How to Clean your Produce (Safely and Naturally)

If you are still using plain old tap water to rinse your store-bought fruits and veggies before storing and eating them…what are you doing?! Sure, scrubbing them under some water is fine for getting off dirt and maybe some bacteria. But what about the harmful bacteria, pesticide residue and the microscopic parasites??

Unfortunately, water alone won’t get rid of all the harmful bacteria, especially on your more delicate produce like leafy greens or berries. They don’t hold up well to scrubbing, and even a little bacteria can make you sick…yikes! So, taking a little extra time for a solid wash can make a huge difference! And I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, I’ll just go grab a bottle off the shelf of vegetable cleaner and use that.” Hold your horses! Unfortunately, overpriced store-bought vegetable cleaners can have chemicals in them that may remove pesticides, but at what cost? And no amount of cleaner can remove ickys that have entered the produce via its roots, which is another reason to buy organic or naturally grown produce whenever you can. Thankfully, there is a way to naturally clean your fruits and veggies that is both safe and cost effective and we will share it with you today!

Here are easy ways to clean your produce safely and naturally:

For Produce with Tough Skins (think avocados, melons, citrus, cucumbers, apples)

1. First rinse off any dirt (tap water is fine but reverse osmosis or filtered water is better)
2. Add your fruits and veggies to a bowl with water covering them
3. Mix in ¼ cup of vinegar and a cap full 3% hydrogen peroxide (watch them sizzle and bubble – the most satisfying part!)
4. Let them soak for about 5 minutes
5. Rinse with cool, RO or filtered water
6. Pat dry to store in a glass container or simply eat or cook them from here!

For Soft Fruits & Veg (think berries, leafy greens)

1. Rinse off any dirt (tap water is fine but reverse osmosis or filtered water is better)
2. Fill your bowl with water to cover the produce
3. Mix in ¼ cup of vinegar a cap full 3% hydrogen peroxide
4. Let them soak for 3-5 minutes
5. Rinse with cool, RO or filtered water
6. Enjoy your clean yummies however you like!

Here is the food grade hydrogen peroxide and vinegar we use in our kitchen:
Hydrogen peroxide 3%
Distilled white vinegar

And there you have it! That’s the cheapest, easiest and most effective way to get the nasties off of your produce so you can eat them without a single worry! We hope you learned something today.

Cheers from team Mindful Mop 🙂