I found something this past year that has been majorly helpful not just on laundry but also on carpeting for stains and especially those times our cats have “situations.” Our cats are getting old, and they have some issues.
Drum roll please …
Put hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. Yep, H2O2. In a spray bottle. That’s it.
H2O2 in a bottle has been super helpful for cleaning cat vomit (and other things) from the carpet. These steps work with many stains: First take up the “mess” as best you can. Then spray the entire area with H2O2. Let sit for a few minutes. Then blot. Repeat as necessary.
The simple transfer of liquid to a spray bottle (or switch to a spray top on the bottle of peroxide if you can find one that fits) has proven extremely helpful and effective. It’s sooo much handier than trying to pour peroxide from the bottle or spot-treat with powdered color-safe oxygen bleach. Household hydrogen peroxide is quite safe and fairly non-toxic. (Still keep out of reach of children. Don’t drink it, etc. Because yeah.) And it doesn’t leave a sticky residue behind.
Bonus! It’s super economical. Hydrogen peroxide from your local pharmacy usually runs under two dollars for a big a bottle — sometimes under a $1.
If you want extra souped-up powerful (POWER, POWER, POWER) hydrogen peroxide then go to your local Sally Beauty supply, or similar, and buy the kind of peroxide used to bleach hair or mix hair coloring. Don’t buy hair dye, just the hydrogen peroxide activator that’s used with it. This is also fairly inexpensive. Try to find one with few ingredients — some are just a higher concentration of H2O2, some hydrogen peroxide with citric acid to help it work better on hair, and some have all kinds of stuff like conditioners and what not. For stain removal you don’t want conditioners added. Also, if using it in a spray bottle you’ll probably want a version that’s liquid rather than cream (it comes both ways). Cream will work in the spray bottle if it’s not too thick though. Put liquid in a spray bottle and voila!
You may want to do a test spot to make sure the stained item won’t fade or discolor from the peroxide. This is especially true if you’re using the stronger made-to-bleach-hair variety of peroxide. Don’t leave that on for too long. For household peroxide, most fabrics will be okay, but usually avoid using it on silk.
For best results use a spray bottle that blocks out light or store in dark place. You don’t want to activate the peroxide before you’re ready to use it. It needs to be able to foam up on the stain. Don’t add any soap to it — some added ingredients will activate the peroxide in the bottle and, again, you want it to do it’s thing ON THE STAIN.
Peroxide is great at getting rid of organic-based stains — blood, vomit, and less gross stains like wine, tomato, grape juice, etc.
For stains that have both oil and an organic stain, I first rub with bar soap, or use a dollop of liquid soap, and then top it off with some squirts of peroxide. Rub it in.
The peroxide foams up, breaking down, and releasing oxygen which cleans, disinfects, and deodorizes. What’s not to like?
Repeat as necessary.
aLightningbug 