Heather Kew, RMT 
Recently a friend of mine asked me if I knew of a good fruit and veggie cleaner. I had to be honest, I had never used one before so I couldn’t recommend one. I started researching how to make a DYI Fruit and Veggie cleaner at home while also researching why should you clean your fruits and veggies. Needless to say, I am now thoroughly grossed out by what is commonly found on produce.
Its not like I didn’t know that you should wash your produce or that I had never heard of it, I guess I had not realized the importance of it. Pesticides, dirt, mold, wax, and germs are all things that can be found on your produce no matter where you get it from. While organic produce should not have pesticides, it can still have contamination from being handled. I also learned today that there is a list that is released every year by the Environmental Working Group called the “Dirty Dozen” – and it’s a list of produce that has been tested for pesticides and then they report the top 12 items that test the highest for pesticides. For 2020 the top 12 are:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
It’s a good idea to wash all your produce – but especially these items. I also found out that a bonus of washing your produce is that it helps your produce last longer – especially berries! Because you are killing and washing away any mold that may be on the surface of your produce, they should stay fresh longer. Something that I also discovered today, is to make sure to not let the soak stay on your produce for more than 30 seconds as it may flavor your produce like vinegar if left on longer.
The Recipe
Ingredients
60 ml – Lemon Juice
125 ml – Apple Cider Vinegar
125 ml – Distilled water
Essential Oils
15 drops – doTERRA OnGuard
15 drops – Lemon
Directions
This recipe should be stored in a dark colored glass spray bottle as citrus essential oils are known to break down plastic.
- Measure the ingredients and essential oils into a glass spray bottle.
- Screw the spray top onto the bottle and gently shake the ingredients together.
To use: gently give the spray a shake and spray produce until completely coated. Scrub hard skinned produce and let soft produce sit for 30 seconds then rinse with cool water and pat dry before putting produce into storage. Store your Fruit and Veggie cleaner in the fridge.
Note: If you prefer letting your veggies soak instead of spraying them. Fill your sink or a bin with cool water, add in the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, essential oils and 125 ml of baking soda. Let soak for 30 seconds then rinse. This is especially good for items that need a little more cleaning power such as potatoes or grapes.
