Did you grow up using hydrogen peroxide?  We did!  And boy did it sting on open wounds!  As I’ve recnetly been working as a nurse, the medical profession no longer advises using it to clease wounds.  The argument is that not only does it kill bacteria, but it also kills the new healthy cells growing to heal the wound.

I know this sounds like an odd post, but it’s something I’ve found immensly helpful over the last year and as the summer approaches with cuts and scrapes, maybe this will help.  I do use this on wounds for me, but only if NEEDED for my kids, or I dilute it for them.  It does sting and they really don’t like that.  However, if they need it, they will do it and they know it’s only because I want them to get better.  The bubbling is pretty cool though and that does take some of the attention away from the stinging.

I’ve used it a lot recently on smaller wounds and it’s made a huge effect!  I think wounds heal much more quickly.  For example, I’ve had a few hang nails and paper cuts that just ache and irritates for days.  After pouring a bit of hydrogen peroxide on it, it stings and bubbles and in a few hours the pain is greatly reduced.

A few months ago I stepped on a thumb tack and it went all the way into my heal. (This was after Koa was told not to pull it off of the cork board, and he did it anyway and left it laying on the floor.  I showed him the tack in my foot and it was effective!   He hasn’t played with it since and he often brings up the fact that I had a “nail in my foot”)  After removing it, the wound throbbed for at least 2 hours.  Then I thought of trying the hydrogen peroxide.  It did the usual and bubbled and stung and with in 1 hour it no longer hurt at all.  The next day I didn’t even notice I had done a thing!

Another story: in August of last year I’d had two mouth sores for 4 days.  The pain so bad I didn’t even want to smile.  I had been putting salt on it multiple times a day with no help. I started swishing a cap full of hydrogen peroxide in my mouth for 10 minutes each evening.  After doing this the first time the pain was much better and no pain 4 hours later and with in a day both were gone.

Below is a list of uses for hydrogen peroxide.  I’ve used all of them and can attest to their effectiveness.  Give it a try and see how it works for you!

Uses for Hyrdogen Peroxide

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes.
2. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.
3. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. If it is a new small wound don’t even have to soak for that long.  I’ve heard that even soaking gangrene will kill the infection.  I’ve never tried it myself though.
4. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.  I often use this when little boys miss aim and leave puddles on the floor.  I clean it up and then spray and let it air dry.  No pee smell in the bathroom!
5. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold or plugged sinus’. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes and then blow your nose into a tissue.
6. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

• I used peroxide after homebirths to all three of my children to get blood and meconium out of sheets and carpet.  It worked and you can’t even tell there was a stain.

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