(Coyoty)
Hydrogen peroxide isn’t just for bleaching hair or sanitizing wounds. A veritable magic potion with widely varied uses, the substance can assist you in ways you might not have considered.
Bargain Babe runs down 25 uses for peroxide, and here are some highlights:
* Rinse with it as a mouth wash to prevent halitosis.
* Mix it with water to clean kitchen surfaces.
* Soften up corns and callouses by soaking your feet in it.
* Sprinkle it in aquariums to prevent fungus from growing.
* Mix with almond or olive oil and pour it in your ear to unclog wax buildup.
Check out the source link for a bunch of other peroxide uses.
25 uses for hydrogen peroxide [Bargain Babe]
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I had no idea you could use small amounts in an aquarium.
Bass fisherman use it in their livewells in the summer. It increases released oxygen and keeps fish alive.
I’ll have to remember this as I’ve lost all of my stock besides my pleco.
Plecos are hardy to a lot of conditions that kill off most “tropical fish”.
I attribute it to having been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Hydrogen peroxide increases the redox potential, which reduces free floating organics.
Algae and fungus need low redox potential water to grow, the free oxygen from HP suppresses their growth
The problem is that it is very easy to overdo, which will burn gills and other sensitive tissues.
Yep, the standard is about 1 capfull per livewell – not very much at all.
It will also kill/prevent string algee in an outdoor pond. And not hurt the fish.
Peroxide tastes nasty–if you’re going to use it as mouthwash, mix it with a bit of water, and have something on hand to cut the gross afterwards. A healthy swish of mint water helps.
And it foams so much you look rabid while using it. Good times!
It’s real nasty when you rinse with it. But on the positive side, it helps get rid of canker sores too.
It works great!
I use it as a pre-rinse before brushing.
Solves the taste and foam issue.
The 3% solution that is the most common concentration for consumer packaging is a bit too harsh for gum tissue and should be diluted 50:50 with water or mouthwash. I usually use a listerine/peroxide mix, and if I haven’t for a while, after 2-3 days of doing it once a day, my teeth feel all smooth like I’d just seen a dental hygienist. It really is amazing how much better it works than mouthwash alone.
Works great to help dislodge ear wax, although I don’t bother mixing it with any oil. Let it sit there and fizz for a while, then take an ear syringe and rinse it out.
For the really heavy blockages, it takes multiple tries. And it doesn’t do everything, but by that point, you’ve got earache anyways, so time to see a doctor.
My otolaryngologist recommended mixing it half-and-half with very warm water.
I’m going to try that. Unfortunately I’m one of those people whose ears fill up and then I have to go to the doctor and sit there while the nurse flushes me out. I HATE THAT.
It, uh, doesn’t actually sanitize wounds. Multiple studies have shown it to be rather pointless as an antiseptic. It DOES help to clean them somewhat, but soapy water would probably work better.
To sanitize wounds, use antibiotic ointment. (Unless you enjoy pain, stay away from the rubbing alcohol.)
But I DO enjoy pain! After the rubbing alcohol, I squeeze lemon juice into my open wounds and then liberally sprinkle salt into them!
Are you Bill Murray in _Little Shop of Horrors_?
Jack Nicholson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAli9a8bbys
No, I haven’t applied salt or lemon juice to some surface wounds, but sure have put both hydrogen peroxide & 90% alcohol. Ah, burning! That goes along with scratching the blood clots formed on some shallow wounds. Ooohh!
It’s worse than ineffective; it is actively harmful. Peroxide kills off the immature cells that your body produces in its process of fixing the wound. The healing takes longer and is more likely to leave a scar.
“…soak my toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide between uses to keep it clean and prevent the transfer of germs.”
Is this the solution to the shit-flying-around-the-bathroom-and-landing-on-your-toothbrush problem recently discussed on The Consumerist?
I use a cup of mouthwash to keep my toothbrush in. I learned that from watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy years ago.
i never keep my toothbrush in the bathroom for that very reason.
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/time-warp-toilet-flush.html
Oh, and it doesn’t work that great for earwax either. OTC formulations are pretty weak. You’d be better off using the Carbamide Peroxide drops sold for this purpose.
And why would you mix the peroxide with oil? I’m trying to figure out what on earth that oil is supposed to do.
Notice that it was olive or almond oil. You do that to help refreshen ear odors.
Just think of the marketing opportunities:
C.B. Fleet could introduce their own line of oils, with the tagline “Summer’s Eve for your ear”
Listerine could make a killing pointing out how it’s new oils kill the bacteria that lead to bar ear smell and may prevent the onset of earavitis.
Oil softens hardened ear wax.
The theory is that oil softens up the wax, making it easier to flush out. Some heavy ear wax makers are given oil drops for several days to insert into their ears before professional removal.
But is it the “Egg McMuffin” of household utility products? I vote for baking soda.
And vinegar is up there too.
The ‘Egg McMuffin’ of any product is the absolute worst, at least that’s the way I interpret the commercial.
How do you sprinkle a liquid?
freeze it first?
Use an aspergillum, of course!
What is the name of the tool that is used to water your lawn?
Sprinkler?
With a sprinkler? Works for watering my lawn =P
I read that you shouldn’t put olive oil in your arse is because it goes rancid and gives off offensive odors.
I meant “ears”, not “arse”. Both have the same letters, easy mistake to make.
