Wonderful uses of hydrogen peroxide for some common ailments
1. Treat Acne
Acne comes in all shapes and sizes, and can be caused by such an array of things that it’s often hard to treat. You can start by using hydrogen peroxide as a kind of all-natural toner. Just soak a cotton ball or cotton round and swipe it over a clean, dry face.
The trick here is to not go overboard. Peroxide kills bacteria, but it isn’t choosy. If you do this too often, you’ll kill your skin’s good bacteria, too.
2. A Remedy for Bad Breath
Believe it or not, hydrogen peroxide can be used as an alternative to mouth wash as a way to kill bad breath. If you swish peroxide for about 30 seconds once a week, it should eliminate a vast majority of the unhealthy bacteria responsible for bad breath.
A word of caution though: Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to kill the good bacteria in your mouth at the same time.
3. Cure a Toothache
We’ve already covered how hydrogen peroxide can whiten your teeth if they’re yellow, but that’s not the only thing it can do for your pearly whites.
According to many reports, hydrogen peroxide mixed with water makes a great remedy for a toothache. They claim holding the mixture in your mouth at the location of the aching tooth for 5-10 minutes significantly reduces the pain. It’s obviously not a replacement for real dental care, but definitely a good short-term solution if a toothache becomes unbearable.
4. Treat a Yeast Infection
If you’re struggling with a yeast infection, hydrogen peroxide might be the cure you’re looking for.
Simply mix three percent hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water and soak your tampon in the mixture. From there, use the mixture once a day after your symptoms disappear.
5. Deodorant
We can hear you doubting this right now, but it’s true: Hydrogen peroxide – mixed with dish soap of all things – makes a good deodorant substitute.
Mix the hydrogen peroxide with dish soap in a 1:2 ration, then leave it on for a half hour before washing it off. Like a few other hacks on our list, we would recommend this more as an emergency step than an everyday use.
6. Clean Contact Lenses
Anyone willing to venture a wild guess at what the main ingredient in most commercial lens cleaners is?
Shockingly – or not so shockingly since you’ve read this far – the answer is hydrogen peroxide. That’s right, you can use normal hydrogen peroxide to clean your lenses just as well as store bought lens cleaners for a fraction of the price.
7. Clean and Disinfect Minor Wounds
This is probably the reason many of you have hydrogen peroxide in your home already, but it bears mentioning anyway that hydrogen peroxide is very useful at cleaning and disinfecting small wounds on both people and animals.
Simply apply directly to minor wounds to clean away dead tissue, halt minor bleeding, and prevent infections. However, it’s important to remember not to go overboard, as using hydrogen peroxide too often will adversely affect healing.
8. Treat Calluses and Corns
Do you have overly large, hardened calluses on your feet? Or maybe painful and annoying corns? Well, hydrogen peroxide might be your new best friend. You can help soften calluses and corns by soaking your feet in a mixture of warm water and hydrogen peroxide. Soak your feet before bed each night to help soften the affected area and help alleviate discomfort.
9. Treat Foot Fungus
Having a foot fungus or athlete’s foot can be a nuisance. Your feet are itchy, but the fungus can also build up on your toes and make them embarrassing to display if you’re going to the beach or wearing sandals. While it’s recommended to visit a podiatrist and get some topical cream, some experts and DIY-ers say hydrogen peroxide can be a solution. Just apply the peroxide (usually diluted with water) to the affected areas twice a day, and it may kill the bacteria once and for all. If it doesn’t work after a few weeks, then you should visit a healthcare professional.
10. Remove Airborne Germs
Here’s a truly ingenious hydrogen peroxide hack. As you’ve noticed, hydrogen peroxide does wonders when it comes to killing germs and bacteria. But you usually have to spray it onto a specific surface for it to work its magic. But what about germs floating about in the air? Well, hydrogen peroxide can attack them too. If you have a humidifier, you can add create a one-to-eight mixture (one pint per gallon) of hydrogen peroxide and water in your humidifier. Add in a few drops of lavender essential oils and the steam will cleanse your air and provide a soothing scent around the house.
