Did you know hydrogen peroxide has so many uses it is something EVERY house should always have a good sized bottle of!  Growing up we used it to disinfect wounds…. it makes bubbles, but can sting, which the only distraction is to get the child focused on the bubbles it makes.  In the past few years I have found new uses for it I’d love to share with you.

What makes using hydrogen peroxide even more awesome is that it’s super cheap!  You can buy a large bottle probably around 32 oz. for about a dollar or less! That’s cheap and makes it easy to stock up on for your food storage!  It claims to last 3 years, but we’ve had some much longer than that!  All you do is pour a little on a wound or the sink and if it fizzes it’s good!  Expired hydrogen peroxide may not work as a disinfectant, but it’s not harmful and can still be used to flush a wound of any debree like you would use water.

Ok so lets list the uses (at least the ones that I know of)

1. As I’ve mentioned above, use it for disinfecting wounds.  It can cause a sting though so sometimes kids don’t like it.  It will bubble where it’s working, so if it bubbles then you know it’s needed!
2. Getting blood out of clothes/fabrics.  Hydrogen Peroxide is the best thing I’ve ever used to get blood out of clothes & fabrics!  Just rub a little on the stain- it will probably bubble.  Then wash it with your clothes in the washer.  I’ve never had it bleach or cause another stain on my things- probably because I’m usually worried about getting blood out of white things, but if you’re worried about that then I’d suggest trying it on a small section that’s not noticeable first since it is considered a bleach.
3. As a cleaner.  Mixing Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda together then using it as either a paste or a spray works as a great cleaner!  I’ve done it to get stains off of my kitchen pans, clean grout in tile, and I’m sure it could be used for just about any cleaning you need!
4. Teeth whitener.  The number 1 ingredient in teeth whitening things is hydrogen peroxide! Imagine that!  To whiten your teeth, simple use the hydrogen peroxide as a mouth wash swishing it in your mouth for 30 seconds then spitting it out and brushing your teeth as you normally would.  As with all teeth whiteners you don’t want to do it more than twice a day and I wouldn’t do it every day either. (maybe just for a week or less)
5. Wipe your wood cutting boards down with hydrogen peroxide to kill salmonella and other bacteria
6. To bleach hair- I would recommend researching this before you do it!  I have read that you can do half water/half peroxide and spray it on to wet hair to get a lighter natural looking highlights without the burnt blond look.  But I’ve never tried this one!
7. Add some to a load of white clothes in the washer instead of bleach.
8. Use it to clean areas where mold is present. (from water damage etc)  But again be careful, it may bleach carpets etc.

And I’m sure there’s many more uses- these are just the ones that I know of or have tried!