olive or almond oil. Add a couple drops of oil first then H2O2. After a few minutes, tilt head to remove solution and wax.
- Helps with foot fungus. Spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.
- Clean with hydrogen peroxide to remove mold.
- Spraying down the shower with hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and viruses.
- Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.
- Wash shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide to remove mildew and soap scum. Place curtains in machine with a bath towel and your regular detergent. Add 1 cup full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.
- Scrub the toilet bowl with 2 quarts water and 1 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand 30 minutes. Then scrub with brush.
- Use hydrogen peroxide to control fungi present in aquariums. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your fish. Use sparingly for this purpose.
- Use for towels that have become musty smelling. Janice says: Soap musty towel in 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar for 15 minutes. Then wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.
- Stain remover. Brad says: Mix with a little blue Dawn and it will get stains out of almost any material — including red wine out of linen pants.
- Stamp cleaner. Paul says: After long use, the date stamper I use gets clogged. H202 will remove the inky funk clogging it.
- Carpet cleaner. Alyssa C. says: I use hydrogen peroxide to clean stains from the carpet. Simply pour H2O2 on the stain and then a little H2O. Dry the spot with a wash cloth. Worked on old dark stains with little effort!
- Fight staph infections. Nate says: I’m susceptible to staph and since I’ve been using H2O2 to clean any early sign of infection I haven’t had any re-occurrences. A single cleaning does the trick 99% of the time.
- Poison remedy. Hank says: “I’m surprised you didn’t mention what I think of as the most important, lifesaving use of H2O2: as an emetic for pets. I’ve had a number of dogs get into nasty things like rat poison or seemingly innocuous (but potentially deadly) dark chocolate. A bottle of peroxide down the throat causes immediate and repeated vomiting which is precisely what you want for most poisons a pet would get into. That ~used to be~ the only reason I kept it around. Now I have 20 other uses!”
- Freshen skin: Jessica says: “I once read that you can use it on armpits, knees and elbows that have darkened skin but I haven’t tried
it.” Readers, have you tried this? - Food grade: Amanda says “The best kind for cleaning dishes, cutting boards, using on your plants, and ESPECIALLY internal use is a 3% dilution of FOOD GRADE h202. I would never give my animals the kind in the brown bottle from the drug store, it’s essentially contaminated for use inside the body. Just a tip I learned, if you want to make the most of that extra oxygen molecule that makes h202 so wonderful, only use it with distilled water because that greedy chlorine in most tap water just steals that extra oxygen that will suck the magic right out of your peroxide.”
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Great tips! I’ve only used it for wounds, but now that I know what it can be used for, I will be using it for all of the above!!!
@Susan Check out our list of the different uses for vinegar, if you haven’t already. These two are so useful and much less expensive than other cleaners.
Wow,,, thanks for sharing I had no idea
@Betty Baez But of course! Our goal is to help you save money EVERYDAY!
@Yazmin ~ A word of caution if you plan to use hydrogen peroxide as a mouth wash: Never use it following gum surgery, or whenever there are mouth surfaces that are bleeding. This from both my dentist and my oral surgeon. Sadly, I inherited terrible teeth and gums from my father, so I’ve been through a lot of dental “stuff.”
Also, this product does not totally remove blood stains from clothing. I have yet to find anything that does remove it completely.
In order to truly remove a blood stain completely use not regular h2o2 that’s 3% but 29% (the kind you get at the hydro store). It used to be 34% but CA outlawed it, lame. It will turn any thing white I once used h2o2 (34%) straight to turn a girls purple neck (from hickies) back to white however that her skin was whiter then she was even tho she’s super super toehead white. Be aware your skin will itch a lot for a few hours. And rinse you skin when your done if you do that otherwise it will just keep itching. Even 29% h2o2 will turn anything it touches ghostly white.
34% h2o2 best concrete bleach ever never compared to industrial high strength Muriatic Acid however.
H202 with Dawn blue dish soap removes all stains. .you can also add in a little baking soda and scrip the stain with a snamm brush: a mail brush works great
This has probably already been answered since the post is a few years old but Incase it hasn’t been answered yet. The best way to get blood out of anything, yes even white clothes, is to use your own saliva (make sure not to eat anything beforehand or rinse with water before doing this) it will even get dried blood that has gone through the wash and dryer out. All you do is rub some spit on the spot until it starts to disappear or dab with a wet paper towel. Works 100% of the time, I promise, there’s an enzyme in our saliva that breaks down blood (something like that I don’t remember exactly why it works ).
