As you know, frugal cleaners are a must in our home. I love using ones that include simple ingredients that are usually found in the contents of our pantry.
We consume lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and I am thrilled to share the homemade spray wash we use to clean our produce! It is important to remove the dirt and bacteria from your produce, and plain ole’ water just won’t cut it.
Homemade Fruit and Veggie Wash
1 cup Water
1 cup Vinegar
2 Tbsp Baking Soda
Juice of 1 Lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
Mix water and vinegar in a large bowl. Add baking soda (please note that the baking soda will react to the vinegar, creating lots of bubbles!). Stir in lemon juice and add mixture to a spray bottle. Rinse fruits or veggies with water and then spray well with your homemade wash. Allow the produce to sit for a few minutes and then rinse again with water. This amount will last our family 2-3 weeks, depending on how much produce we eat.
In a pinch and have no lemons? Simply spray produce with 1 part water and 1 part vinegar.
This is so much cheaper (and greener!) than the natural spray
Now you have another easy, non-toxic, frugal wash to add to your homemade cleaning arsenal.
photo by: Guillaume Brialon
Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday
Linked to: Frugal Friday
Great idea, never thought to make this into a solution. How long does this keep? My mother taught me to use baking soda to clean fruits and veggies, I keep a shaker bottle (an old Sam’s Club sized spice bottle) by the sink.
This is something that I definately will try. Buying a product in the store, came to mind a montha ago, but the price was not ideal. Thank you for sharing. I have now shared it too.
I am new to the idea of a veggie wash. Thank you for sharing with us! I am also wondering how long it will keep in the spray bottle. I am also wondering if it effects the taste at all? I HATE the taste and smell of vinegar, so much so that it makes me sick so if it tastes or smells even a tiny bit like vinegar I would like to know. Thank you very much. 🙂
@Melissa, Melissa, as long as your rinse well after the initial wash, it should not affect the taste at all. Although since you are super sensitive, it may be different for you. I hope it works for you!
Thank-you for a good idea. I was also wondering how long the mixture will stay fresh?
Linda´s last blog post ..Boston Baked Beans
Does this need to be refrigerated? I was thinking the lemon juice might spoil. If out of lemon juice I bet grapefruit would work well too. Thanks for the tips.
The 1 part water and 1 part white vinegar works very well. I am super sensitive! Just be sure to rinse thoroughly.
Thanks for posting your recipe for an inexpensive produce wash. I’ve seen quite a few listed on line and they all contain some combination of the same ingredients you have listed. My only question is, Baking soda neutralizes acid (Vinegar and lemon) . So I’m thinking that the cleaner would not be as effective if these ingredients were used together. Any ideas on this? One recipe said to use vinegar and water (equal parts) and 1 Tablespoon of salt. I suppose lemon could be added as an option.
Love to hear some thoughts on this. Thanks again.