Clean Fruits & Veggies

After years of buying specialty fruits and veggies cleaners, I can now confirm, I have an easier way to do it, using a single magical ingredient that you most likely have in your pantry…baking soda.

I learned this simple hack from Nancy Birtwhistle, a winner on the Great British Bakeoff who is not only sharing her favorite recipes, but also tips on how to be more environmentally friendly at home.

The benefits of this method:

This is a simple, plastic-free, and non-toxic way to clean your fruits & veggies.

How to do it:

• Add 1 tsp baking soda per 500 ml cold water (about 2 cups)

• Swirl fruits or veggies around in the water

• Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse

• Let your fruits or veggies dry thoroughly before putting them back in your refrigerator if you don’t plan to eat or cook them right away

Make sure to use cold water

Why you ask? Hot water may wilt, bruise, or begin to cook some veggies or fruits and can provide a pathway for microorganisms to get inside the produce.

Yuck, we don’t want any of that business.

Does it really work?

A 2017 research study conducted by the University of Massachusetts found that a baking soda and water combination was the most effective way to reduce pesticides, especially on apple skins.

The US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture agree: using a cold water soak with baking soda will effectively help remove dirt, chemical residue, and other unwanted materials from your fresh vegetables and fruits.

No need for a fancy fruit and veggie cleaner

this is a pantry staple that will do the job and is not harmful to you or the environment.

The water was visibly dirty after washing these cherries, so I can at least confirm that it did a great job cleaning the dirt and whatever chemical residue may have been on them.