How To Clean Fruits And Vegetables From Pesticides And Bacteria

Do you know how to clean fruits and vegetables properly before eating them? The fruits and vegetables we eat today, unfortunately, contain a lot of pesticides and chemicals.

Some fruits also contain waxes or polishes to make them stand out from the others. The best thing you can do is buy organic products, but if you can’t, we share some natural recipes, homemade disinfectants and different ways to properly wash your fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are essential foods in all types of healthy diet, since they have very important nutritional properties for our body. However, as consumers we must know that, before eating this type of food, we must clean it properly to eliminate traces of pesticides and bacteria that can affect our health.

Both fruits and vegetables receive a large amount of pesticides during their cultivation process, not to mention that they are also exposed to dirt and animal waste that can contain dangerous bacteria such as Escherichia coli , or  Salmonella , among others.

Hence the importance of cleaning and disinfecting them before consumption, so that it is safer to take them to our body.

Basic tips for cleaning fruits and vegetables before consuming them

• The first thing you can do to clean fruits and vegetables is to put them under running water, or in a bucket full of water to save money. This method is not 100% effective in removing pesticide residues, but it has an abrasive effect that can remove much of these toxic substances.
• Some fruits and vegetables can be cleaned with the help of a toothbrush, rubbing them gently so that residues and dirt can be completely removed.
• Another very effective trick is to remove the shell completely. Although sometimes many of the nutrients are present in the peel, we must bear in mind that this is the part that is most affected by pesticides.

Recipes to clean and disinfect fruits and vegetables

The following natural recipes are also very effective in cleaning and disinfecting fruits and vegetables, so that traces of pesticides and bacteria can be removed as much as possible.

• Sodium bicarbonate

Before using this recipe, submerge the fruits and vegetables in a bucket of water to remove any dirt. Next, take a tablespoon of baking soda and dilute it in a liter of water.

When you have this natural disinfectant ready, soak the fruits and vegetables for a few minutes and rub them well to completely eliminate the bacteria.

• Apple vinager

Apple cider vinegar is another of the natural ingredients that can help us disinfect fruits and vegetables so that they are safer to consume.

It is enough to dilute a glass of apple cider vinegar in a liter of water and wash the food with this mixture.

• Vinegar and lemon

Vinegar and lemon are two excellent allies to properly clean fruits and vegetables, since they guarantee the elimination of bacteria and those traces of pesticides that can do so much damage to the body.

To take advantage of its benefits, add the juice of a lemon in a spray container, add two tablespoons of white vinegar and, finally, fill the jar with a cup of water.

Shake the spray vigorously to mix all the ingredients well and spray your fruits and vegetables with this mixture before consuming.

• Grapefruit extract and baking soda

To make this homemade disinfectant you simply have to mix 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract with a tablespoon of baking soda, a cup of white vinegar and a cup of water.

Dilute everything very well and pour the mixture into a spray with which you will spray the fruits and vegetables before consuming them.

• Vinegar and salt

To wash and sanitize all kinds of fruits and vegetables, fill a container with water and add ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and 3 tablespoons of salt.

Dilute the ingredients well and then soak the fruits and vegetables for 20 minutes.