Natural Homemade DIY fruit and vegetable wash and spray - Simple, east, effective

Fresh produce cleaning.

Why should you clean your fresh fruits & vegetables that you buy rather organic or not? Why should you clean the ones from your own garden? Is DIY just as effective as store-bought? 

+Natural & Frugal: Raising 6 kids 

Homemade wash your fresh fruits and Vegetables - DIY recipes - Clean and Preserve

Did you know when you buy fresh produce they can have so many contaminates & toxins on them that they can be a danger if eaten? Well it is true, they for starters have chemicals & pesticides sprayed on them, many times they have an overload of bacteria & pathogens including but not limited to e-coli & salmonella. They also usually have been waxed, picked up contaminates from being handled, packaged, shipped etc not to mention dirt, grime & creepy crawlies.

Most who grow their own fruits & vegetables or buy organic think they are safe & they do not need to clean them, but in reality if you are buying Organics your produce still comes in contact with unclean surfaces, hands toxins, pesticides & who knows what else. Yes in most cases it is worth paying extra for organics but do wash them before putting them away. With a home garden you may or may not have chemical & toxic pesticides on your fruits & vegetables depending on what has been sprayed on your soil before you moved where you live, if you used certain fertilizers & pest control for your garden, if your neighbors used something that got in the air & more so yes washing before storing is again important.

Cleaning your produce actually not only is a protection for you & your family but it also can make your fresh fruits & vegetable lasting longer by staying fresher & healthy, I have had things like strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage & even ginger root last 3 times as long just from soaking them in an easy DIY solution for 20 minutes. You will also notice the fruits & vegetable that you have cleaned (soaked) do not spoil as fast & stay fresh like I said but they also are not as prone to molding.

Did you know you do not have to pay an arm & a leg for those expensive soaks & sprays they make for produce? Most have things in them anyhow that you are trying to get off your produce.  Most have a very effective ingredient for washing produce right in their kitchen cabinet, cheap, east, effective & most of all safe.

I am going to share several recipes you can decide what works best for you, to learn more about each of these items & why they are amazing for cleaning your produce click the highlighted links. What to use:  vinegar & lemon juice do the best job of getting wax of produce if you know they are waxed pick a recipe with one or both in it, Salt & baking soda are great at removing dirt, grim & bugs, Peroxide & Colloidal silver are both great powerful germ fighters & they are great preservers & mix well with most other ingredients just do not mix these 2 together in the same combo, use one or the other. All the above fight germs, bacteria, are powerhouses at getting grime & dirt & all fight mold so just find what works for you.

 Optional to add Essential oils: like homemade thieves, Lemon (or other citrus), Eucalyptus, Lavender &/or Tea tree oil can be added to any wash/soak or spray if desired & have great germ fighting power. (check out my top 6 essential oils & why here)

Vinegar: You can use whatever vinegar you prefer such as distilled white vinegar, Apple cider vinegar, citrus vinegar, coconut water vinegar or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar etc.

To wash leafy greens, lettuce, cabbage, edible leaves etc: Pull apart & separate as much as possible do the soak, add to a colander & allow to dry then store in air tight container.

Other fruits & vegetables: I just add to the soak making sure to not add to many.

There is no need to rinse off any of these soaks or sprays unless you just want to, if using right away & you added essential oils you may need to rinse but otherwise nothing in the recipes needs washed off & the smell/taste will dissipate & leaving the mixtures on the produce go a long way in continuing to protect what you will be eating.

Fresh fruit & vegetable wash/soak #1: This is the simplest most common method & probably the easiest for most to find all the ingredients fast right in their kitchen. Put the stopper in your clean sink (or use a large bowl) & start filling while water is running add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let water get just above produce making sure there is enough room to move them around if needed. let sit about 2 or 3 minutes then add a couple tbsp of salt (ordinary cheap table salt is just fine), wait a couple of minutes & give the produce a shake so that any grime, dirt or creepies fall to the bottom, let continue to soak for 15 to 30 minutes. Options: with the salt add several caps of peroxide as the instant reaction of vinegar & peroxide is the most amazing germ killer (read more here).

