10 Interesting Ways Activated Charcoal Is Used

Activated charcoal has been a staple ingredient for a number of products and filtering systems in the past, due to its potent absorbing abilities, however its use is branching out into new and exciting areas. Below we cover some interesting ways you might have seen it used, either by large corporations or by Instagram influencers.

1) For Teeth Whitening

Well why not start off with your bread and butter? The original and number one selling Procoal product is the activated charcoal teeth whitening which has coated Instagram feeds the world over with interesting and humerous videos of people blacking up their teeth before showing a whiter grin.

2) To Soak Up Poison

You might not know this, but you should be able to find activated charcoal in each and every ambulance, as paramedics will use it to extract poison from the body. Sure, we don’t have many dangerous animals here in the UK, but find yourself in Australia and you might be more aware of this potent natural treatment.

3) Water Filtration

If you have a water filter in place in your office, you may be usprised to hear it is probably utilising activated charcoal. Whereas it may have used carbon or charcoal in the past, the activated version is much more efficient. It is amazing at extracting and absorbing any contaminants that may be lurking in the water.

4) Cleaning Mould

Dispite mould being present in plenty of households across the world, many are still unaware of the harmful effects it can have on your health. While the best solution would be to offer greater ventilation and use a dehumidifier, you can also try adding activated charcoal to a mix of baking soda and other useful ingredients like tea tree oil, then applying directly to the mouldy area.

5) Smelly Shoes

You may have guessed the others on the list so far, but I bet you didn’t see this one coming! A popular option for people good at crafts, a homemade shoe deodoriser can be made by putting the powder in either a cloth or a coffee filter. Many also opt to add some natural essential oils, to help replace the stench with a new gorgeous smell. The warning here would be to be careful about getting the black powder on white materials, so make sure to wrap these up tightly so none comes loose.

6) Rotten Food In The Fridge

Another guilty smell is the pungeont odour left by rotten food in the fridge. It might be something that spilt over the edge or maybe a leftover curry that has left a bad smell, either way, another unconventional option is to apply the powder once again.

Baking soda has been commonplace in tips and advice on keeping the fridge smelling fresh, but activated charcoal is a far greater option as it targets all types of smells. Most who have experimented have stated the powder worked for up to a month in the fridge.

7) Face Masks

Another slight advert for ourselves, an activated charcoal face mask is a great option for those wishing to tackle blackheads, eliminate any impurities or remove any excess sebum. The added bonus is no extra nasty ingredients are added to the mix, while the product is also 100% animal cruelty free, something which should be mirrored across the beauty industry but sadly isn’t.

8) Air Purification

Just like the water purification, this is also used in air purifiers, including on airplanes and in many office buildings. Beyond removing any bad smells that may be floating through the air, they are also great at removing dust and microfibres, so anyone with asthma can breathe a sigh of relief. They are also very powerful at absorbing pollutants and harmful chemicals from the air.

9) To Remove Wet Dog Smells

It might be one of the worst smells imaginable, but you can’t get too angry at the dog. There is actually a scientific reason for why they smell so bad. They naturally produce an oil called sebum, which when combined with water creates a bacteria which smells, well just awful. This is why they can sometimes smell worse after you’ve given them a bath, something that has confused the masses for years. However, after drying the pooch off, one option can be to rub in the activated charcoal powder and leaving the dog for 10 mins, which will soak up the oil, before rinsing the powder off.

10) As A Deodorant

We’ve mentioned the numerous ways this unbelievable and versatile natural ingredient can be used to remove odours. Well another way is to use it directly on humans. An activated charcoal deodorant offers a natural alternative to the antiperspirants which contain aluminium salts. With all of the media attention surrounding medical scares around the potential ability of aluminium to be absorbed into the body in a dangerous area of the body for breast cancer, many are looking for natural balms.