Today I’ve got a quick and easy tutorial for a DIY Fruit and Veggie wash, spray & soak! There’s no reason to buy a commercial spray or wash because you can easily make one at home for pennies that is just as effective!! Washing fruits and veggies is such a must, whether you are in the habit of buying organic or not. Pesticides, waxes and other yuckies are hidden on your produce so always wash before you eat!
I’ve created 2 labels at the bottom of this post so you can label your new fruit and veggie wash and spray!
First off let’s talk a bit about when organic is necessary and when you might be able to skip it.
The Enviormental Working Group has done a large amount of research concerning pesticides and how they effect our produce. Go HERE to read their full report. They found that there were 165 different pesticides found on our produce! Through their research, they found that certain fruits and vegetables were more susceptible to holding onto pesticide residue than others.
EWG created a list of those foods called THE DIRTY DOZEN. On the bright side, there are produce that are not as effected by pesticides and they called this list THE CLEAN 15.
The Dirty Dozen:
- Apples
- Celery
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Hot Peppers
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Collard & Kale
- Summer Squash & Zucchini
The Clean 15:
- Asparagus
- Onions
- Papayas
- Pineapple
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Corn
- Cantaloupe
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Peas
- Kiwi
- Mangos
- Mushrooms
Now that you have a list of which veggies and fruits are clean and which ones are dirty, how about we make a spray and a foaming wash that will help remove harmful chemicals from our produce. These recipes are even helpful if you are a gardener and are bringing in produce from your garden. A good soak is always helpful to remove dirt and bugs but a quick spray or wash can also further remove anything you’d prefer not to consume!
Healthy Veggie/Fruit Recipes You Might Be Interested In!
- Sunshine Kale Smoothie
- The New Smoothie Formula (low sugar)
- Beautiful Skin Smoothie
- DIY Electrolyte Drink
- Pineapple Ginger Smoothie
For my DIY fruit and veggie wash, I find that a foaming pump bottle is very helpful. It gives you just the right amount of soap without getting to bubbly and overpowering your fruits and vegetables that easily absorb.
Why I chose white vinegar was because the Environmental Working Group found that acetic acid in white vinegar kills 98% of bacteria and helps dissolve the wax and pesticides found on the skins of many fruits and vegetables.
I chose Lemon Essential Oil because it is antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial and anti fungal! It is a powerful de-gunker and cleaner in general, not to mention it’s wonderfully fresh smell! Castile soap is also a good choice for the foaming veggie wash because it is extremely concentrated, yet natural and also cleans exceptionally well!
DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash:
- 3 teaspoons castile soap (find it HERE)
- 1 cup of water
- 20 drops Lemon Essential Oil (find it HERE)
To Use:
- Use 1 squirt per handful of produce.
- Gently rub the produce with the foam and rinse.
- Set on a paper towel to dry.
Using a DIY fruit and veggie spray can either be an extra step when cleaning your produce or it can be the only step. Simply spraying your produce with a vinegar spray can go a long way ridding your veggies and fruits of wax, pesticides and dirt. Is it as thorough as a soak or wash? No, but it is better then nothing and extremely quick and easy.
DIY Veggie and Fruit Spray:
- 1 cup White Vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 20 drops Lemon Essential Oil (find HERE)
To Use:
- Liberally spray on your produce.
- Let set for 10 minutes.
- Rinse.
- Lay on paper towel to dry.
Soaking veggies and fruits is a simple way to clean produce. If you’re not going to dig right into eating, adding your produce to a soak and letting them set in the soak is a great way to remove unwanted pesticides, dirt and even bugs from your produce!
DIY Veggie and Fruit Soak:
- 1 cup vinegar
- 2 TBSP. salt (salt draws out bugs!)
Directions:
- Fill CLEAN sink or bowl full of water.
- Add vinegar and salt
- Soak for at 10-30 minutes
- Allow produce to dry.
Just so you know, I’m not saying you need a spray and a wash-I wanted to provide both recipes so you could choose which one works best for you. I hope this shed some light on the art of washing your produce and the fact that you don’t need to spend money on veggie/fruit washes-it’s too easy to DIY! Now, to commit to eating my fruits and veggies! That’s a whole other issue!
xx, Jenni
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P.S. Avery 22806 labels templates just for you! Hint: Put a strip of clear packing tape over these labels to keep them from water damage!
Vegetable Photo Credit: Daxiao Production