11. Help With a Cold
While there’s never a quick-fix to treat a cold other than to wait it out and allow your body to build up the necessary antibodies, you can help get rid of some germs or bacteria with the help of some hydrogen peroxide. For some people, it’s beneficial for them to put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into their ears. This can help kill off harmful germs faster so you (or the kids) can get back on your feet more quickly.
14. Lighten Hair
Not keen on spending hundreds of dollars on a balayage treatment or highlights? You can try the at-home, DIY hair lightening method instead. You can use hydrogen peroxide to lighten your hair slowly over time, or for some natural-looking highlights with a little help from the sun.
To try the slow-and-steady method, mix equal parts water and peroxide in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto your hair and comb it through. Once it’s all dry, you’re done. You can repeat the process routinely until you get the desired result.
For some express highlights, spray the same solution onto select strands of ff and then spend a day out enjoying the sun. Repeat this a few times and you should see some noticeable results!
12. Whiten Teeth
Ever heard people talk about baking soda or peroxide as tooth whiteners? It’s not just an old wives’ tale. Hydrogen peroxide really can help to brighten your smile.
You can either soak your toothbrush in peroxide and then brush for two minutes, or you can add some peroxide to water and swish it around in your mouth as you would mouthwash. Repeat a few times a week for the best results.
13. Whiten Yellow Nails
Just like your teeth, your nails can yellow, too. It can happen for a bunch of reasons— diet, nail polish, or handling dyes or spices, to name a few — but peroxide can save the day no matter what the cause was.
All you have to do is soak a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and use it to swipe your nails, just as you would do with nail polish remover.
14. Retainer Cleaner
Keeping a retainer clean can be a real chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Mom4Real.com has a great tutorial for a retainer cleaning solution that’ll keep your mouth fresh and help maintain your investment; after all, braces and retainers are not cheap.
All you’ll need is a glass jar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, peppermint essential oil, and water! Plop the retainer into a jar and add enough cold water to cover it, plus one tablespoon of peroxide, a sprinkle of baking soda, and one drop of peppermint essential oil. Stir it all up and leave the retainer to soak for about 10 minutes.
15. Heal Canker Sores
Canker sores are … unpleasant, to say the least. But you can help alleviate the pain and heal them a bit faster by breaking out the peroxide. Swish some water and hydrogen peroxide around in your mouth for about 30 seconds, spit, and rinse with plain water.
It’s important that you do not swallow the peroxide, so if you’re worried about swishing, you can use a cotton ball to dab the mixture on instead. The peroxide will kill the bacteria in your mouth and help you heal faster.
16. Help Cracked Heels
For some people, no matter what they do, they still end up with dry, cracked heels.
Soak your feet in a mixture of two cups of peroxide and two cups of hot-as-you-can-stand-it water for about 30 minutes. Dry your feet off and scrub your dead heel skin with a pumice stone or coarse foot file. When you get all the dead skin off, wipe your feet off again with a towel, lotion them up, and put on some nice fuzzy socks. Ideally, you’re doing all of this at bedtime and can sleep with the socks on.
17. Ear Cleaner
No matter how many times we’re told that Q-tips are not safe for your ears, we still use them often. Have wax buildup in your ears? Peroxide is a better solution than stabbing at your eardrum with a cotton stick.
Instead, administer a few drops into your ear canal and fill it with fluid. Keep still for 5 minutes, then blot the outer ear with a tissue to absorb any liquid that comes out.
Note: This isn’t an effective remedy for people with damaged ears or infections. It’s just for some maintenance on otherwise healthy ears.
18. Makeup Brush Cleaner
Getting a breakout because you aren’t cleaning your makeup brushes often enough is not the way to a #flawless look. Before you shell out $30 on some designer solution, raid your medicine cabinet.
Simply drop a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide into a bowl of warm water, and soak the brushes in there for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, rinse them with cold water.
19. Remove Blood Stains
Stained clothing can be a real pain in the butt. You never know when something might drop from the kitchen table or a mishap can cause a cut that gets all over your clothes. Blood stains are some of the hardest to get rid of on any article of clothing (unless it’s black, we guess). But hydrogen peroxide is there to help. Add some hydrogen peroxide to the area of blood stain and allow it to sit for several minutes. Then wash under some warm water with detergent or soap. It might take an attempt or two, but the hydrogen peroxide should help lift the stain.
