Dishes can be a tricky thing to keep clean. You use them every day to put your food on and ingest the things that come off of them. You use your cutting boards to chop meat, and then vegetables later on. Without keeping everything sanitized, you’re risking getting sick from cross-contamination. You can spray your cutting board and knives with a bleach spray and then wash them with regular dish soap, but that can be pretty harsh.
If you prefer a more natural (and affordable) alternative, you guessed it; it’s time to grab the hydrogen peroxide. Mix one-part peroxide to one-part water in a spray bottle and use it to spray down kitchenware before you wash it regularly. Let the solution sink in for a few moments before washing off. Then, use your dish soap and sponge and rinse with clean water.
DIY Grout Cleaner
Ah, grout, the arch-nemesis of tiles. It can be a pain to deal with, and also expensive at times if you continue buying store-bought grout solutions. Never fear, though, because hydrogen peroxide is here to save the day (and your shower walls!)
To mix up this DIY bathroom cleaner, mix up two parts of baking soda with one-part hydrogen peroxide. Put the paste all over the affected areas and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, use an old toothbrush to scrub the grout lines until the discoloration fades away. This solution is especially helpful because not only does it help with the color, it helps to kill the bacteria and germs that are living in the grout.
Kill Fungus
It shouldn’t come as any surprise after reading all about how hydrogen peroxide kills bad germs and bacteria, that it can also work to get rid of nail fungus. Fungus under your toenails can be embarrassing, especially during the warmer months when you want to wear open-toed shoes. Luckily, hydrogen peroxide works like a charm in this case.
Fill up an old bucket or Tupperware with a mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water (one-part to one-part works well.) Soak your feet in the liquid for 30 minutes, rinse in the bathtub and pat dry. A lot of the advice you’ll see floating around may tell you to use 35% hydrogen peroxide, but don’t. It will be much too concentrated and can lead to adverse reactions.
Brighten White Curtains
White curtains look absolutely stunning – as long as they stay white, that is. After a while, they may start to turn a bit off-color, and the last thing you want is to have formerly white, yellow curtains gracing your living room when guests are over. But don’t fret, because there’s an easy solution to this problem.
Toss the curtains in the wash with a cup of hydrogen peroxide for whitening all over. Alternatively, you can also grab your spray bottle full of equal parts water and peroxide and spritz down the curtains if there are just some spots you’d like to whiten.
Keep Shower Curtains Clean
Hydrogen peroxide is good for all types of curtains, including the one you have hanging in your shower. The bottom of a plastic shower curtain can start to get discolored, or moldy after a certain amount of time. Since you’ve probably got a bottle of peroxide under your sink anyway, here’s another trick for using it in the bathroom.
Keep a spray bottle full of hydrogen peroxide mixed with water (equal parts) next to your shower, or somewhere else that’s convenient. After every shower, spritz the inside of your shower curtain and the walls to kill and prevent bacteria growth and mold. You don’t even need to rinse, since the steam next time you hop in will handle all of that. Plus, the longer the solution is left to sit, the better.