Hydrogen peroxide which is chemically known as H2O2 is a marvelous disinfecting agent which is otherwise nontoxic. This is because of hydrogen peroxide, unlike other disinfecting agents, acts on the organic substance in a very different way. It kills germs and bacteria by oxidizing them. Oxidation is a process of controlled burning. The chemical hydrogen peroxide reacts with the organic substance by producing water and oxygen. This makes it non-poisonous and thus, hydrogen peroxide is one the safest disinfecting agent available. The various advantages of hydrogen peroxide are as follows:
Hydrogen peroxide as a disinfecting agent:
Washing dishes: in order to disinfect your regular utensils, soak them in 3% concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution and wash them. Your utensils would be absolutely disinfected.
Disinfecting the rooms: You can use 3% concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution in a spray bottle and use it to disinfect the rooms, kitchen surfaces and certainly your bathrooms. The solution would not only leave the surface disinfected but would also leave a fresh fragrance every time you use it.
The same spray bottle could also be used to spray and disinfect the lunch boxes of your children and the interior of the refrigerators.
Disinfecting the laundry: You can use 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide in a bucket of water and then soak the washed laundry in it. After that, you can dry out them. This would disinfect the laundry of any germ.
Using hydrogen peroxide to improve your personal hygiene
As a mouthwash: 3 % concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution could be used as an excellent mouthwash that would effectively kill the germs of the interior of your mouth without adversely affecting your body.
As a toothpaste: Hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda to form a paste serves as a very good toothpaste. Even dipping your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide solution also helps in disinfecting the mouth.
Teeth whitener: Far more effective than any chemical teeth whitener is the solution called hydrogen peroxide. Using it once or twice a week helps you to have a wonderfully white set of teeth without going into the hassles of artificial whitening.
Apart from the above uses, hydrogen peroxide could also be used as a very effective body wash. Using hydrogen peroxide regularly as your bathing agent would help you to get rid of any type of body fungus and skin infection; rashes and bacterial growth on the body.
In case of cuts and wounds
- Hydrogen peroxide is very useful in case of cuts and wounds. All types of cuts and wounds, when washed regularly with hydrogen peroxide solution, get healed. Even patients suffering from gangrene which is apparently not curable with any type of medicine or ointment has been reported to improve when treated and washed with hydrogen peroxide solution.
- Patients suffering from mite infection have reported that using hydrogen peroxide solution once or twice a day has effectively killed the mites growing on the body.
- Hydrogen peroxide is also used in the solution used for disinfecting and storing contact lens.
Amazing facts:
- You would be amazed to know that the human body naturally produces hydrogen peroxide in order to fight against any internal cut and injury. The class of white blood cells or leucocytes called neutrophils produces hydrogen peroxide. This has prompted many medical professionals to use hydrogen peroxide to cleanse the inside of the body. This therapy is called oxygen therapy.
- Hydrogen peroxide is also used to clean parts of electronic goods. For this purpose, you need to use a 30% to 32 % or electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide.
- The 3.5% hydrogen peroxide is called the pharmaceutical grade which is the one that is readily available one and which you can buy at the nearest supermarket.
- The 35% hydrogen peroxide is called the food grade. This is used in disinfecting the foiling packages and this is the one which can be used internally within the body.
- There is only one grade above this which is the 90% purity grade of hydrogen peroxide. This is used as fuel to rockets as a source of oxygen
Thus, we see that hydrogen peroxide is certainly a wonder in the field of disinfectants.