This inexpensive, all-natural household item is normally found with the first aid kit, but you will also want to add one to your cleaning supply kit. Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide is an effective, affordable way to clean different areas in your home.
Hydrogen Peroxide – When most people think about hydrogen peroxide, they think about the liquid substance that creates bubbles while disinfecting the cut on your finger. Although this isn’t recommended as much nowadays (hydrogen peroxide may produce scarring and kill skin cells) it sure does disinfect many things around your home. For almost 100 years it has been used as an antiseptic but did you know five quick facts about cleaning with hydrogen peroxide?
Five Quick Facts about Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide Is Similar to Water
Hydrogen peroxide is chemically very similar to water (H2O) except it has one extra oxygen atom making its chemical formula H2O2. It breaks down into water and oxygen. The bubbles that form when you use hydrogen peroxide are from the oxygen.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide Is a Powerful Disinfectant
Much like lemon, hydrogen peroxide is very, very Anti.
- Antibacterial
- Antifungal
- Antiviral
- Antiseptic
- Antimicrobial
Hydrogen peroxide is an effective disinfectant that can be used to sterilize surgical tools. It can also sterilize your household cleaning supplies (scrub brushes, mops, rags, etc.).
3. Hydrogen Peroxide Is a Natural Bleach
Hydrogen peroxide is outstanding in the laundry room. Use it on your whites as a non-toxic and safe alternative to chlorine bleach. It will also remove any bad smells from your clothing, towels, and sheets. Caution: Do not use it on your colored clothes until you have tested it on a colored piece of fabric.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide’s Brown Bottle
If you ever wondered why hydrogen peroxide is always in a brown bottle, it’s because it keeps out the light. Hydrogen peroxide needs to stay away from light sources, or it may break down and lose its potency. If you are going to be cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, leave it in the bottle until you are ready to use it.
5. Our Bodies Produce Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is formed in our cells to ward off the dangerous compound superoxide. According to Joe Schwarcz, an enzyme called superoxide dismutase converts superoxide into hydrogen peroxide. Then the enzyme catalase reduces hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. So in a way, hydrogen peroxide disinfects our cells.
Bonus Fact:
The earliest use of hydrogen peroxide was to bleach straw hats in the early 1900s.
Hydrogen peroxide is great for disinfecting, but there is another product you will usually also find in the first aid kit. Read our article – Can You Use Rubbing Alcohol to Clean? to learn how to use rubbing alcohol for cleaning and disinfecting.
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