Hydrogen peroxide has been used for ages in tons of industrial processes. Having unique properties such as bleaching and oxidation, it’s a multi-purpose compound. But at its original pH, contact with organic matter is dangerous. It can erode any organic matter it touches.
With the introduction of 3% hydrogen peroxide, it can now be used in various household chores. Some of these daily tasks include toilet cleaning and hair bleaching. But some stains don’t go away even after hydrogen peroxide is used. That is why today we’re bringing you a new mixture you have probably heard of before, a combination of hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice.
Hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice serve many of the same purposes and, when combined, produce enhanced effects. That’s what we’re going to take a look at today.
Yes! You Can Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice!
We’re sure many of you have heard of this combination but might not have given it further thought. Well, hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice are a mixture you’ll want to try, especially to get rid of those stubborn, pesky stains.
As we’ve mentioned above, many recipes and DIY solutions tell you to use either lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide with baking soda. What they do not tell you is if you mix both acidic liquids, it produces an even stronger solution with enhanced properties.
So be sure to read through the article to understand how you can use this little cleaning hack to your advantage.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice — What You Need to Know
Before you dive into creating your homemade concoction of the two, there are a few things you should know. As both are acidic chemicals, especially 3% hydrogen peroxide, a basic understanding of both products is necessary.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, commonly used as a bleaching agent, comes in several different concentrations.
Higher concentrations (<40%) are frequently used in industries for large-scale chemical processes. Lower concentrations can be used as food-grade hydrogen peroxide (35%) or in cosmetic procedures such as tattoo fading and getting rid of dark spots (3%).
Some widely known uses for hydrogen peroxide consist of its role as a strong oxidizing agent, a bleaching agent and a food preservative. We’ll talk about some of them further in more depth.
Oxidizing Properties
Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizing agent leading to its high use in industrial processes. As an oxidizing agent, it is similar to oxygen in effect but is seen to be significantly stronger. This difference is accredited to the extra oxygen present compared to a standard water molecule.
This property also helps in food preservation. Since it promotes oxidation, it inhibits the growth of bacterial colonies by removing oxygen from the environment. It is also an eco-friendly compound that can easily be used in food preservation without running the risk of contamination.
Disinfecting Qualities
While we may not always need a potent oxidizing agent in our daily routines, disinfectants play a crucial role in maintaining cleanliness. Whether it’s in our homes or elsewhere, disinfectants are employed to ensure surfaces remain free from harmful microorganisms. In this context, hydrogen peroxide serves as a valuable tool.
Hydrogen peroxide is effective at tackling stubborn stains, particularly those that have hardened over time. Its concentrated acidic nature enables it to break down organic matter upon contact.
Bleaching Abilities
There are many bleaching agents out there, having a wide variety of constituents, but few can compare to the bleaching ability of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is a very strong bleaching agent, being able to remove the color from any surface on contact.
Although higher-grade hydrogen peroxide is used in industrial bleaching procedures, 3% hydrogen peroxide is also a common bleaching agent used in many households. Being a highly effective bleaching agent, it is used to fade tattoos and dark spots or lighten hair from various body regions.
What sets it apart is that it acts on its own without any additional product requirements and is relatively quick compared to other bleaching products. This makes it a go-to option for most people when needing a bleaching agent.
Uses
Hydrogen peroxide has several uses, both on an industrial and domestic level. We’re going to tell you some that you’ve heard of but others that you may be surprised to hear.
- It can be used to make homemade mouthwash that is safe, effective, and cost-effective.
- Rinse your fruits and vegetables with hydrogen peroxide to get rid of all bacterial microbes
- Get rid of almost any stain by creating a super cleaner solution with hydrogen peroxide and soap.
- Bleaching hair has never been easier than using hydrogen peroxide to bleach it in one go.
- Clean all your bathroom essentials and leave your bathroom spotless by applying hydrogen peroxide solution
- Remove unwanted odors from any surface or object by applying some hydrogen peroxide.