Acne comes in all shapes and sizes, and can be caused by such an array of things that it’s often hard to treat. You can start by using hydrogen peroxide as a kind of all-natural toner. Just soak a cotton ball or cotton round and swipe it over a clean, dry face.
The trick here is to not go overboard. Peroxide kills bacteria, but it isn’t choosy. If you do this too often, you’ll kill your skin’s good bacteria, too.
2. A Remedy for Bad Breath
Believe it or not, hydrogen peroxide can be used as an alternative to mouth wash as a way to kill bad breath. If you swish peroxide for about 30 seconds once a week, it should eliminate a vast majority of the unhealthy bacteria responsible for bad breath.
A word of caution though: Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to kill the good bacteria in your mouth at the same time.
3. Cure a Toothache
We’ve already covered how hydrogen peroxide can whiten your teeth if they’re yellow, but that’s not the only thing it can do for your pearly whites.
According to many reports, hydrogen peroxide mixed with water makes a great remedy for a toothache. They claim holding the mixture in your mouth at the location of the aching tooth for 5-10 minutes significantly reduces the pain. It’s obviously not a replacement for real dental care, but definitely a good short-term solution if a toothache becomes unbearable.
4. Treat a Yeast Infection
If you’re struggling with a yeast infection, hydrogen peroxide might be the cure you’re looking for.
Simply mix three percent hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water and soak your tampon in the mixture. From there, use the mixture once a day after your symptoms disappear.
5. Deodorant
We can hear you doubting this right now, but it’s true: Hydrogen peroxide – mixed with dish soap of all things – makes a good deodorant substitute.
Mix the hydrogen peroxide with dish soap in a 1:2 ration, then leave it on for a half hour before washing it off. Like a few other hacks on our list, we would recommend this more as an emergency step than an everyday use.
6. Clean Contact Lenses
Anyone willing to venture a wild guess at what the main ingredient in most commercial lens cleaners is?
Shockingly – or not so shockingly since you’ve read this far – the answer is hydrogen peroxide. That’s right, you can use normal hydrogen peroxide to clean your lenses just as well as store bought lens cleaners for a fraction of the price.
7. Clean and Disinfect Minor Wounds
This is probably the reason many of you have hydrogen peroxide in your home already, but it bears mentioning anyway that hydrogen peroxide is very useful at cleaning and disinfecting small wounds on both people and animals.
Simply apply directly to minor wounds to clean away dead tissue, halt minor bleeding, and prevent infections. However, it’s important to remember not to go overboard, as using hydrogen peroxide too often will adversely affect healing.
8. Treat Calluses and Corns
Do you have overly large, hardened calluses on your feet? Or maybe painful and annoying corns? Well, hydrogen peroxide might be your new best friend. You can help soften calluses and corns by soaking your feet in a mixture of warm water and hydrogen peroxide. Soak your feet before bed each night to help soften the affected area and help alleviate discomfort.
9. Treat Foot Fungus
Having a foot fungus or athlete’s foot can be a nuisance. Your feet are itchy, but the fungus can also build up on your toes and make them embarrassing to display if you’re going to the beach or wearing sandals. While it’s recommended to visit a podiatrist and get some topical cream, some experts and DIY-ers say hydrogen peroxide can be a solution. Just apply the peroxide (usually diluted with water) to the affected areas twice a day, and it may kill the bacteria once and for all. If it doesn’t work after a few weeks, then you should visit a healthcare professional.
10. Remove Airborne Germs
Here’s a truly ingenious hydrogen peroxide hack. As you’ve noticed, hydrogen peroxide does wonders when it comes to killing germs and bacteria. But you usually have to spray it onto a specific surface for it to work its magic. But what about germs floating about in the air? Well, hydrogen peroxide can attack them too. If you have a humidifier, you can add create a one-to-eight mixture (one pint per gallon) of hydrogen peroxide and water in your humidifier. Add in a few drops of lavender essential oils and the steam will cleanse your air and provide a soothing scent around the house.