I remove any blood stains with cold water and salt. Seems to work quite well if you can do this as soon as the stain forms or keep the stain wet as possible up until doing this.
@EllieD My dentist told me to use it as a regular mouth wash. I didn’t have surgery so he didn’t say anything about that. Thanks for clarifying this out for other readers!
Use H202 as a sub for ear wax solutions. A few drops in the ear for a minute, then flush with the hottest water you can stand. It works.
@D Mellema I’ve never had a problem with Q-tips but my husband cleaned his ear a bit too vigorously with one and had to go to the doctor to get a bit of cotton removed from his ear! That was an expensive trip. I’ll tell him to try H2O2 instead.
Have been cleaning my ears with straight Peroxide for almost 50 years. Mom was an RN working for a Pediatrician who told her to clean ours that way. I’ve done the same with my kids aged 23-36 since they were little. It WORKS! My son’s ears are terrible and I have to repeat the fill, bubble, drain process several times every 6 months or so. I have never tried the hot water flush and not sure I want to. For those who can’t break the Q-Tip addiction (and sometimes it just feels good) I dip one end in Peroxide before “digging around” then use the dry end to get the excess wax. With my son I have him repeat this step multiple times after we do a clean until they come out clear. FYI-I’ve had friends think I’m crazy doing this until Dr. Oz had it on his show!!
Use for towels that have become musty smelling. 1/2 cup Peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar let stand for 15 minutes wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.
@Janice Thanks for this tip! Do you know if it works on smelly athletic clothes? I find my “wicking” sports clothes really hold onto that sweaty smell. Which means, even if they are clean, they smell like BO!
I put a standard spray top on the bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide and pretreat the armpits that smell like BO before tossing them in the washer as usual. As for using hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, it should be noted that the 2 must never be combined in the same container. It creates peracetic acid, which is corrosive and potentially toxic and harmful to the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
I once read that you can use it on armpits, knees and elbows that have darkened skin but I haven’t tried it.
Also use in the ear when you have an earache. Just put a drop or two in your ear and let it fizz around a bit.
@Jessica How curious. I’ve never thought about trying to lighten those parts of my body. I wonder if it works by scrubbing off the outer layer of skin, which has become tanned and rough?!
Got blood on clothing? Soak in peroxide ASAP and much of it should come out. (Ladies, this one is a lifesaver)
@Jen This will come in handy once a month! The only way I’ve been able to get blood stains out is by immediately rinsing with lots of cool water on the opposite side of the stain. That way the blood doesn’t have to go through the material. Your tip will come in handy on those times when I’m not immediately able to rinse with water.
Hydrogen peroxide does NOT heal wounds! You can use to to initially clean a cut or scrape, but continued use of it actually is bad for the new tissue that’s trying to grow, makes it take longer to heal and can cause more scar tissue.
@Adrienne Thanks for clarifying this. A lot of readers chimed in with similar comments. I’ve only used it to clean the initial scrape or cut.
Mixed with a little blue Dawn and it will get stains out of almost any material – including red wine out of linen pants.
@BradB Awesome to know! I take it you’ve had some experience…:)
after long use, the date stamper I use gets clogged, H202 will remove the inky funk clogging it.
@Paul Thanks for your tip! Do you think this would work with ball point pens that have gotten clogged with ink at the tip?
Never use H2O2 for any wound, ever.
@Bob Thanks for your input.
I use hydrogen peroxide to clean stains from the carpet. Simple pour H2O2 on the stain and then a little H2O. Dry the spot with a wash cloth. Worked on old dark stains with little effort!
@Alyssa C. Does this method change the color of the carpet at all? I know hydrogen peroxide can lighten hair and clothing.
Actually, using H2O2 to clean wounds is a bad idea. It’s a very old, and very unwise treatment. Yes, peroxide (and rubbing alcohol) kills cells. Bacteria cells. But that also includes healthy cells. If you use either for cleaning wounds, you’ll also kill the healthy skin and white blood cells that heal wounds. So you’re actually slowing DOWN the healing process.
Wound care clinicians recommend plain soap and water, and even for bad wounds, sterile saline.
Stick with NORMAL soap and water – avoid antibacterial soaps and creams to combats antibiotic resistant diseases.
