Kitchen Kapers: DIY Fruit & Veggie Wash
This DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash is a simple way to naturally (and inexpensively) clean your fruit and vegetables. Just one simple ingredient!
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How to Make DIY Fruit & Veggie Wash
A simple 1 ingredient cleaner!
I have been using this simple 1-ingredient cleaning method to wash my fruit and vegetables for years. It’s as easy as filling a sink with water and vinegar, then adding your fresh produce to soak. Inexpensive, easy and effective!
How do I know my fruit and vegetables are clean?
All you have to do is look at the water. It’s dirty. Brownish and with pieces of wax and debris from the produce.
After soaking, why do some of my fruits and vegetables have a white layer on them?
When you get produce from the market it’s always shiny, and the vinegar from this wash dissolves most of that shiny layer, and what you are seeing is just the remnants of that.
Will my fruits and vegetables taste like vinegar?
No. If you rinse well, there is no vinegar taste. Even in the berries.
Let’s talk about berries.
You can use this cleaning method to wash berries as well. You just can’t let them soak as long as you would apples or oranges. I will only soak mine for about 5 minutes or so. Rinse well.
Fruit and Veggie Wash Tips:
- Ratio: Basic cleaning ratio of 1 cup vinegar to 4 cups water.
- Vinegar: Use regular white household vinegar.
- Soaking: You can make this wash and soak your produce in your clean kitchen sink, or feel free to use a bucket.
- Scrubbing: Feel free to lightly scrub your produce with the vinegar/water solution after it has soaked. This will get rid of any remaining wax and dirt.
- Rinsing: Make sure to rinse your produce well after soaking in the vinegar/water solution.
- Drying: After rinsing, lay your produce out to dry on a clean tea towel.
Clean. Ready to eat fruit and vegetables.
DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash
Ingredients
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 sink filled with lukewarm water
Instructions
- Make sure your sink is very clean. Or if you wish, use a large clean bucket.
- Fill a sink halfway with lukewarm water.
- Add 1 cup of white vinegar.
- Mix.
- Add your fruit. Don't over fill your sink with fruit.
- Soak for about 10 minutes (shorter for berries - about 2 - 5 minutes).
- Rinse well.
- The Result: Clean fruit.
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Here are 10+ way to use vinegar in your home– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Would this work with herbs like cilantro?
I’ve never tried it with cilantro, but I should! I would probably just do a quick rinse (not soak).
Hope that helps?
Jo-Anna
It’s important to really dry the cilantro and I do soak it. Then after drying in my salad spinner, I wrap the roots in a damp paper towel and put into plastic bag in fridge.
I tried this today, I had about 4 red apples, 3 green apples, and 2 cucumbers. When I rinsed it all, the red apples came out with white film all over them. It was too hard to scrub, and barely came off when I scraped my fingernail across the skin. Did I do something wrong? I used warm water and about a cup of white vinegar.
No you didn’t do anything wrong! In fact that white stuff means that most of the wax & junk is off your fruit!
Jo-Anna
Oh, so maybe they need another dip. Thanks!
I tried this and all of my apples had alot of white film on them. I could not scrape it off. What is this film? Is it the wax? I let them soak for almost 30 mins.
Is it possible to use too much vinegar?
I would think so…
This also works great for washing romaine lettuce to ensure no e-coli!!! Great blog.
Okay, you said berries too? Raspberries? They are so fragile. Just use as a wash? Same with strawberries? I would love for them to last longer. I can see it working well on blueberries since they are firmer.
Raspberries are a little more tricky…I don’t wash mine in this solution only because they are so fragile, and I’d be afraid they would fall apart. I just rinse them under water. But I do wash my strawberries and blueberries in it, right before we eat them.
Jo-Anna
WEll, you just answered my second question, so thanks!!
Can you do Peaches this way?
Absolutely! I always wash my peaches with this wash!
Jo-Anna
What type of vinegar do you use? Malt? White? white or red wine vinegar? Cider?
So many choices these days? I presume white vinegar by default.
MAG
I use just plain old white vinegar – it’s cheap and works great! 😉
Jo-Anna
I just tried this… but I think I’m going to have to find a spray bottle because most of my fruits are apples, raspberries and strawberries. I did use the soak on my lemons and they look great. Thanks!
Do you know if this is a safe way to wash fruit and vegetables for rabbits?
I’m not sure… I use it to wash fruit and veg for my kids…
Maybe a dumb question but would you do this on bananas too?
I’ve never washed bananas before, but I bet this would work too. I wouldn’t soak them though, maybe just a quick wash and rinse.
Jo-Anna
I soak everything in purified water and grapefruit seed extract and bananas are fine, too.