Friday Feature: Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide

When cleaning my bathroom with bleach made me weak, gave me a headache and irritated my nose, I had to give it up. I know; nothing works quite like bleach. Put some in a load of whites, scrub a sink and a tub, and disinfect the garbage disposal and you will get clean and sanitized, but, like me you might get some other things you hadn’t counted on, like toxic fumes, burnt skin, eye irritation, or coughing and wheezing.
Instead of getting sick, I began to whiten my clothes with oxygenated products. There are a host of these available for all types of cleaning uses. You can do a web search or check a natural health store for brand name products. But my daily go to cleaning product is food grade hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is made of hydrogen and oxygen, an oxidizing agent (one that transports oxygen), helping clean the body internally and externally and whatever our body encounters. It helps our bodies fight infections and keeps our immune system boosted. This substance kills bacteria, fungi and viruses. What a great all-purpose cleanser!

Though food grade hydrogen peroxide is non-toxic and is a powerful cleanser, disinfectant, food decontaminant and odor remover, like bleach it can burn your skin, even when mixed with the proper amount of distilled water, as it should be used. But I’d rather risk having small-scale, momentary burns for superior and non-toxic results than a product that makes me sick and may cause long-term damage.

Food treatment
I like to clean my fruit and vegetables in bulk. Like I do when cleaning with baking soda, I put my produce in my sink that’s filled half-way with water and add one tablespoon of food grade hydrogen peroxide. Like baking soda it removes dirt but it also sterilizes produce. Hydrogen peroxide zaps whatever pesticides and bacteria were there. Let the produce soak for about 15 minutes then rinse produce with cool water. I also have a one-quart spray bottle of distilled water mixed with at least an ounce of hydrogen peroxide. When I run out of my choice vegetable and fruit wash and I haven’t cleaned my produce in bulk, I use this to spray individual pieces of fruit and rinse after 2-5 minutes. I also have sprayed my meats to decontaminate them.

Surface treatment
Bathrooms and kitchens are the most used rooms in my house and, like yours, accumulate a lot of bacteria. I disinfect my toilets, countertops and sinks, especially after working with meats. Just like the everyday hydrogen peroxide you use on cuts, this food grade version turns surfaces white on contact with a contaminated source, making me confident that the product is working. I use this to freshen up my carpet, too. Just spray the stale area.

Body treatment
Add 20 drops to four ounces of water and you have a natural mouthwash. I also use this to clean a fallen toothbrush or one that I don’t get to change when I should.

There is a host of other ways to use this product, but, as always, I share only what has worked for me.

What ways do you (if you) use food grade hydrogen peroxide or another natural product you find equally useful?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

3 thoughts on “Friday Feature: Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide

  1. When you say food hdrogenated peroixide does the label actually state that or what should I be looking for?
    Thank you for the great information.

  2. I’ve used in on plants and in vaporizers to get it in the air! It made my Tulips stand up for so long! I’ve also used it internally but right now I inhale it. I kept forgetting to wait and eat or wait after and got a stomach ache but that was clearly me not being disciplined. I plan on starting it again and I keep 3 drops a day in my cats water. She was a kitten again in 2 weeks of the therapy.

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