- Enhance plant growth by adding some hydrogen peroxide plus water solution, supplying more oxygen to the roots
- Scrape off any remains from metallic pots and pans using the powerful duo of hydrogen peroxide plus baking soda
- Treat any sort of bacterial infections by soaking the affected area in some warm water plus hydrogen peroxide solution.
Lemon Juice
Now that you’ve got a nice grasp on the type of products we’re talking about let’s move on to the next product on our list. This is one that’s found even more commonly in households than hydrogen peroxide, but not for the reasons you think. Its lemon juice is a common additive in preparing food to enhance flavors.
Lemon juice has been used in cooking for ages, and cooking is the first thing that pops up in everyone’s mind when hearing this word. But did you know that just like hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice also has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties? Whether you knew or just found out, read on to learn more about it.
Antimicrobial Properties
In case you didn’t know, lemon juice contains antibacterial constituents. With a major part of lemon juice being citric acid and vitamin C, both these bioactive compounds have antibacterial properties.
One Of The Best Antioxidants
Several different products on the market inhibit the oxidation process. But most can not compete with an all-natural source of vitamin C, one of the best antioxidants known.
Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant that protects your cells against the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals play a significant part in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. The good part? Lemon juice is loaded with vitamin C making it a great antioxidant.
Uses
Just as hydrogen peroxide could be used for various purposes, the same can be said about lemon juice. For those who have never used lemon juice for anything except cooking, this will be a great way to get to know more about the product and use it to its full potential.
- Doctors always recommend lemon juice when treating kidney stones, as lemon juice raises urine’s citrate levels, preventing kidney stones.
- A great solution for those who frequently face sore throats. Lemon juice plus warm water and honey can soothe your throat and relieve pain.
- Due to its property as an antioxidant, lemon juice also helps prevents cancerous outgrowths and has many anti-tumor and anti-cancer benefits.
- The antibacterial properties of lemon juice allow it to help keep your skin clear and fight off acne.
- Keeps your diabetes in check by helping to maintain blood glucose levels.
- Lemon juice can aid in digestion due to the soluble fiber pectin. Reduces chances of constipation.
- For obese people or those generally looking to lose weight, lemon juice promotes weight loss by lowering body weight and fat and keeps you feeling full for extended periods.
What Happens When You Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice?
Now that you have a good idea about both 3% hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice let’s elaborate more on how they work. Lemon juice is an organic compound containing high amounts of vitamin C and citric acid. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, gives it its antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, has the same chemical structure as water with the addition of an extra oxygen atom. It also is an incredible oxidizing agent and has potent antimicrobial qualities.
Combining these products enhances the effects while keeping most other chemical properties the same. This makes the resulting solution much more effective, giving you better results in an easier way.
Why You Should Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice
We’ve talked extensively about both hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice and also given you a brief description of what happens when you mix both of them. Let us now move on to why it’s a good idea or the reasons behind mixing these products.
1. Make A Powerful Homemade Disinfecting Agent
Lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide are both great disinfecting agents. Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to clean bathroom fixtures as well. But what happens when you mix them? Well, it gives you a super-solution, of course!
What You Need
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
How To Use
Making your all-purpose cleaning solution at home is no problem at all. Simply take all three ingredients, pour them into a bowl or jug, and mix them thoroughly until they’re totally combined. Once you’ve done that, you can use it on any surface you want and will definitely see the difference.
Benefits
If you’re wondering why you need to do this when both products work so well individually, well, it is because not every stain can be removed by either one of them. By mixing both of them together, they use different mechanisms to remove stains, making sure to get it all out completely.
The best part about this is how easy and cost-effective it is to make. Hydrogen peroxide is easily available nowadays from any pharmacy or general store. Lemon juice can easily be squeezed out of fresh lemons. Both of them are odorless for the most part and can be used on open wounds or cuts as disinfectants.
