Pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables can be a problem when buying conventionally grown. But, there is a natural homemade solution to help with this. A simple DIY fruit and vegetable wash to help remove dirt, bacteria, wax, and pesticides from different types of produce easily.
In an ideal world, we’d have money growing on trees that we could spend on as much fresh organic produce as we’d like. However, for a lot of us, buying only organic isn’t within our budget, so sometimes we have to compromise.
Prioritising certain organic foods over others can help to reduce and even eliminate much of the pesticides from the foods we eat, as some are more prone to being pesticide-laden than others.
Prioritising Certain Organic Foods
When grocery shopping, I keep a little note on my phone of the “Terrible 20” and “Fab 14” list. This list shares which foods are okay to buy conventional, and which should be bought organic.
It’s really helpful for when you’re on a tight budget and can’t buy everything organic. The foods listed are in order of least pesticide-laden to most pesticide-laden (similar to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” list).
I must specify that the Fab 14 and Dirty Dozen lists aren’t completely reliable when it comes to relaying which foods are best to buy conventional, as sweet corn made it to number two on the Clean 15 list, even though the seeds are sprayed with chemicals to help deter pests due to the soil being so degraded.
What’s more, this ranking doesn’t include residues of glyphosate, also known as Roundup, a pesticide that majority of corn crops have been genetically modified to resist. It is only in recent times that the FDA has started testing corn for glyphosate residues.
The Fab 14 and Terrible 20 Shopping Guide
All these foods are listed from best (lowest pesticide levels) to worst (highest pesticide levels).
The Fab 14 (Okay to Buy Conventionally Grown):
- Avocado
- Pineapples
- Cabbage
- Sweet peas
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Mango
- Kiwi fruit
- Eggplant
- Grapefruit
- Rock melon (or Cantaloupe)
- Cauliflower
- Sweet potatoes
- Mushrooms
The Terrible 20 (Always Buy Organic):
- Sweet corn
- Hawaiian papaya
- Summer squash (Zucchini or Yellow crookneck)
- Lettuce
- Blueberries
- Kale/collard greens
- Hot peppers (Chilli)
- Potatoes
- Soybeans (Edamame)
- Snap peas
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Sweet bell peppers (Capsicum)
- Spinach
- Celery
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Apples
It’s particularly important that you wash non-organic produce, but still wash organic produce, too, just to be on the safe side, as according to the Food Revolution Network, ‘nearly all farmers, even organic farmers, use some pesticides. They just use different ones.’
However, ‘most of the pesticides on the USDA organic national list of allowed substances are natural in origin.’ Over 900 different synthetic pesticides are allowed to be used in conventional farming practices, while only 25 synthetic pesticides are allowed by organic farmers, and even then they are carefully regulated.
Before we get started in learning how to make these super simple produce washes, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!
Homemade Fruit and Vegetable Washes
According to a post by the health and wellness blogger, Katie Wells, on her blog, Wellness Mama, there was a study conducted by the University of Maine where they looked at the most popular store bought fruit and vegetable wash brands and found many of them contained chlorine (to kill bacteria on the produce), but also found in lab testing that they were no more effective than using distilled water.
It was found that ‘neither commercial washes or distilled vinegar completely removed waxes, pesticides, and other residue from produce.’
However, homemade fruit and vegetable rinses have been found to be quite effective at removing unwanted chemical residues, waxes, and disease-causing bacteria from produce.
The most effective way to do this is to use different washes for fruits and vegetables (as you don’t want your berries tasting like vinegar).
DIY Wash for Most Fruits and Vegetables
One of the simplest and most common ways to naturally clean produce is to use plain white vinegar. For majority of produce with a skin, this is a good wash to use.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar or salt)
- Water
- Lemon juice (optional)
To Make:
- Place the fruits and vegetables in a large bowl or freshly cleaned kitchen sink, then fill the tub with water and add in the white vinegar.
- Let the produce soak for up to one hour, then scrub the skins of the fruits and vegetables gently to remove any wax coating, and rinse.
- Let the produce dry completely before placing it in the fridge to prevent decay.
DIY Baking Soda Produce Wash
According to the Food Revolution Network, there was a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that compared the effectiveness of plain water, a Clorox bleach solution, and a baking soda and water solution to see which was better at removing pesticide residues from both the surface of and beneath the skins of apples. Baking soda was crowned the winner in this study.
