The Cleaning Power of Hydrogen Peroxide
The seemingly magical compound hydrogen peroxide is a common product found in many household bathrooms and first aid kits. It often sits on a shelf in a little brown bottle for quite some time and is only used sparingly to help prevent infections or a few other things. However you may not quite know just how powerful, versatile, and safe this incredible compound is as a cleaning agent. Read more to learn why at Thread Logic Carpet Cleaning we use this product every day to deliver our clients show room results, and how you can safely and effectively use it in your home too.
Hydrogen peroxide exists naturally in small amounts in surface water, ground water, and throughout the atmosphere. It was first isolated in 1818 by a man named Louis Jacques Thénard and has since become a widely used resource. It has commonly been used in first aid and typical household cleaning. However this is a secret weapon every homeowner will benefit from knowing how to use on carpets, rugs, upholstery, and even tile and grout.
To start lets discuss why it is safe. Hydrogen Peroxide occurs naturally and readily decomposes into oxygen and water, that’s all! So you can apply it to a surface like carpet fibers and upholstered fabrics without worrying about harmful residues left behind as it basically effervesces and disappears all on its own. While this disappearing quality is true of all concentrations of hydrogen peroxide we strongly recommend you stick with what is sold to consumers at concentrations of 3% to 6% which should always be indicated on the label. Stronger concentrations are actually used as bleaching agents and this is how we mainly utilize the product as professional cleaners, in stain removal processes via safe “bleaching” action. However without proper training a homeowner can unknowingly damage their precious surfaces using too strong of a concentration on an inappropriate surface. It can weaken fibers and even cause color loss at higher concentrations. Without boring you with too many details I’ll say that 3% hydrogen peroxide is safe on everything, and you can safely use 6% hydrogen peroxide on synthetic carpeting as well.
This wonder compound is simply a water molecule (H₂O) with an extra oxygen atom (H₂O₂) that it wants to readily give away. This quality of wanting to give up it’s extra oxygen atom is why hydrogen peroxide is often called an “oxidizer” and is also found in products labeled with “oxy” in the realm of cleaning. It also what makes it a such a powerful cleaning agent. The freed up oxygen atom helps to break down organic compounds and even change how light reflects off of them. So it is useful in the removal of organic matter and even visually removing organic dye stains. While other cleaning agents can achieve the same goal, hydrogen peroxide is ideal for homeowners because it doesn’t require a means of extraction to remove residues as it leaves none of it’s own behind. It is also inexpensive and available at most grocery stores and pharmacies.
Some things to know about hydrogen peroxide are that it’s desire to release oxygen atoms is accelerated by light and heat. Knowing that store it somewhere that is room temperature and away from light if it is not in a brown bottle. Unopened hydrogen peroxide in a light protected bottle is shelf stable for approximately 3 years, however once it is opened it has an approximate shelf life of 1 to 6 months. Also the freed up oxygen atoms tend to bond with natural carbon based compounds like dirt, most foods, body fluids, etc… making it very useful for cleaning spots unless there are synthetic dyes in them. Certain types of juices, foods, inks, and more are colored with synthetic dyes and will stubbornly resist the cleaning power of hydrogen peroxide. For those types of spots and stains it is best to call a professional cleaner that is trained and equipped to handle those situations.
When cleaning with hydrogen peroxide it is best to lightly moisten the surface to be cleaned and allow an extended dwell time of at least 10 minutes. Dwell time is the amount of time you allow a cleaning agent to remain on a surface. When there is organic matter/soil to be removed you may use a clean absorbent cloth to blot the area and absorb the soil after the hydrogen peroxide has dwelled. If there is no soil remaining and you wish to remove dye or pigment that remains on the surface then lightly moisten the surface again and allow the hydrogen peroxide to remain there without blotting it up. You can repeat this process several times to achieve the desired results. Some stains are beyond the scope of what a homeowner can reasonably and safely remove. If the process described above doesn’t remove spots and stains then please call Thread Logic Carpet Cleaning to schedule a cleaning service. However I think you will be pleasantly surprised at just how effective this wonderful cleaning agent is when used appropriately in your home. To learn more about spot treatments for homeowners please read this article I wrote detailing a safe step by step process for spot removal.
One last thing, you might be wondering why some products are labeled “oxy” and yet exist in a powder form that is shelf stable for many years even after being opened. This compound is called sodium percarbonate and is sort of a sibling to hydrogen peroxide. It is a colorless crystalline powder that turns into hydrogen peroxide and detergent when it is mixed with water. So it has the cleaning power of hydrogen peroxide in a shelf stable form. As professional carpet, upholstery, rug, and tile and grout cleaners we use both liquid hydrogen peroxide and it’s shelf stable powdered sibling sodium percarbonate in different situations. If you would like to learn more about the chemistry of these cleaning agents then I recommend watching this great video made by a fellow professional cleaner.