Fresh fruit & vegetable wash/soak #2: Do the same as number 1 but instead use lemon juice & peroxide to replace the vinegar. let soak.

Fresh fruit & vegetable wash/soak #3: This is the soak I use if there is like a lot of fresh produce recalls or a major fresh produce recall going on. To your filling water add 1/4 cup colloidal silver, you can still add the salt (or baking soda) & essential oils you can even just add the colloidal silver to recipe 1 with the vinegar if you prefer. let soak.

Fresh fruit & vegetable wash/soak #4: This is the soak I prefer for vegetables right out of our own garden, add 1/4 cup of baking soda to the water making sure to stir it in. If I feel the need I will add a tbsp or 2 of peroxide or colloidal silver (not both)

Fresh fruit & vegetable spray #1: This is the spray I use on the go & carry in my purse for if we stop at a grocery store & get fruit or vegetables to eat on the go, you can carry a spray bottle of vinegar, or colloidal silver, or mix the 2 & simply spray, let sit a minute wipe & eat. But these sprays can be used at home, by adding to a large spray bottle & are very effective. Check out my blog post here: My purse is a total mini natural health pharmacy on my shoulder.

Fresh fruit & vegetable spray #2: This is more of a at home spray that does not replace soaking but can be used as a pre wash until you can soak, or can be used to keep things fresher longer or if you see things starting to turn bad etc. in a large spar bottle combine 1 part lemon juice to 1 part water. Optional: add a pinch of baking soda for every part (lemon/water), use lemon essential oil (1 drop per part), shake & use.

Fresh fruit & vegetable spray #3: In a large spray bottle add 1 tsp baking soda for every cup of water optional: add peroxide

_______________________________________________________

Do you have a question? Do you want to contact me? It is easy to contact me with your questions. Go here

_______________________________________________________

The information on this site it intended for general inquiry, research & informational purposes only & should not be considered a substitute or replacement for trained medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
I am NOT a doctor, this page is for education & research only, & is NOT intended to be medical advice. Always consult a doctor, your health practitioner or other competent licensed health professional before taking any herbs or supplements, using alternative ideas & for any specific advice about medical treatments.
If you think you, or anyone in your home or who are under your care, are ill or in need medical treatment, please seek the needed medical treatment Any of the information contained in the pages of Natural & Frugal: Raising 6 kids blog, blog posts, site, Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest or elsewhere are for information & research only.

What Brands of coconut oil do I trust for taking & oil pulling?

That is simple I use & recommend these 2 great brands:

1. Skinny & Co. Coconut oil: Medicinal grade Extra Virgin coconut oil 100% pure. (click link for ordering info)
2. Tropical Traditions Virgin Gold Label Coconut oil. (click link for ordering info)

Facebook Pages:

• Main page: Natural & Frugal: Raising 6 kids
• Secondary blog page: Natural & Frugal raising6kids.wordpress.com Blog

You can also follow me on: Pinterest, Google+ & Twitter

- And my daughters blog - Naturally Teen Approved -

Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label how to Use Coconut Oil: There are hundreds of uses!

• Tropical Traditions video on Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil.
• Referral links: Gold Label Virgin Coconut oil, Green label Virgin coconut oil, Palm Oil, Palm shortening, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Organic Sesame oil, Coconut water Vinegar, Organic Apple cider vinegar, Balsamic vinegar Pink Himalayan salt, Organic spices.
  

  “If you order by clicking on any of my links & order from Tropical Traditions & have never ordered from them in the past, you might receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, & I will receive a discount coupon for referring you"

I do accept products to review on my blog

• My reviews policy: I am sent products to review on my blog and that all opinions are my own. (to contact me to review your product go here)

SmartKlean Laundry ball / Stain remover - Safe - Effective - Saves Money, Water & the Environment. To order a SmartKlean Laundry Ball go here & use my affiliate page.

Thank you for supporting my Facebook pages, Blog & sharing with your friends, Cheree of Natural & Frugal: Raising 6 kids

_______________________________________________________

By Natural & Frugal: Raising 6 kids