Friday, October 24, 2014

Good morning,

We have talked a lot in Living Green about the wonders of baking soda and white vinegar, but we can also use hydrogen peroxide for a number of things in the home, many of which we would otherwise be using chlorine bleach which is much less forgiving on both ourselves and the environment.

Hydrogen Peroxide is simply water with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2) and breaks down into oxygen and water. It is certainly kinder on the environment than bleach (in the 3 percent solution you find in the brown bottle in the pharmacy. 35 percent pure HP is highly corrosive and can be toxic). H2O2 is produced by both animal and plant cells and is formed naturally in the environment by sunlight acting on water.

Scroll down and let's explore some ideas.

Thanks for reading,

Your Living Green editor

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* Dip your toothbrush in a 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide solution to help kill bacteria on the brush after brushing.

* A 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide with equal amounts of water can be used as a mouthwash - swish for up to 60 seconds once a day; but don't swallow and be sure to rinse your mouth out afterwards. This can also help whiten teeth.

* You can even make a whitening toothpaste by mixing baking soda and enough 3 percent Hydrogen Peroxide to form a paste!