How To Wash Vegetables And Fruits The Right Way

  references
  
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Fruit and Vegetable Safety"
    
      United States Department of Agriculture: "Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety?"
    
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings"
    
      University of Massachusetts Amherst The Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment: "Produce Wash Water Sanitizers: Chlorine and PAA"
    
      University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Help Keep your Family Healthy by Washing Fresh Produce"
    
      Environmental Protection Agency: "Selected EPA-Registered Disinfectants"
    
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration: "7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables"
    
      Colorado State University: "Guide to Washing Fresh Produce"
    




Washing produce with plain water is the recommended way, but baking soda may also be a good option.

Image Credit: KatarzynaBialasiewicz/iStock/GettyImages

Your wash water should not be more than 10 degrees colder than your produce, according to Colorado State University. That will prevent microorganisms from entering into the stem or blossom end of the produce.

Type of Produce How to Wash Leafy green vegetables Discard outer leaves and rinse under running water. Soak in cold water to loosen dirt. Blot dry or dry in spinner. Firm produce such as apples Wash under running water. Root vegetables Wash and peel or use a scrub brush. Melons Use a scrub brush and wash thoroughly under running water. Hot peppers Wash under running water and use gloves; don’t touch your eyes. Soft produce like peaches Wash under running water and pat dry with paper towel. Grapes, cherries, berries Store unwashed until ready to eat, then wash gently under running water. Mushrooms Clean with a soft brush or wipe with a wet paper towel to remove dirt. Herbs Dip and swish in a bowl of cool water, then pat dry with a paper towel.

Source: Colorado State University

Baking soda might be effective in removing some pesticides, Sorscher says. To try this at home, simply mix one teaspoon of baking soda with two cups of water and submerge your produce in the solution for two minutes or more, Consumer Reports advises. The longer you soak your fruits and veggies, the more chemicals you potentially get rid of. However, know that baking soda isn’t going to kill bacteria if used to wash produce, Rizzo says. “What it might do,” she says, “is improve surface tension of the water to rinse more effectively, but it won’t kill any microbes.”

However, know that baking soda isn’t going to kill bacteria if used to wash produce, Rizzo says. “What it might do,” she says, “is improve surface tension of the water to rinse more effectively, but it won’t kill any microbes.”

Never Wash Produce With Bleach Ingesting bleach is incredibly dangerous and could be fatal, Rizzo says. No one should be washing anything they put in their mouth with bleach, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And because many fruits and vegetables are porous, they’re prone to absorbing chemicals, according to the USDA.

Ingesting bleach is incredibly dangerous and could be fatal, Rizzo says. No one should be washing anything they put in their mouth with bleach, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And because many fruits and vegetables are porous, they’re prone to absorbing chemicals, according to the USDA.

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Fruit and Vegetable Safety"
    
      United States Department of Agriculture: "Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety?"
    
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Show Me the Science – When & How to Use Hand Sanitizer in Community Settings"
    
      University of Massachusetts Amherst The Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment: "Produce Wash Water Sanitizers: Chlorine and PAA"
    
      University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Help Keep your Family Healthy by Washing Fresh Produce"
    
      Environmental Protection Agency: "Selected EPA-Registered Disinfectants"
    
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration: "7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables"
    
      Colorado State University: "Guide to Washing Fresh Produce"