Hydrogen Peroxide Based Cleaners Are Polluting Your Home And You Have No Idea

In many ways, hydrogen peroxide is a great natural cleaning solution — it's true that there are a lot of surprising ways to use it in your home. While you can dilute hydrogen peroxide yourself using water, there are also many commercial cleaners available that feature the ingredient. Despite this, using it may cause the air quality in your home to suffer. It can pose a health risk if you use it too much or don't take proper precautions, like ensuring adequate ventilation whenever you use it.

According to research by the University of Saskatchewan published in the Environmental Science & Technology journal, using a 0.88% hydrogen peroxide solution to mop floors led to a high concentration of the compound in the air after wiping it away with a paper towel — airborne hydrogen peroxide rose to 600 parts per billion. This is 60% of the maximum level acceptable for exposure over the course of eight hours and 600 times the amount that's in the air naturally. 

If you use hydrogen peroxide frequently to clean your home, you may also find that it pollutes indoor air and negatively impacts your health, your kids', and your pets'. To avoid these risks, use other natural cleaning alternatives more often.

Although hydrogen peroxide is considered a natural substance, it can cause a good bit of indoor air pollution. Other natural products may be worth considering if you're looking for alternative cleaning ingredients that work well. Distilled white vinegar is one of the safest cleaning products around and works very well –- there are many ways to use vinegar to keep your house clean. When diluted with water, it can be used to clean various surfaces and does a great job of killing bacteria. It can also be used in virtually every room in your house to freshen laundry, sanitize surfaces, and even descale appliances.

Baking soda is another ingredient with many different uses around the home and can be helpful if you want to stay safe while cleaning. It even helps neutralize odors in the air so that it will promote rather than harm indoor air quality.  Many other natural cleaning ingredients are also available, so consider utilizing a few different types to reduce your reliance on hydrogen peroxide.