Hydrogen Peroxide

I love cleaning with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. H2O2 is great for so many things including getting rid of armpit stains on shirts (pretreat before washing).

I found a great list of more uses from naturalsafeweightloss. Enjoy!

Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

In the dishwasher, add 2 oz. to your regular detergent for a sanitizing boost. Also, beef up your regular dish soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle.

Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to freshen breath. It kills the bacteria that causes halitosis. Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

Use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste for brushing teeth. Helps with early stages of gingivitis as it kills bacteria. Mixed with salt and baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works as a whitening toothpaste.

Soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide between uses to keep it clean and prevent the transfer of germs. This is particularly helpful when you or someone in your family has a cold or the flu.

Clean your cutting board and countertop. Let everything bubble for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse clean. (I’ve been using it for this a LOT lately!)

Wipe out your refrigerator and dishwasher. Because it’s non-toxic, it’s great for cleaning places that store food and dishes.

Clean your sponges. Soak them for 10 minutes in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water in a shallow dish. Rinse the sponges thoroughly afterward.

Remove baked-on crud from pots and pans. Combine hydrogen peroxide with enough baking soda to make a paste, then rub onto the dirty pan and let it sit for a while. Come back later with a scrubby sponge and some warm water, and the baked-on stains will lift right off.

Whiten bathtub grout. First dry the tub thoroughly, then spray it liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit — it may bubble slightly — for a little while, then come back and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush. You may have to repeat the process a few times.

Clean the toilet bowl. Pour half a cup of hydrogen peroxide into the toilet bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, then scrub clean.

Remove stains from clothing, curtains, and tablecloths. Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a pre-treater for stains — just soak the stain for a little while in 3% hydrogen peroxide before tossing into the laundry. You can also add a cup of peroxide to a regular load of whites to boost brightness. It’s a green alternative to bleach, and works just as well.

Brighten dingy floors. Combine half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one gallon of hot water, then go to town on your flooring. Because it’s so mild, it’s safe for any floor type, and there’s no need to rinse.

Clean kids’ toys and play areas. Hydrogen peroxide is a safe cleaner to use around kids, or anyone with respiratory problems, because it’s not a lung irritant. Spray toys, toy boxes, doorknobs, and anything else your kids touch on a regular basis.

Help out your plants. To ward off fungus, add a little hydrogen peroxide to your spray bottle the next time you’re spritzing plants.

Add natural highlights to your hair. Dilute the hydrogen peroxide so the solution is 50% peroxide and 50% water. Spray the solution on wet hair to create subtle, natural highlights.

According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body. Some are skeptical of this claim, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!

Spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide on leftover salad, drain, cover and refrigerate. This will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.

Sanitize your kids’ lunch boxes/bags.

Dab hydrogen peroxide on pimples or acne to help clear skin.

Hydrogen peroxide helps to sprout seeds for new plantings. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten. You can also use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system.

Remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.

Use it to remove ear wax. Use a solution of 3% with olive or almond oil. Add a couple drops of oil first then H2O2. After a few minutes, tilt head to remove solution and wax.

Helps with foot fungus. Spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry. Or try soaking your feet in a peroxide solution to help soften calluses and corns, and disinfect minor cuts.

Spray down the shower with hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and viruses.

Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.

Wash shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide to remove mildew and soap scum. Place curtains in machine with a bath towel and your regular detergent. Add 1 cup full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.

Use for towels that have become musty smelling. 1/2 cup Peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar let stand for 15 minutes wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.

Use hydrogen peroxide to control fungi present in aquariums. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your fish. Use sparingly for this purpose.

De-skunking solution. Combine 1 quart 3% H2O2, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon Dawn dish detergent, 2 quarts warm water. 

Stretch the Clothing Life

This tip I think really only works for the last child in the family because otherwise you can pack them away for the next child. You can make clothes last longer by making some "alterations" to them.

If your child's feet are too big for the footie jammies, cut the fabric feet off. The rest of the jammies still fit and they can wear socks in stead.

If their pants waist still fits by summer but the legs are too short, cut and hem for shorts.

Inside Out

I love hand-me-downs. I love passing on hand-me-downs. There's just something wonderful about FREE CLOTHES!

But after a few children, things start to look a little ratty.  Here's one way to help prevent that.

Turn the shirts inside out.  (And pants and dresses for girls.)  Specifically if they have a screen print or patch or embroidery on them.  This will help prevent that "cracked up" look screen prints get from too many trips through the washer.  It will help prevents snags on the embroidery on girl's shirts, pants, and dresses.

Let's face it, kids are hard on their clothes, but we can do little things to stretch the life of clothes. Like turning them inside out and air drying.

