Hydrogen Peroxide Craziness?

I really don't go blindly agree with everything I read. I guess I have the research gene. I read something and think ummm I wonder if there is some study to prove that is true. Really I get on line or I open a tab and search that stuff..  Like this hydrogen peroxide pin craziness... I searched and found no medical site that agreed with the claims.....

So I found this site from Truth or Fiction  that said basically that the cleaning proprieties are on the mark but the beauty parts or "cures" not so much.  I have hydrogen peroxide in my laundry area for the bloody noses and female opps from my daughter so I know it breaks down the blood cells.  Don't think I would drink it or use it as a cure for cancer.   I found a site that a woman died because she was getting IVs of hydrogen peroxide to cure her cancer... scary...

It's like bleach.  It is the ingredient that "oxygen" bleaches contain! So you can use it on clothes, cutting boards, food and counter tops. So I will keep my bottle with the spray head in the kitchen and the bottle in the laundry area. To clean. guess it can't hurt right?

Cooking up Anti-Ant Spray

So Miss Animal Rights now is now dealing with ants in her place. I thought yea I don't miss them... LOL but I don't really miss coming home after work to see the sink filled with dishes cause both girls glazed all night. But she tells me she washes the dishes every morning after Tech goes to work. But she still has ants. I don't get freaked out about them like she does. Guess it is just something you have to deal with every summer.
So guess what I saw this morning? Yep ants, at my house.... so off to find my lemon juice.

Yea I hear/read that ants don't like the taste of lemon or anything citrus. So cleaning with vinegar and/or lemon juice will help get rid of them. It is that you need to keep doing it after all... but I will do that every time I do dishes. Just add some lemon juice to the dish towel and wipe counters. My mudroom is a different story. It get the little buggers all summer and yes the lemon juice works but not for long. I guess that citrus kills the type of fungi the ant eat. Extra bonus with the great smell killing fungi.

One site I found has borax used with jelly. Any flavor jelly will work. The problem is we have cats. Oh yea my one cat the physic one, she loves PBJ. Yep she has been know to steal my sandwich from my plate..... PLUS if you have small children it not a good thing to have borax jelly traps in pop caps all over your house. Cause it can make them sick. Borax can be used in your mop water for the floors, just keep the animals and small children off the floor until it dries. If your kids that are older; you can enlist them to help you keep the pets off the wet floor. "Sweetie I need help keeping Rover off the wet kitchen floor cause it might make him sick" was all I had to say to Miss Animal Rights. She was like that since she could walk....

Now the mudroom isn't air tight that is how they get in I know it..... It is said that you can lay a line of baby powder where they get in to keep them from entering. I also hear coffee grounds can do the same thing.
They don't like the smell of coffee! That just us humans, that need it to wake up... SO hey I got some of them right now in my coffee maker!! But then I will have drink coffee all summer for it is great for my tomato plants and my roses.... Plus roses like citrus peels too....

So in my search I found a site that has a all purpose organic pesticide for inside and out. Gotta love Instructables! Where you use things like onions, hot peppers and garlic to make a pesticide for your plants. Hey it might work on your ants or other nasty crawling pest inside like the article said it works on the pest on your inside plants......

Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide

You know you see the ads with claims of health from just one item....... well I saw a ad for hydrogen peroxide and had to research this myself. What wonderful things can hydrogen peroxide do that I don't know about.

I know you use to to remove blood from clothes... having a child that gets a bloody nose very easily I have a BIG bottle in the laundry area!! I was told that it breaks down the cells of blood, as to remove the blood...

To use it to spray on your bamboo cutting boards (ok any cutting boards)... to disinfect.
For sore throats use as a gargle.

But to cure things like cancers, common colds, arthritis and more.... Plus fertilize your garden and kill weeds... Sorry I don't buy it!!  and didn't find any where to back this claim... so sorry the closest thing is that colds can be contained by cleaning with hydrogen peroxide but not cured by putting some in your ear before the flu and cold season.  That you do to help remove water from your ear.  And if it works for you great but it is not been proven..

I learn that many of the oxygen  type laundry boosters are made with hydrogen peroxide! So you can use it in your laundry to help whiten but it can also help bleach your clothes....

Where if you do have some sore in your mouth like a canker sore it can be used to help heal that but not used as a preventive measure because it can wear down the teeth enamel. But haven't found anything about yea or nay with brushing with baking soda and peroxide...... Soaking toothbrush in peroxide may work but you don't have to soak for too long.  If it kills e-coli from surfaces why not some funky nasty bug from your brush???

