Ready-Made Produce Wash

Are you looking for a quick, economical and effective way to clean all your produce?

I'm confident you like to make sure that your fruits and veggies are clean before you eat them. Especially when you stop and try not to think about all the hands that have touched the produce in the grocery store! (ewwww!) Not to mention the pesticides that are on your fruits and veggies if you can't buy organic.

I used to lament the price of those expensive veggie washes and just use soap and water instead, but was never quite confident I was really disinfecting adequately. Then our chiropractor told me that his wife washed their fruits and vegetables in a 3% peroxide/water solution. Bingo! I thought I would try that.

Photo Credit

Then, I was reading that white vinegar is good for washing your fruits and vegetables as well.  In fact, if you do a part vinegar, part peroxide solution it is even more affective than either used alone! (Just don't mix them together. However, I think it's fine to spray one and then spray the other one shortly thereafter.)

I picked up a small spray bottle at the $1 store and use that as my vinegar spray. I use that if I want to quickly disinfect an apple, orange, cantalope, etc. If you want to then spray your produce with peroxide make sure the peroxide is in a dark bottle.  Otherwise, the light will break down the chemical properties of the peroxide, rendering it ineffective. I just bought a spray bottle and screwed the sprayer part onto my peroxide bottle.

According to this source, "In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mists, kills virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces."

This method is great even for taking fresh produce on vacation. Recently I did this and it worked out really well. I didn't want to wash my berries ahead of time to prevent them from going mushy so if we ate at a park along the way I just pulled out my little bottles and spritzed away. The family happily ate fresh berries! :)

That makes me feel pretty happy about my choice for disinfecting produce. And, it is much cheaper than the pre-made washes!

Do you have any tips for Natural Solutions around the home? I'd love to hear them!

Thanks so much for visiting Purposeful Homemaking. Stay connected so you don't miss a thing:

• Subscribe by Email
• Pinterest 
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Google+
  
  
  My eBooks: A Wife's Guide to Studying Proverbs, Topical Devotions for Pregnancy and Early Potty Teaching

This post may involve product that was received in exchange for a review or contain affiliate links for which I will earn compensation should you choose to make a purchase. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Thank you for your support of Purposeful Homemaking.