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Hydrogen Peroxide
3 Simple
Steps for Home Cleaning
by Becky Mundt
Replacing toxic chemical cleaners with hydrogen peroxide is an important
step in reducing toxins and improving air quality in the home. But can
hydrogen peroxide really stand up to the tough cleaning jobs around your
home?
The answer is a most definite yes, particularly if you know a few simple
tricks to make hydrogen peroxide work more effectively for you. It can
save you time, energy and elbow grease as well.
Start by recognizing that hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing
agent, which means it works especially well on all organic (food, soil,
plant, blood, or other naturally produced) stains and soiling. In its
oxidizing role it needs a little time (usually 15 to 20 minutes) to
fully oxidize the stained or soiled surface.
Next, remember that in stronger concentrations (anything over around 6%
solutions) it is a bleaching agent. So, rather than using stronger
concentrations for cleaning, simply allow standard 3% solution to work
for a few minutes to achieve cleaning without any bleaching effect.
Finally, if bleaching is the goal, consider using a dry formulation of
hydrogen peroxide mixed with warm to hot water for best results. Dry
formulation hydrogen peroxide is sold as sodium percarbonate powder or
granules. It is the basis for many "oxygen cleaners" such as "OxyClean",
"OxoBrite" and others in the marketplace, where it is normally a 70 to
74% sodium percarbonate mix with soda ash, or "sal soda". However, for
full strength bleaching, look for pure sodium percarbonate, which can be
found for sale on-line at places like thechemicalstore.com and a few
others.
Sodium percarbonate is inexpensive, non toxic, and highly effective at
cleaning many household surfaces, for laundry and can even be used to
clean cement or concrete walkways, flooring and patios.
Not only that, but hydrogen peroxide leaves absolutely no residues,
toxins or chemicals in the environment. It breaks down to water and
oxygen, even while disinfecting and killing dangerous bacteria and
viruses.
Unlike many new "anti-bacterial" cleaners now found to leave up to 70
percent of their active anti-bacterial agents behind, showing up in
waterways, on agricultural lands and in forests and other natural
environments, hydrogen peroxide truly "disappears without a trace" as a
natural consequence of its exposure to the environment.
So, the next time a major (or minor)house cleaning project looms before
you, consider swapping out those expensive toxic cleaners with simple,
effective and perfectly environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide- in
wet or dry solutions!
Keeping clean without adding toxins to the environment has been a life
long passion of author Becky Mundt. Her new book, 101 Home Uses of
Hydrogen Peroxide was created after years of personal experimentation
and implementation of environmentally sound living practices. Spurred by
her love of nature and a life traveling to such exquisite locations as
Hawaii, Alaska and the northwest territories of Canada, she has become a
proactive environmentally sound cleaning advocate. For more information
on hydrogen peroxide, visit her site:
FoodGradeH202.Com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Mundt
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