4 Surprising Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Shawna Bailey
by Shawna Bailey
2 Materials
$1
2 Minutes
Easy

Hydrogen Peroxide has many uses. It's a great cleaner, it's a good beauty product, and it also helps in gardening. I'm serious! It's like a miracle potion. Here are some things I use it for in my house that you might be surprised by.

Surprise 1: Clean Dirty Pots and Pans

Older pots often get a burnt stain that seems like it would require a lot of scrubbing to get off. Have you ever tried it? I did, and after five minutes of deep scrubbing, I still couldn't get it off.

With just a bit of Hydrogen Peroxide, and some baking soda as a gentle abrasive, those stains come off super quick. See how shiny my pot is now?

Surprise 2: Remove Residue from Produce

Have you ever picked fruit from an apple tree? It's not nearly as shiny as the stuff you find in the store. That's because veggies and fruits come with all sorts of wax on them to make them look more appealing, and they still have pesticides on them from the growing process.

After I buy my groceries, I just fill a clean sink up with water and add a few teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide. Then let them sit for about 15 minutes, and all that stuff comes right off.

Surprise 3: Sanitize Toothbrushes

We change our toothbrushes every 3 months (do you know how much bacteria is on there?). But in between that time I like to disinfect the brushes, so they don’t get gross.

I put each toothbrush in their own cup and add at least enough Hydrogen peroxide to cover all the bristles. Then I let it sit for a minute or two and they come out bacteria free.

Surprise 4: Germinate Seeds

This was actually a new tip for me. If you soak your seeds in about a cup of water with a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide, it helps with germination. Since I have a green-thumb, I was thrilled to learn about this.

It will kill any fungus that might be lying dormant on the seed (which is good because that fungus will either kill the seed or slow down it’s germination). So using this method helps seeds germinate faster.

Really cool tips, right? Please comment if you have any more useful home and garden tips with H2O2, I'd love to hear them.


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  • Lourdes maldonado Lourdes maldonado on May 18, 2020

    I have white cotton velvet drapes.How can I spot clean them without removing them

  • Vickie Vickie on May 21, 2020

    Can you use peroxide plus water as a hand sanitizer?

  • Marcie Marcie on Oct 24, 2022

    How to clean enclosed fan blades

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  • Judithia Ashelim Judithia Ashelim on Aug 16, 2021

    yes! I have grey hair and every 4 months or more, I mix 1 teaspoon of peroxide with 1/3 cup deep conditioner and apply it to my hair for 30 minutes. 30 minutes is the maximum some have to shampoo after 5-10 min. I I gently shampoo, spritz vinegar and water mixture on my hair then rinse and condition. Peroxide can “ Eat” your hair, so do a test on the nape hair,

    • Jeannie F DiMauro Jeannie F DiMauro on Dec 02, 2022

      As Laura (above) said... exactly what is the purpose of the peroxide treatment for grey hair? Anyone know? Or does anyone have a guess? I know there are treatments people use to avoid the 'yellowish' tint some grey hair gets... wonder if that is what the original poster was talking about?


  • Donna Ohanian Donna Ohanian on Jan 16, 2023

    I put about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of baking soda in a low drinking glass and pour hydrogen peroxide in until it’s pliable, like toothpaste or like oatmeal. Make it so a toothbrush can pull it through your hair. The hair dryer speeds up the lightening process, hasn’t damaged my hair at all.

    I tried a Clairol hair lightening product during Covid and that made a brassy color and dried out my hair. Try this easy method on just a few strands on top, or around your face to brighten up and see how you like it before you do more. Make a small batch. 😀

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