I love making our own cleaning products and we have been making our own veggie wash for several years now. It’s always a good idea to wash your produce, whether you grow your own vegetables in your garden or purchase them from the farmer’s market or grocery store. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recommends washing produce thoroughly under running water (both produce grown at home or purchased) and they do not recommend using store bought produce cleaners. (You can read about their recommendations here.) The most basic produce cleaner is white vinegar (1:3 one part vinegar to three parts water in a bowl for a soak) which we use sometimes. I love also using this recipe that has a little extra cleaning power. This is what I use to clean conventional produce that we purchase (we grow organically in our garden without pesticides so I usually just do a rinse for those) and it is so easy to make with just a few non-toxic ingredients. This recipe uses citrus essential oils, which are known to remove pesticide residue. I recommend using a food-grade essential oil and always making sure that you completely thoroughly before consuming your produce.

Materials:

– 2 cups distilled water
– 3/4 tsp liquid castile soap (this one is commonly available. For a package-free option, look for a refill station local to you that carries bulk castile soap and have your own glass jars filled!
– 5 drops food grade lemon essential oil
– 16oz glass spray bottle
– funnel

Instructions for Making Homemade Produce Wash

How to Make Veggie Wash:

Pour distilled water, liquid castle soap and lemon essential oil into a glass bottle using a funnel. Shake well to combine. The recipe above will fill a 16oz spray bottle. If you are using a larger or smaller bottle, this recipe can easily be doubled or cut in half. I keep our mixture stored in the spray bottle next to our kitchen sink!

How to Use Veggie Wash:

Shake well before using. Spray your fruits and vegetables liberally and let sit for a few minutes in a bowl or colander. Use a brush to scrub tougher skinned produce such as potatoes and citrus. Rinse thoroughly under cool water before using. For soft-skinned produce such as lettuce and tomatoes I also like to add an extra step of letting everything soak in a bowl filled with water for a few minutes (after the initial spray and sit) before rinsing thoroughly.