Oh, but such a good mistake. I would hate to have rancid olive oil in my arse!
Freudian slip much?
Thank you so much, that is some seriously funny stuff with that typo!
EXCELLENT
lolmg. I didn’t catch on to that. I was going to say, “I don’t need olive oil. Mine does that on its own.”
OMG read this while eating lunch and nearly spit food onto my keyboard. Thanks for the chuckle!!
OMG. My officemates probably think I’m crazy now as I sit here trying not to burst out laughing. Even better that it was a typo.
part of me just wanted to ask the obvious question, why are you sticking olive oil up your arse… Hey thanks for the laugh!
Build a rocket!
An experiment: Peroxide launches a rocket.
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/H/hydrogenperoxide.html
Just reminds me of this comic: http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=6963
It also works great to induce vomiting. One of my dogs at a panetonne one Christmas. Since it was filled with raisins, we called the emergency vet and they told us to just squirt a small amount down our dog’s throat. Since we weren’t 100% sure of which dog got the panetonne off the counter, we squirted it down each dog’s throat. Witin 3 minutes, both of them vomited up the contents of their stomach…and we knew which dog to take to the vet.
One hell of a christmas party.
We had to do the same thing after our dog ate a strudel full of raisins. We had to use about 10 mL to get him to vomit. Saved us a ton of money compared to taking him to the vet.
Did the same thing to my dog when he got into a bag of snack size chocolate candy bars. Vet said he probably didn’t eat enough to really hurt himself, but that’s a quick way to get it out of them.
When I thought my cat had swallowed something he shouldn’t and called the emergency vets office their first recommendation was to use 1 tsp of H202 to induce vomiting. It didn’t work for him but he had a steel stomach.
And for the record we got x-rays and it turned out he hadn’t swallowed it (we found it later under some pillows where he hid it).
He knew he didn’t do it so refused to barf, LOL.
You forgot:
* mix with acetone and a laboratory-concentration strong mineral acid to form a nitrate-free high explosive.
Makes a great cleaner for fresh (still wet) blood stains on clothing and carpeting too.
…and tile floors, and walls, and sinks, and countertops, and windows and… (oh sorry, got carried away. I didn’t want to be a barber anyway, I wanted to be a lumberjack.)
It’s also the primary ingredient in a very effective skunk wash for your pet. With my dogs and the woods out back, I have about six quarts of hydrogen peroxide and the rest of the ingredients (common household stuff, see Google) in the kitchen cabinet waiting for action. And it works.
My old dog dribbles pee. This is annoying as I have off-white carpet in my bedroom. Apply peroxide and zoom! Bye bye pee stain!
I definitely want a second opinion before I add hydrogen peroxide to my 120-gal aquarium!! And a third.
It’s fine in small amounts. It also increases dissolved oxygen for a short time.
Also google: hydrogen peroxide livewell
You’ll see how fishermen use it to keep fish alive in their livewells.
Halitosis is a fake ilness inventes by makers or Listerine. Get over yourselves.
Um, you clearly have never met an ex-coworker of mine. There were days you literally have to back away when she talked or risk losing your lunch.
Please back away 3 feet, please.
+1 yeah, those who have it never realize they do.
It works great for bleaching out fresh blood almost instantly if you catch it while wet… amazing.
This trick saved my carpet when one of my dog’s nails got torn and bled profusely.
Be sure to rinse afterward though or you may end up with bleached spots.
I use it to clean blood out of clothing. I keep a small bottle under the bathroom sink and another right next to the laundry detergent. It works best when the stain is fresh and hasn’t set. Squirt some on and let it sit for a few minutes before tossing it into the wash.
This is especially helpful if you are a woman whose periods are wacky and/or extremely heavy.
Cold water is all you need.
A relative of mine was taking hydrogen peroxide (swigs from the bottle, I believe) to try to cure her cancer. It worked exactly as well as the homeopathic ‘remedies’.
Sad, but true.
Mixed with a little “blue dawn” dish soap and it will clean red wine out of white linen pants. What? Someone bumped my elbow, I’m not naturally clumsy.
I have a older small dog that has become “leaky” especially near the couch in the front room. I use peroxide to soak the spots then suck them up with a rug dr. Gets rid of the smell and stain. I would spot check on your carpet to make sure it does not leave a bleached spot though
Peroxide works wonders on canker sores. One or two applications and they heal right up.
Yes — dip the end of a Q-tip in H2O2 and touch it directly to the canker sore. It will hurt like hell, but the canker sore will close faster and be less painful in the interrim.
I use peroxide to remove bug strikes from the visor of my motorcycle helmet.
I never thought to use it for leaky dog cleanups. That’s a great idea.
just in case they don’t mention it:
If you use it on your body, anywhere, do not mix it with vinegar.
As for the aquarium usage, be careful, too much peroxide can harm fishes gils. Try not to dose more then a capful of peroxide per 10 gallons of water.
It’s the only mouthwash I use – it does everything and more and for a fraction of the price.
“Can kill harmful bacteria, including E. coli, viral agents, and mold and mildew spores”
ehhhh… I’m not so sure about this one. I clean crime scenes / traumas as part of my job, and most of the training materials made it pretty clear that peroxide is NOT a sanitizer. It is, however, an excellent indicator for finding bio-matter (blacklights are impractical in most situations).