Cleaning Secret Weapon: 6 Ways to Use Hydrogen Peroxide

You already know hydrogen peroxide comes in handy for cleaning up cuts and scrapes and even for whitening your teeth, but there’s a lot more to it than that—it’s also great to have on hand for cleaning your home. It’s inexpensive, you can find it at just about any pharmacy and grocery store, and it can do just about anything. From disinfecting toys and countertops to keeping your shower mold and mildew free, H2O2 has your back.

Your cutting board always comes in handy in the kitchen, but it can also harbor a lot of bacteria—especially when it comes to wooden cutting boards. Soap and water and a good scrub should do the trick, but if you’re worried about sanitizing your cutting boards further, Care2 suggests washing them with 3% hydrogen peroxide, letting it sit for 10 minutes, then rinsing, then repeating with distilled white vinegar (just don’t mix the two in the same container).

Along the same lines as cleaning your cutting boards, you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean and remove stains from various types of countertops, as well as to wipe down the inside of your refrigerator to get it extra clean and keep bacteria at bay.

Hydrogen peroxide makes a great stain fighter, so whether you’re facing a laundry disaster or a carpet conundrum, it usually comes in handy. Hydrogen peroxide can take out blood stains, wine stains, grass stains, and in many cases those stains where you’re just not quite sure what caused them.

If you’re dealing with a little mold or mildew in your kitchen or bathroom, you can use hydrogen peroxide to take care of the issue. WikiHow suggests putting 3% hydrogen peroxide, undiluted, in a spray bottle, spray the moldy area and let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrub the surface until it’s clean. Dry thoroughly when you’re done to prevent mold from coming back.

If your dish sponge is smelling less than fresh, hydrogen peroxide can help. Just put your sponge in a bowl or other container, then pour in hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit for a few minutes, then flip it over—you’ll see the hydrogen peroxide bubble up like it does on cuts and scrapes, so you’ll know it’s working. Rinse all the peroxide out, and you’ll be good to go.

Hydrogen peroxide is great for keeping kids’ toys and play surfaces clean and disinfected, because it’s safe to use around kids and doesn’t leave behind harmful residues. Parents.com suggests simply wiping toys down with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect them—it’s especially helpful after your child has been sick to take care of any residual germs.