@Sasha Thanks for your thoughts. A few other readers said the same thing. I only use it to clean a wound initially. Then it’s a bandaid and neosporin for small cuts and scrapes. What do you use to clean a wound initially?
Looks like Sasha is saying that they use plain NON-antibacterial soap and water to initially clean wounds! I think thats great advise because ALL of my initial wound cleanings with H2O2 result in MORE scarring and slower wound healing than the wounds I DONT initially clean at all. My english/italian skin wounds do not like H2O2
I’m susceptable to staph and since I’ve been using H2O2 to clean any early sign of infection I haven’t had any re-occurances. A single cleaning does the trick 99% of the time.
@Nate That’s great that you’ve found a cheap, effective solution! I’ll keep this in mind should I be so unlucky.
I brush my teeth with it. My teeth have gotten whiter and my dental exams have gone so much better!
@Rhoda That’s awesome! I wish my teeth were whiter, but I’m too cheap to buy whitening trays and gels. Plus, I don’t like the idea of putting harsh chemicals in my mouth.
What’s your recipe? Did you see the post we wrote about whitening teeth with hydrogen peroxide: http://bargainbabe.com/using-hydrogen-peroxide-to-whiten-teeth/
I’m surprised you didn’t mention what I think of as the most important, lifesaving use of H2O2: as an emetic for pets. I’ve had a number of dogs get into nasty things like rat poison or seemingly innocuous (but potentially deadly) dark chocolate. A bottle of peroxide down the throat causes immediate and repeated vomiting which is precisely what you want for most poisons a pet would get into. That ~used to be~ the only reason I kept it around. Now I have 20 other uses! 🙂
@Hank Thanks for sharing. Now we have one more to add to the list!
I’m pretty sure its not H2O2 but H2O5
@simpleton Nope, it is H2O2. H2O5 is hydrogen pentoxide. Here’s the Wikipedia page on hydrogen peroxide, H2O2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_peroxide
It’s very important to keep in mind that h202 comes in various forms, the kind you get at the drug store is pharmaceutical grade, a 3% solution (in the brown bottle) is mixed with metallic stabilizers to keep it’s its shelf life, and while it can be used externally in a pinch, the best kind for cleaning dishes, cutting boards, using on your plants, and ESPECIALLY internal use is a 3% dilution of FOOD GRADE h202. I would never give my animals the kind in the brown bottle from the drug store, it’s essentially contaminated for use inside the body.Just a tip I learned, if you want to make the most of that extra oxygen molecule that makes h202 so wonderful, only use it with distilled water because that greedy chlorine in most tap water just steals that extra oxygen that will suck the magic right out of your peroxide. Thanks for sharing 🙂
@Amanda Great tips! You’ve clearly been using hydrogen peroxide for a long time and in many different capacities. I usually pour it directly on small bloody wounds, but if I ever mix it with water I’ll make sure it’s distilled.
@hank @bargainbabe it’s a really really bad idea to induce vomiting in humans or animals when they’ve ingested poison. the poison has a good chance of aspiration and could cause more damage.
@Rob In some cases, yes, like when the poison is so noxious it’s worse to have it go through you system again. But if a dog has eaten a bit too much chocolate, it might be better for the dog to barf it up that let it sit in it’s stomach.
bargain babe has the most effective tips.
Thanks, Zahia!
My endodontist DOES NOT recommend using peroxide as a mouth wash. He said it creates free radicals in your mouth which are then absorbed through your blood stream or swallowed. Although people have used it as a mouthwash for decades, research has shown that free radicals play an important role in cancer occurence.
Also, never use it to clean a deep wound. Along with creating free radicals, it destroys tissue and will actually prolong deep wound healing.
@Rhonda Bush Advice on the safe use of hydrogen peroxide differs, so it’s best to ask your doctor or dentist for a recommendation. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Wondering if using a diluted solution in a spray bottle would be an effective way to reduce the risk of skin infections for wrestlers? Any thoughts on this?
@Lou I think a better solution would be to shower with warm water and soap after matches instead of spraying yourself with a diluted solution. Let me know what you try!
Hi a note about: 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water and spayed it on your toes (As you recommended on number 19 FOOT FUNGUS)
Please change this completely irresponsible comment, of course you dont mean for people to use 50% on their bodies and yet that is exactly what the statement means when read correctly.
People will get terrible chemical burns for taking this advice, save yourself from a lawsuit and save some poor idiot the pain of severely burned feet!
Please change the comment to a more responsible one.
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