Are you trying to get your family to eat healthier? 

Do you:

• limit processed foods?
• stock your fridge with fruits and veggies?
• read food labels and avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce? 
• buy organic whenever possible?
• Worry about pesticides, GMOs, refined sugar and who knows what else is in our food? 

Me too. And if you’re buying conventional produce at your local grocery store, chances are it’s not as healthy as you think. That’s because of all the germs, bacteria, pesticides and wax that are on commercial produce.

But no worries, all you need is my easy Homemade Produce Wash. Not only will your fruits and vegetables be instantly healthier but they will also last longer. Sounds like a win-win!
       

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Over the past several years I’ve been on a mission to lower the toxic load in my house. One of the biggest ways I’ve accomplished this is by doing the Cleaning Cabinet Makeover.

Yep, store-bought cleaning products are one of the worst culprits when it comes to toxic chemicals in our homes. Making your own cleaning products is easy and so much safer for your family.

But what about cleaning your produce? Do you just run that apple under water and call it good?

If you always buy organic that might be okay but for most people, including me, that’s not always feasible. This homemade produce wash is just what you need to remove the dirt, bacteria, pesticides and wax from grocery store fruits and veggies.

Even if you buy organic produce you should still wash it. Organic produce has been touched by many hands and will still have dirt and bacteria on it. The bacteria can cause the produce to go bad prematurely and that can cost you a lot of money in the long run.

I buy organic produce when I can and fortunately more and more grocery stores are widening their selection. To learn what produce has the highest pesticide residue check out the EWG website and their list of the Dirty Dozen.

You only need 3 ingresients to make your own Produce Wash and it’s so much easier than buying it from the store.

Here’s what I use in my Homemade Produce Wash:

White Vinegar: effective at killing most bacteria, germs and mold due to it’s acidity level.

Water: You can use distilled or purified water if you like but lemon EO will kill the nasties in tap water so I just use that.

Lemon Essential Oil: my favorite cleaning EO is great at cleansing and purifying surfaces. It’s a good degreaser and may help dissolve the wax that is sprayed on some fruits and vegetables that can seal in pesticides.

Glass Spray Bottle: I always recommend glass when making products with essential oils as they can be tough on plastic, especially the citrus oils. They are a great investment so stock up on these glass spray bottles.

I’ve seen a lot of posts telling you to fill up your sink and add a cup of vinegar.

Yeah, that’s not gonna do anything.

The ratio of water to vinegar has to be 3:1 so while you can do it in your sink, it going to require a bucket-load of vinegar. 

If you have a lot of produce to wash at once then that would be worth it but remember that your kitchen sink is the dirtiest spot in your house. Make sure you clean it first with my All-Natural Soft Cleanser  and you’re good to go.

Produce Wash: Bath in a Bowl

Find a bowl that is just large enough to fit your produce. If you have a lot of produce to wash, use a smaller bowl and soak and rinse it in batches. You can reuse the liquid multiple times and it will continue to be effective.

Fill it with a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar. For example, if you are using 3 cups of water you would add 1 cup of vinegar.

For every cup of total liquid (water + vinegar) add 3 drops lemon EO. So if your water and vinegar together equal 4 cups you would add 12 drops of lemon EO.

Mix well and add produce. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, turning produce occasionally. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean dish towel (for sturdy produce) or spread in a single layer on a clean dish towel (for delicate produce). 

Use this method if: Use you are washing a lot of produce or you are washing delicate produce such as berries or grapes.  

Produce Wash: the Spritz Method

I try to wash the produce as soon as I get home from the store but in the craziness of life that doesn’t always happen. That’s why I always keep a spray bottle of DIY Produce Wash under the kitchen sink in a 16 oz. glass spray bottle.

If someone wants an apple in their lunch, they just need to spray it thoroughly and let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse well and dry and its ready to go in the lunch bag.

Use this method if: you are washing just a single fruit or vegetable.

While getting your family to make healthier food choices may seem like an endless (and thankless) battle, having an all-natural way to make sure your produce is squeaky clean definitely helps.