Again, this is not for all produce, just the majority of produce with a skin. Smooth skinned fruits, such as apples, nectarines, and cherries can be washed in this baking soda solution the same way as vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups water
To Make:
- In a freshly cleaned kitchen sink, fill the tub with water and add in the baking soda. Stir it through to dissolve the powder, then place the fruits and vegetables in to soak.
- Let the produce soak for up to one hour, then scrub the skins of the fruits and vegetables gently to remove the wax coating and any chemical residues. Once finished, rinse thoroughly.
- Let the produce dry completely before placing it in the fridge to prevent decay.
DIY Berry Wash
Berries are not an easy food to clean, as they are so delicate and tend to take on any flavour they come into contact with (no one likes the taste of vinegar-y berries).
Using lemon juice and baking soda that have been diluted with water is a great way to clean berries without them taking on the taste of other flavours.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
- 2 cups water
- Glass spray bottle (I advise against using plastic as the lemon juice can corrode the plastic)
To Make:
- In a glass spray bottle, mix the water, lemon juice, and baking soda together, then spray onto the berries. Make sure the berries are fully coated before leaving them to sit in the solution for 5-10 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can place the berries into a container filled with the solution and let them soak for 15 minutes.
- Once finished, rinse the berries thoroughly, then allow them dry completely before storing them in the fridge.
DIY Mushroom Scrub
To clean mushrooms thoroughly, you can gently scrub them using a mushroom brush and then rinse them quickly under running water. After that, gently dab the mushrooms dry with a clean kitchen towel.
DIY Lettuce and Leafy Greens Wash
Lettuce and greens are quite delicate, making them a challenge to wash. They’re also more likely to contain insects.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Glass spray bottle (I advise against using plastic as the salt and the lemon juice can corrode the plastic)
To Make:
- In a glass spray bottle, pour in the salt and water, and stir until dissolved. Next, add in the lemon juice and gently stir to combine.
- Spray this solution onto the greens, then let them sit for about a minute or so before moving them to the sink with diluted vinegar water.
- Let them soak for about 15 minutes, then rinse them in cold water and allow them to dry completely before storing them to the fridge.
Storing greens in mason jars with some water in the refrigerator can help keep them fresh for longer.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Do you opt for organic? Where do you source your fruits and vegetables from? Share in the comments below.
Lots of love,
Vanessa
Sources:
Wells, Katie. (Updated: July 30, 2019). DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash (& Preserver). Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/28/fruit-vegetable-wash/
Calton, Jayson, PhD, Calton, Mira, CN. (2015). The Micronutrient Miracle. Rodale Inc. 733 Third Avenue, New York.
How To Remove Pesticides From Fruits And Vegetables. (April 24, 2015). Happy Healthy Mama. Retrieved from https://happyhealthymama.com/how-to-remove-pesticides-from-fruits-and-vegetables.html
Natural Cleaners to Get Wax Off of Fruits and Vegetables. SFGate. Retrieved from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/natural-cleaners-wax-off-fruits-vegetables-79334.html
Martinko, Katherine. (January 29, 2016). Make your own veggie and fruit wash. Tree Hugger. Retrieved from https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/make-your-own-veggie-and-fruit-wash.html
Don’t Break the Bank: The Fab 14 & Terrible 20 Safe Shopping Guide. Calton Nutrition. Retrieved from https://www.caltonnutrition.com/nsrichfood-fab-14/
Benzaken, Hilla. (October 17, 2018). 5 Super Simple Ways to Get Pesticides Off Your Produce. GoodNet. Retrieved from https://www.goodnet.org/articles/5-super-simple-ways-to-get-pesticides-off-your-produce
Honeycutt, Emily. (Updated: March 31, 2021). How to Wash Vegetables and Fruits to Remove Pesticides. Food Revolution Network. Retrieved from https://foodrevolution.org/blog/how-to-wash-vegetables-fruits/
Simple Tricks to Remove Pesticides From Fruits and Vegetables. (Updated: August 16, 2017). NDTV Food. Retrieved from https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/simple-tricks-to-remove-pesticides-from-fruits-and-vegetables-696039
Roberts, Catherine. (October 25, 2017). An Easy Way to Remove Pesticides. Consumer Reports. Retrieved from https://www.consumerreports.org/pesticides-herbicides/easy-way-to-remove-pesticides-a3616455263/
Maura. DIY Natural Fruit and Vegetable Wash Spray (3 Simple Methods). Living Well Mom. Retrieved from https://livingwellmom.com/natural-fruit-veggie-wash/