11. Help With a Cold
While there’s never a quick-fix to treat a cold other than to wait it out and allow your body to build up the necessary antibodies, you can help get rid of some germs or bacteria with the help of some hydrogen peroxide. For some people, it’s beneficial for them to put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into their ears. This can help kill off harmful germs faster so you (or the kids) can get back on your feet more quickly.
14. Lighten Hair
Not keen on spending hundreds of dollars on a balayage treatment or highlights? You can try the at-home, DIY hair lightening method instead. You can use hydrogen peroxide to lighten your hair slowly over time, or for some natural-looking highlights with a little help from the sun.
To try the slow-and-steady method, mix equal parts water and peroxide in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto your hair and comb it through. Once it’s all dry, you’re done. You can repeat the process routinely until you get the desired result.
For some express highlights, spray the same solution onto select strands of ff and then spend a day out enjoying the sun. Repeat this a few times and you should see some noticeable results!
12. Whiten Teeth
Ever heard people talk about baking soda or peroxide as tooth whiteners? It’s not just an old wives’ tale. Hydrogen peroxide really can help to brighten your smile.
You can either soak your toothbrush in peroxide and then brush for two minutes, or you can add some peroxide to water and swish it around in your mouth as you would mouthwash. Repeat a few times a week for the best results.
13. Whiten Yellow Nails
Just like your teeth, your nails can yellow, too. It can happen for a bunch of reasons— diet, nail polish, or handling dyes or spices, to name a few — but peroxide can save the day no matter what the cause was.
All you have to do is soak a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and use it to swipe your nails, just as you would do with nail polish remover.
14. Retainer Cleaner
Keeping a retainer clean can be a real chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Mom4Real.com has a great tutorial for a retainer cleaning solution that’ll keep your mouth fresh and help maintain your investment; after all, braces and retainers are not cheap.
All you’ll need is a glass jar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, peppermint essential oil, and water! Plop the retainer into a jar and add enough cold water to cover it, plus one tablespoon of peroxide, a sprinkle of baking soda, and one drop of peppermint essential oil. Stir it all up and leave the retainer to soak for about 10 minutes.
15. Heal Canker Sores
Canker sores are … unpleasant, to say the least. But you can help alleviate the pain and heal them a bit faster by breaking out the peroxide. Swish some water and hydrogen peroxide around in your mouth for about 30 seconds, spit, and rinse with plain water.
It’s important that you do not swallow the peroxide, so if you’re worried about swishing, you can use a cotton ball to dab the mixture on instead. The peroxide will kill the bacteria in your mouth and help you heal faster.
16. Help Cracked Heels
For some people, no matter what they do, they still end up with dry, cracked heels.
Soak your feet in a mixture of two cups of peroxide and two cups of hot-as-you-can-stand-it water for about 30 minutes. Dry your feet off and scrub your dead heel skin with a pumice stone or coarse foot file. When you get all the dead skin off, wipe your feet off again with a towel, lotion them up, and put on some nice fuzzy socks. Ideally, you’re doing all of this at bedtime and can sleep with the socks on.
17. Ear Cleaner
No matter how many times we’re told that Q-tips are not safe for your ears, we still use them often. Have wax buildup in your ears? Peroxide is a better solution than stabbing at your eardrum with a cotton stick.
Instead, administer a few drops into your ear canal and fill it with fluid. Keep still for 5 minutes, then blot the outer ear with a tissue to absorb any liquid that comes out.
Note: This isn’t an effective remedy for people with damaged ears or infections. It’s just for some maintenance on otherwise healthy ears.
18. Makeup Brush Cleaner
Getting a breakout because you aren’t cleaning your makeup brushes often enough is not the way to a #flawless look. Before you shell out $30 on some designer solution, raid your medicine cabinet.
Simply drop a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide into a bowl of warm water, and soak the brushes in there for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, rinse them with cold water.
19. Remove Blood Stains
Stained clothing can be a real pain in the butt. You never know when something might drop from the kitchen table or a mishap can cause a cut that gets all over your clothes. Blood stains are some of the hardest to get rid of on any article of clothing (unless it’s black, we guess). But hydrogen peroxide is there to help. Add some hydrogen peroxide to the area of blood stain and allow it to sit for several minutes. Then wash under some warm water with detergent or soap. It might take an attempt or two, but the hydrogen peroxide should help lift the stain.