But the most important thing I learn is that the reason that the peroxide is in a brown bottle is that light will destroy it's effectiveness.  SO yes cleaning your fruit and veggies, counter tops, cutting boards,  bath room surfaces and water damage mold is proven effective only when you have fresh hydrogen peroxide water mix:  using a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and filtered water. So keep that little spray bottle by your kitchen sink.  When you wash your fruits and vegetables, you can give a spray of the peroxide  before washing. Spray the cutting board after. Spray then wipe down the counter.  BUT don't plan on keeping any that you didn't use... it does help with water mold... pour that stuff down the drain....

You can clean your house just remember that it is also a bleach to watch colored fabrics....

Then after you clean the bathroom with your peroxide you can highlight your hair by spray your 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water solution threw your hair........

 

A Clean Giveaway!!

Giveaway closed.......... 

Congratulations to Michele P!

So one night I was just losing time and surfing the web. I found myself at this Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop site.. it was getting late....

I thought wow how great is that mop.... it's a wet mop that you can refill PLUS you can use your own homemade cleaners. You have a removable cleaning pad that made of microfiber and you could wash it.... Saving you more money...  I wanted one! Plus it is Rubbermaid it is well built.

I have one of those other mops that you need to buy cleaning wipes for. The wipes that are too strong smelling for me.. Yea I know you can green them... I have used old towels or washcloths instead of the cleaning cloths . yea that worked but you know part of me wanted someone to come up with a great mop to make life easier. Where I didn't need to wring out the mop or  washcloth and I  could still use my own homemade cleaners!   

The cleaning fairies that live in my house somehow got the wonderful  people at Rubbermaid  to email me like a couple days later and ask if I would like to review the new Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop. Well I answered YES!! Yes!! I am drooling!  I want to...Pick me.. pick me...

So when I got my mop I was on the way to work... LOL I was upset I couldn't use it right away.... But I did put it together that night...... The ones that are shipped for reviews and winners of the giveaways have the mop handle in 2 pieces. The ones that are being sold at the stores starting  in August are one piece.

SO at first it was different then that other spray mop. The spray isn't as close to the floor.  I had the mop at an angle so it did spray pretty far!! LOL. But that worked to my advance in the bathroom. It cleaned so well!  I have a corner that I use to have to scrub clean with a cloth after mopping; but not with the Reveal! Hey something that is easy to use and I don't have to do extra cleaning to finish the job!


Plus no more opps I forgot to get to buy the  cloths for that other spray mop and I have a mess to clean up!! All you have to do is use 2 tablespoons of your favorite eco-friendly cleaner... and hot water. Or make your own cleaner by adding things like vinegar, lemon juice,  baking soda, borax or dish-washing soap.  Please follow all manufacture recommendations when choosing products to clean your floor.  For scented cleaners add a few drops of lemon juice or your favorite scented oil to the mix!

I wasn't sure about the microfiber but I was thinking $$ Store microfiber cleaning cloth...  I hate the way those cloths feels... But I do have a allergy to polyester. But the cleaning pad is like a thick bathroom rug, but very light feeling. It is very thin fibers tightly woven to help soak up water.  I had a spot of dried  up yuck that I poured some of the cleaner (before I put the bottle on the mop) on the yuck to help soften it. The microfiber cloth picked up the mess  like it was nothing.  I also removed the pad thinking that it would drip maybe a little..... nope it wasn't going to drip at all! And really had fun trying to get it to drip....Shaking the pad, swinging around and playing catch and no drips. SO afterward you just throw it in the washer with towels. SO easy to clean. 

 Save money, the environment, your floors and your back.  I know you want one..    So today is my Birthday but I am going to share my present.... NO you get your own  Reveal!
However Rubbermaid can only ship to the U.S. and Canada. Please note that Canadian winners might get charged C.O.D. Rubbermaid cannot do anything to refund the charges.

First visit the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop site..


For extra entries;
Sign up for Rubbermaid's RSS feed
Follow Turning Shades of Green

Grab my Button.

Leave a comment for each action. Sorry you do have to remind me these things sometimes...
The winner will be pick by random.org I let others do the dirty work.
Drawing will be held August 15. 


I received this product for an honest review. Everything was my own thoughts and feelings.

Getting rid of pest

Tomato Leaf Spray 

Two cups of tomato leaves

Two cups of filtered water

Cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer

Chop up the tomato leaves and add them to the water. Let it sit overnight to steep. Next day remove the leaves and add one more cup of water.

