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Updated: March 12, 2020
I'm sure you've heard lots of horrible things about how toxic and unsafe bleach is. But as a mother, I know all too well the temptation to back-slide into using it, especially when cleaning really disgusting areas like the bathrooms. After all, those areas need heavy-duty cleaning, and bleach definitely kills germs.
Chances are, if you're a somewhat health conscientious person, you've heard about the new trend of using hydrogen peroxide as a germ fighting alternative to bleach. And if you're a skeptic like me, you probably thought that cleaning with hydrogen peroxide is "cute" and all, buuuut ... lemme go grab the bleach for that unmentionable mess in bathroom.
So of course, once I heard about peroxide's germ killing capabilities, I scoured the internet for more information to better understand how well it works around the house. And let me tell you, it was FRUSTRATING! Why? Because every blog that I came across made insipid claims like "use hydrogen peroxide to make your glass sparkle," or "spray hydrogen peroxide on soap scum to loosen dirt and grime," but with absolutely no proof that it actually did any of these things, let alone kill any germs. Very annoying, but if I'm being honest, I get annoyed more easily than the average person according to my husband.
The only website that really gave meaningful information regarding the germicidal properties of peroxide was that of the Center for Disease Control. But that site was darn near impossible to understand, and it didn't have much (or actually any) information relevant to the average household.
So, in my valiant effort to reverse the trend of blogs with absolutely no useful information on peroxide, I will post the results of my own personal experiment from using it in what is arguably the dirtiest place in my house - my toilet. And the cool thing about this is that ANYBODY can do the same experiment at home! I know, right, who knew?
The Experiment
Here's what I did: First, I bought some agar plates from Amazon. You can buy them here for about $20. Agar plates are really just petri dishes with an algae based gel and nutrients that bacteria love to eat. I bought the kit that came with sterile cotton swabs.
Second, I labeled two plates so I could later distinguish which plate contained bacteria that was treated with hydrogen peroxide, and which plate had bacteria that wasn't treated with anything.
Next, I took one of the sterile cotton swabs and aggressively rubbed the inside of one of my dirty toilets. I then took that swab and rubbed it all over the agar plate for the non-treated bacteria.
Next for my experiment I took fully diluted Homage Essentials Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaning Concentrate, and sprayed the inside of the toilet. This fully diluted cleaning spray created a 1.3% hydrogen peroxide solution. I let it sit for about 30 seconds. I did NOT flush the toilet, scrub, wipe, or rinse anything away. I took a new sterile swab, aggressively rubbed it inside of the treated toilet, and then rubbed it all over the agar plate that was designated for the treated bacteria.
I taped the lids on the agar plates, put them in plastic bags (you don't want nasty water drips), and then set them outside on my shaded back porch for a few days. Usually some sort of incubators or warming lamps are recommended, but the weather here in Texas has been muggy and hotter than I wish it were, but apparently is the perfect climate for bacterial growth.
The Results
I waited for a couple of days and watched my little experiments grow. After three days, I had my proof! I could CLEARLY see that Homage Essentials Cleaner really killed the bacteria in my toilet! (These photos are unedited.)
Here is the picture of the untreated bacteria that grew into visible colonies:
Here is the picture of the bacteria treated with Homage Essentials cleaning solution, which contained 1.3% hydrogen peroxide. There were no visible colonies:
Now, of course, with this method there is no way to scientifically measure the precise percentage of bacteria killed. But you can clearly see that it darn near killed everything.
It's also important to note that these were my results. Your results may vary!
Homage Essentials Hydrogen Peroxide Cleaners
Let me pause just a minute and provide you, my wonderful, although probably scant, readers with full disclosure. I created Homage Essentials (formerly Pyoure), which is my baby. Homage Essentials was created out of thoughtful preparation, hope, and love. The way all babies should be brought into this world.
Homage Essentials products are hydrogen peroxide based, and are what I used for my little experiment. I actually use Homage Essentials exclusively in my house for all of my cleaning needs. I really want you to try our products, not merely because it smells awesome, it only uses premium high-quality ingredients, it's non-toxic, safe around kids and pets, and our customers LOVE IT BECAUSE IT'S JUST A REALLY FREAKING AWESOME PRODUCT! No, none of this matters. I want you to try this product because it actually WORKS. And the proof is clearly seen in the unedited pictures above.
So, now, you too can feel confident NOT using bleach, but using hydrogen peroxide throughout your home (or at least in your toilet)!
Did you try this experiment too? Post your results on our Facebook page!
Happy Cleaning! :)
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