When it comes to eating healthy food and making good food choices eating fruits and vegetables are an obvious choice. What may not be obvious is that much of your produce is covered in pesticides and other chemicals that are dangerous to ingest. This is why properly cleaning your fruits and vegetables is so important.
Many people live day to day on a budget. It’s not easy to find the extra money to spend on store bought produce washes which can be expensive. This is why do it yourself (DIY) solutions can be so helpful. So, here are some tips on how to clean your produce and DIY fruit and vegetable wash.
#1. It is important to use filtered water.
It is important to use filtered water because most of the tap water contains chemicals and other unwanted microbials Some tap water has even been shown to have remnants of prescription medications, so it is very important to filter your drinking water. It doesn’t make sense to go through the trouble of washing your fruits and veggies just to add other chemicals to it. If you don’t have a water filteration system, you can buy filtered water in a gallon, or you can boil water. Just be sure to let it cool down before using it to clean your fruits and vegetables.
#2. Take your fruit and vegetables out of the refrigerator, so they are room temperature.
Take your fruit and vegetables out of the refrigerator, so they are room temperature before you wash them. It is not good to put cold produce in warm water because cold water can cause some fruits or vegetables to go into shock. When this happens to the produce it causes the pores of the skin to open and let more chemicals to seep into the fruit or vegetable.
#3. Use 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water.
Use 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts filtered water. The acidity of the vinegar is a great natural abrasive cleaner. It is natural so it doesn’t add more chemicals, but it is strong enough to scrub off all of the dirt and chemicals on your fruits and vegetables. Using a natural cleanser is a great healthy alternative to store bought cleaners for you and your family.
#4. Soak your fruits and vegetables for 10 minutes.
Soak your fruits and vegetables for 10 minutes in the water and vinegar mixture. This is enough time for the vinegar to clean the produce. If you are concerned that the fruits or veggies aren’t cleaned, or if they are one of the fruits or vegetables in the list of dirtier produce you can let them soak a little longer. When you take your produce out of the water, the water should be dirty.
#5. Take out and let dry.
Take the fruits and vegetables out of the water. Rinsing isn’t necessarily but if you want to rinse be sure to use filtered water. Let the produce dry and it’s ready to eat.
Taking care of your health includes eating fruits and vegetables. There are some fruits and vegetables that are especially important to clean like apples, strawberries, nectarines, tomatoes, cucumbers, and spinach. Just be sure to clean your produce appropriately so you don’t consume unhealthy chemicals like pesticides. With a simple DIY fruit and vegetable wash you can make sure that your produce is healthy for you and your family to eat. Using natural alternatives throughout your home will help keep your family safe and healthy. It’s important to find what works best for you.