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Make Your Own Produce Wash Recipes

By Kristie Turck •  Published 02/16/16 •  2 min read

Last updated on August 20th, 2022 at 12:29 am

Make your own produce wash, bowl of fruitWhether you buy organic fruit and vegetables or not, it’s good practice to get in the habit of washing your produce.  Cleaning off residue, dirt, sand, and other ickies can make your meals as healthy as possible. I wanted to share with you the safe make-your-own produce wash recipe I use.

The FDA recommends washing fruit and vegetables before eating them to reduce surface bacteria and prevent food-borne illnesses. I read an article once that quoted the FDA saying they do NOT recommend using vegetable washes to clean produce, but if you look closer at their statement, they actually say,

Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.

 

I’m assuming they don’t recommend soap or household detergents because of the toxic chemicals that are in many of these products.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t use a home remedy to wash our produce and remove bacteria and residue with all-natural ingredients like vinegar.

Make Your Own Produce Washes

To make a spray:

Combine in a spray bottle, shake and spray.  Let sit for 20-30 min.

To make a soak:

Combine equal parts in a clean bowl or basin and let your produce soak for 30-60 min.  Rinse and dry before putting in the fridge or eating.

 

 

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