Supercharge Your Fruit and Veggie Cleaning Routine

Eliminate harmful chemicals and germs from your fruits and vegetables with an eco-friendly and effective way of cleaning your produce.

I do this as soon as I get home from the grocery store, otherwise I find it doesn't happen. Having fresh, clean fruits and vegetables in the fridge also encourages me to reach for a healthy snack. Bonus points for cutting up veggies in snackable portions.

I've used different storebought produce cleaning products, but my tried and true method is soaking them in baking soda, vinegar, and water.

What makes it easy is that baking soda and vinegar are staples in most households.

Here's how they create a dynamic duo when combined:

1. Baking Soda: This pantry item is a gentle abrasive that helps loosen dirt, wax, and pesticide residues from the surface of produce. Its alkaline nature also neutralizes acids, making it especially useful for removing stubborn residues.
   

2. Vinegar: With its acidic properties, vinegar is excellent at breaking down bacteria, mold, and other contaminants on the surface of fruits and vegetables. It's a natural disinfectant that leaves behind no harmful residues, making it safe for consumption.
   

Cleaning Your Produce Step by Step

1: Create a Cleaning Solution

• Fill a large bowl with filtered water. Sprinkle in baking soda (I don't measure it but it's probably a few tablespoons) and add vinegar.
  

2: Rinse Your Produce and Place into the Bowl

• Rinse your produce to get any larger specks of dirt off, and then submerge your fruits and vegetables in the vinegar solution, ensuring they are fully covered. Let them soak for 5-10 minutes to allow the vinegar to work its magic in breaking down contaminants.

• To conserve water, I use a smaller bowl and rotate the produce through.
  

3: Rinse Thoroughly

• Once you've scrubbed your produce, rinse them thoroughly under running water to remove any remaining baking soda and vinegar solution.
  

4: Enjoy Your Clean and Safe Produce

• After rinsing, pat your fruits and vegetables dry with a clean towel or let them air dry before storing or consuming.

I could have a whole separate post about storing produce. For ripe fruit, I place a clean dish towel in the fridge's produce crisper and place all the cleaned whole fruit on it unless it's berries or something small that would get smashed.