Secret Formula to clean fruits and veggies from pesticides

Hi guys, today I want to share the formula that I use to clean fruits and veggies from pesticides and bacterias.

It always seemed to me that washing them with water alone was not enough. Especially since I continuously hear that washing our hands with water isn’t enough to remove all the viruses, bacteria, and microbes that can make us sick.

Also, because I know that all vegetables and fruits, including organic ones, contain pesticides and after doing some research, I discovered that this mixture could help remove pesticide residues.

How to clean our fruits and veggies from pesticides and bacteria residues in seven easy steps?

1- Clean carefully the place where you are going to wash your vegetables. 

The first step is cleaning my sink carefully with detergent and warm water to remove any oil or food residue.

We want to remove any dirt from the sink’s surface, so we do not contaminate our food when we are washing it.

I clean and rinse thoroughly to remove detergent traces because I definitely don’t want to have any in my food. Detergents contain chemical substances that are harmful to our health. That’s why it’s not recommended to wash your veggies and fruits with this kind of product.

2- Fill with enough water to immerse your vegetables.

Then I fill my sink with enough water to put in all my vegetables.

I don’t know about you, but I buy a lot of vegetables, and I like to wash them before putting them in the fridge.

We need to submerge our veggies in the soak, so we need to fill the sink with enough water.

I also buy some vegetables already washed and ready to eat. Mostly the green leafy ones. 

3- Add the miracle formula to clean your fruits and veggies from pesticides

When the sink has enough water to submerge all the vegetables and fruits, I add the miracle formula whose ingredients are:

• two cups of white vinegar 
•  1/3 cup of aluminum-free baking soda.

Some scientific studies show that baking soda can be very efficient at removing pesticide residues from our veggies and fruits. 

And the vinegar has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. This will help us remove any dirt and bacteria. And could even help us to get rid of bugs, in case our veggies have some.

4- Put your vegetables in the soak. Don’t mix organic with non-organic.

The next step is to place the organic vegetables and fruits inside the sink.

I don’t like mixing organic vegetables with non-organic ones. The reason is that organic vegetables also have pesticides, but they are made from natural ingredients, while non-organic pesticides are more synthetic.

We don’t want to contaminate our organic food with non-organic pesticides. That’s why I don’t mix them when washing them.

Why do I buy organic vegetables?

There are some fruits and vegetables that I especially buy organic because they are included in The dirty dozen.

If you don’t know what The Dirty Dozen is. It is a list of the twelve foods that contain the most pesticides included:

Anyway, there are others like lemons and limes, which I like to put in my green juice, with peel and everything, and that is why I also buy them organic. Since green juices are not as healthy when loaded with synthetic pesticides. That is why it is better to make them from entirely organic vegetables and fruits.

5- Let them soak for 20 to 30 minutes.

I let the vegetables and vegetables soak for 20 to 30 minutes. This way, the bicarbonate and vinegar mixture can work better.

After that time, I rinse them with plenty of water, to remove the remains of the soak and any remaining dirt.

6- Dry them.

Then I put them on a clean towel. This step helps to dry and remove as much humidity as possible before storage. And with another clean cloth, I wipe all the vegetables and fruits that have skin, such as apples, kiwis, lemons and peppers.

It is also the time when I remove any labels or stickers they may have.

7- Select the spoiled fruits & veggies and put them aside.

I also separate fruits and vegetables that are damaged. 

Sometimes without realizing it, we end up with some spoiled fruits in our shopping bag.

But it is better not to store them with the rest of the fruits since this promotes the growth of bacteria and fungi and makes them rot more quickly.

Just put them aside and use them as fast as possible if they can still be eaten.

Use the same soak to clean your non-organics fruits and veggies from pesticides.

After removing all organic vegetables, you can use the same soak to wash the non-organic ones.

This mixture is also useful for washing your non-organic fruits and vegetables, helping to eliminate pesticides in the peel and skin.

Take care quickly of the most vulnerable vegetables to bacteria.

After that, I immediately take care of the vegetables that get moldy more easily.

That specially happened to me with broccoli, and before using this method, sometimes I had to throw it all away. 

What I do is I steam part of the broccoli. 

When it cools down, I keep it in an airtight glass container.

 I storage the other part in zip-loc bags and freeze in the fridge—that way, they last longer.

And the part that I like the most is that they are ready if I want to add them to soups, curries, or smoothies.

I also save the stems because I like to use them in green juices.

If you want to know one of the most nutritious green juice recipes, click here.

I dry the rest of the vegetables very well, cut them, and keep them in airtight glass containers in the refrigerator.

That way, my vegetables last longer in better condition and are ready to eat at any time.

This process may seem a bit long and tiring, but it saves me a lot of time during the week and saves me from throwing food away and wasting it.

I hope that these tips on how to wash our fruits and vegetables will be useful to you. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

If you want to keep learning about wellness check here my blog posts related to this topic.

Have a fantastic day!