2. Lighten Your Hair By Mixing Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice
Hair lightening has never been easier as this special concoction of lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide should pull the color out of your hair with ease. These products are sometimes used in cosmetic creams to bleach or whiten the skin or other parts of the body. Together, they should provide better effects while maintaining the integrity and durability of your hair.
What You Need
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup of lemon juice
How To Use
Making an amazing bleaching agent by combining lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide is very simple. All you need to do is fill a spray bottle with lukewarm tap water. Pour in the hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice together and shake it well until it is thoroughly combined.
Once your solution is ready, cover your hairline with petroleum jelly. This is a safety precaution while working with acidic chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, so they don’t damage your skin. Spray a bit of your hair and make sure it touches your scalp. Once you’ve ensured you do not suffer from any type of allergic reaction from the solution and like the results, you can move on to spraying the rest of your hair.
After saturating your hair with the solution, leave it to dry for a few hours, after which you can rinse it off to get the results you have wanted.
Benefits
There are a ton of benefits when it comes to using this combined solution rather than using just one of the products.
Firstly, lemon juice works best on dark blonde or brown hair. Other hair colors may provide different results when treated with lemon juice. As hydrogen peroxide reduces all hair colors equally, this solution can be used in a wider variety of hair colors.
Secondly, hydrogen peroxide is highly acidic and is usually not recommended for hair bleaching, especially if alternates are available. If you still want to try it at home, it is best to dilute the solution with warm water and lemon juice. It will produce the same results, but this way, it is less likely to produce any burning or itching reactions on your scalp.
While using cosmetic products, you’ll often see both of these products in the description on the back of the packaging. This should back up the logic behind its effectiveness.
3. Make a Robust Cleaner to Take Out Tough Stains!
Throughout the entire article, you will have seen us mention that a combination of both hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice can lead to a supersolution used to remove pesky, hardened stains.
What You Need
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide
- ½ cup of lemon juice
How To Use
Making a cleaning solution out of lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide is just like making an individual hydrogen peroxide solution. All you do is take water in a clean bottle and add the hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice to it. Make sure to mix it well and that all three components are thoroughly combined. Once you’ve ensured that, your robust cleaner solution is ready to use!
Benefits
Both products individually are great at removing stains, but there are some stains even they cannot tackle on their own. When they are combined, their bleaching properties are enhanced, giving rise to this super solution.
If you have tough stains that aren’t going away by just using either of the two products, try combining them and spraying them there. The chances are that you’ll see positive results very soon.
Is It Safe To Mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Lemon Juice?
If you’re wondering whether or not mixing hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice is safe, worry not! A mixture of both is totally secure and can be used for most purposes that they are used for individuals, but with better effects. Some of you might be wondering if adding hydrogen peroxide to lemon juice reduces or cancels out it’s effects, and we can assure you nothing of that nature happens.
What’s Concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide Works Best With Lemon Juice?
The best concentration of hydrogen peroxide to use with lemon juice is 3% hydrogen peroxide. 3% hydrogen peroxide has been deemed safe to use on the skin, and if you’re planning to use it for skin purposes, 3% will get the job done without any harmful effects.
Follow These Safety Precautions!!!
- Always wear gloves and safety goggles while dealing with hydrogen peroxide, regardless of concentration!
- Do not directly ingest the solution. If used for bleaching or disinfecting purposes, test out a small sample before using it on a large scale.
- If it enters through the eye or nasal passages, rinse out immediately.
- If burning or irritations sensations arise, rinse with warm water. In case sensations persist, contact medical authorities immediately.
- Always keep alkaline products such as milk of magnesia nearby for immediate assistance.
The Takeaway
Hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice are great products individually, but they are even better combined. Lemon juice makes hydrogen peroxide a bit safer than juice, while hydrogen peroxide nullifies the sour taste and smell of lemon juice.
Together, they make the perfect combo and will give you better results than using them individually. So, order your set of hydrogen peroxide bottles today!