This spray can be sprayed on plants to help get rid of aphids and mites.


Soap spray

1 tablespoon  dish-washing soap
Gallon of filtered water 

Add the dish-washing soap to a gallon of water and spray the mixture on the pests. Simple and effective.

This spray will get rid of aphids, scale, mites, and thrips.


Beer for the Slugs

Citric Rinds  for Slugs

Borax

20 MULE TEAM® Borax Natural Laundry Booster has a booklet that you can call a 1-800 number and they will send it too you. The number is 1-800-457-8739. I am going to do a workshop on green cleaning at our area Earth Day Celebration. I am getting 30 copies from the The Dial Corporation.  Plus I can send my web people to this site..... Right? A darker shade of green........

But I use Borax for many things.........

Laundry booster to get out some odors and stains
clean my toilet
Use as a rug freshener -sprinkle borax, baking soda and essential oils

  Dial doesn't claim to help kill fleas in your rugs and carpet

So maybe it's not tested as  such  but it can't hurt!
     It does  help freshen the room I will keep using it for the carpet... 

Clean grease and grime off surfaces - Like the grill that is in the garage 

After reading the 20 MULE TEAM® Borax Natural Laundry Booster  booklet
Flower Preserving

Green your cleaning products

Why?

What's wrong with the cleaners at the store?

I wanted to find cleaners that were good for the environment. The fact that I get contact dermatitis from many cleaning products is the strong driving force for me to find new ways to clean my home.

Just an Idea for why it is dangerous to use these cleaners here is some of the things that are in your cleaners right now:
Acetone you know the stuff we use to remove finger nail polish. Formaldehyde the stuff they use on dead people. Parabens it some times has the prefixes methyl-, ethyl-, butyl-, or propyl. They are know to mess with hormones causing miscarriages, trouble getting pregnant, babies development or other hormonal problems. Turpentine the strong smelling stuff that removes paint. Paradichlorobenzene is in our cleaners and it is a strong pesticide and we use it in our bathrooms! Phosphoric acid that is used in fertilizers. Fragrance Yea that's not good cause 1 product can have up too 400 fragrance additives. Fragrance is what most people get contact dermatitis from. And nasal allergies.

Then the things that we really have no idea what the heck they are but can cause cancer, liver damage, kidney, brain, nerve damage, depression, or hormone problems are: Diethanolamine (DEA), D-limonene, Methylene chloride. Ethoxylated nonyl phenol, Monoethanolamine, Sodium dichloroisocyanurate dihydrate (wow say that three time fast..), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Toluene and Xylene. That is just from our homes and the cleaners we use there. Many chemicals these cleaning products are the same as what they use in industrial settings.

The effects on the environment is whole other web page! But this is human contact threw the home that scientists are concern about prolong exposure can have on us all.

The basics

Must haves for every home

Baking Soda- deodorizes, mild abrasive
Vinegar- deodorizes, removes soap film,
Kills mold and mildew
Lemon juice- bleaches and lightens
Borax- kills germs
Salt- antibacterial and cuts grease
Liquid soap- veggie based or castile based
Fels-Napa soap- stain remover (even blood)

Store bought cleaners are expensive and green products are even more! I have used the basics most of the time for cleaning. When I was out of work due to a medical leave and had government assistance for food, I found more ideas. I had little money to send on cleaning products.

Some of my recipes are from the women in my family or my friends. But most are tried and used in my home. If they are being tried out for the first time I will let you know.

General cleaning recipes

Scrubbing powder

Baking soda with a little soap works great on scrubbing anywhere. Just be careful with the baking soda it will leave a white film if using to much. Can be used to freshen cutting boards

Salt is good if the surface is greasy (meat grease, oil products) Help break down the grease to be easily cleaned with soap

Household cleaner 16 oz. bottle

2 tbsp vinegar
3 tsp borax

Fill bottle almost to top with hot water add the borax and vinegar.

OR
1 cup of water
1 cup of vinegar

Pour into spray bottle. Good for lightly soiled counters and surfaces

Window cleaner
2 tsp of lemon
16 oz water

add a teaspoon of soap and you have a kitchen cleaner...

Spot cleaner
Hydrogen Peroxide
Apply to spot let dry repeat if needed. Great for blood stains on clothes.
Club Soda with a little soap let sit for a while then rinse threw.

Cleaning the Toilet
Vinegar or

Borax
Add to water and scrub with toilet brush