Air Dry

We all have laundry that piles up (didn't I just wash this?) and it takes time, money, and energy to do it.  Here's a tip, air dry as much of your laundry as you can. In fact, I sort my laundry this way (because I also wash everything in cold water it doesn't matter if whites are with darks). Some goes in the dryer (because I only have so much room on my clothes lines) and some gets hung up to dry.  I air dry as much as I can because it saves on electric cost, extra wear on the clothes and thus not having to buy clothes as often, and it gives me satisfaction watching my kids run through the sheets on a summery day (which I'm missing now that it is winter).

Baking Soda

Ah baking soda, oh the wonderful things you can do.  So many in fact that long long lists have been written about you.

Here's one: Put up to 1/2 cup of baking soda into your washing machine to get rid of vomit smell.  Works like a wonder!

Favorite Shirt

Does your child have a favorite shirt?  You know, that one that wouldn't leave their body for months if you didn't pry it off of them to wash it on occasion?

Here's an easy way to get that shirt back on your kiddo.  Hand wash with just a drop of soap.  Ring it out and line dry.  It'll be ready to be worn the next day without running a whole load of wash for just one shirt.  Although if you're running laundry that day anyway that happens to work out well.  But it keeps down on the special loads.

Tags

My tot hates tags in his shirt.  They itch and bother him and he cries to have me cut them out.  So I cut them out, put them on a note card stating which shirt it is, file it away, and then sew it back in when he's outgrown them.  That way I can re-sell the name brand ones with tags intact.  I've grown lax about the others and just make sure I put them in the correct box when I pack them away.

Let 'em Know

I have found a great new way to get clothes for my kids, let people know what I need!  It's amazing.  Someone has something sitting in their kid's closet (or attic or basement) that they've outgrown and will say "oh I have that for you" or Grandparents will pick up on the hint and give it as a gift for birthday or Christmas.  Or grandparent like people will find them when they are out and about at rummage sales.  It makes it easy when it is one specific item.  People don't feel that they are giving you their whole stash of clothes as hand-me-downs and they feel good that they helped you out with what you needed.  So next time you need say size 2T shorts for your kid, just post it on Facebook or mention it in passing and all of a sudden you may not need to go to rummage sales for them anymore.

Holes in Jeans

Back in a previous post about mending socks, Rachel asked about fixing holes in jeans.  Since I asked for your ideas I thought I would feature this question as well.

Yes, I end up mending quite a few pants too. If your hole is quite small you can loop it shut. Be sure to get the stitches back far enough so they are grabbing "solid" material. If it is a larger hole you'll need to reinforce the hole with extra material. You can put the material on the inside of your pants and stitch around it. Just be sure to give allowance for bending in the knee.


If it is a large hole or you just don't have the time to mend it, get out your 40% coupon for JoAnns or Michael's (or if you get their mailings, your 50% coupon) and buy one of their iron on patches.  This is in the section near the zippers and snaps.  It is a large jean colored patch (not the small decorative ones although if the hole is small enough you could use these, I find they can be itchy on the skin).  You iron on over the hole and "ta da" the hole is mended.

Rummage Sales

My mom is the queen of rummage sales.  She can spot a sign for one a mile away!  She can haggle a price down like a pro.  I have my kitchen table is thanks to my mom who not only haggled the man down on the price but got him to deliver it as well!!

I love rummage sale season.  You never know what you will find.  I usually have some general items that I keep an eye out for when I go rummaging but they're rummage sales, you never know what you'll find.

Clothes for kids are a big one.  I love to stock up with I find a great place that's selling clothes for ten cents a piece.  I pick up clothes for my nephews and nieces at that price! (I'm so generous, I know. ^_~)  I have gotten both of my jogging strollers at rummage sales.  They cost $200 and $400 new (single and double) and I paid a max of $25/piece for them.

And by the way, many rummage items make good gifts.  Sometimes they are in the original packaging too yet.  Growing up we would get many items for Christmas or birthday that were from rummage sales.  (What? Doesn't everyone do that? ^_~)  That's not to say we never got anything new but much was from my mom's thrifty finds.  There were many years where things were extremely tight for my parents and my mom made sure that no one was without presents on special occasions.  I never felt like I had to do without because my mom was a frugal shopper.  In fact, one year I was surprised that our family was picked by the church for the annual "Family Charity Christmas box" as I have never felt poor (and we had, in fact, contributed items to that exact same box).  That was mostly due to my mom who could pinch pennies so hard they screamed!  Valuable skills she picked up from her Grandma, Grammy A.  Grammy A could find awesome gifts at rummage sales.  I have in my living-room, a reproduction of DaVinci's "Last Supper" that my Grammy A got as a wedding gift for my parents that she found at *drum roll* a rummage sale! 

So that just goes to show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it look like you've spent a lot of money.

Darn those socks

No really, darn them.  I think this is a lost art.  We throw socks away when they get a hole, we don't sew them back up or darn the holes.  You don't even need fancy equipment, if you don't have a darning ball/mushroom, use a lightbulb.  Then stitch up that sock.  I got many a wary eye in college from people passing my dorm room but I had hole free socks!  If you aren't sure where to start, this video shows the basics.