Natural Fruit and Vegetable Wash

This homemade fruit and vegetable wash is made with natural ingredients that is super easy to make. It will clean your fresh produce of any harmful junk that you don’t want to put in your body. 

I don’t think it’s any secret that, in my household, we like to grow our own food. Garlic, tomatoes, beets, peas, strawberries…my garden is bursting with all of their deliciousness. Even our orchard shows signs of incredible harvests in years to come.

We pour our love and energy into our little piece of earth, but even so, there are certain things that I just can’t grow in western North Carolina. Sometimes you just have to rely on your local grocery store. I don’t mind giving the produce from my garden a quick rinse before we gobble it up because I know that nothing harmful has touched it. (Unless you count slugs, because those slimy little buggers love some strawberries.) I give a little more effort to cleaning our store-bought goods, though. 

Even though we buy organic, once you consider how many hands have touched our food by the time it arrives in the fridge, a good wash is necessary. This recipe is made with simple ingredients and all natural. You know that makes this Mama happy.

Why you should wash your fruits and vegetables

Produce from the grocery store should be washed with more than just plain water to remove any dirt, bacteria, or other harmful substances like pesticides. If you are buying organic foods. pesticide residue is not as much of a concern, but I think a good wash is always a good idea. Conventional produce is sprayed with pesticides to protect the plants from pests, but the problem is that the leftover pesticide residue is harmful to our bodies. If you are curious to learn more about the pesticide residue left on our fruits and vegetables, you should check out the Dirty Dozen list. This is created by the Environmental Working Group and lists the top fruits and vegetables tested with pesticide residue. This list of the Dirty Dozen are the top produce that you should consider buying organic to reduce these harmful chemicals. 

Essential oils for disinfecting 

Most DIY fruit and veggie washes are made with just water and vinegar, and while vinegar is a powerful natural disinfectant, I like to take it up a notch by adding essential oils. Not only do they smell wonderful, they have powerful properties as well! I love to add them to my homemade cleaning products because they are safe to use, yet very powerful. Plus I love the different ways you can use them throughout your home! Find out more about which essential oils I use and why

Ingredients in this Natural Fruit and Vegetable Wash 

• Apple cider vinegar – I like to use apple cider vinegar, but you could also use white vinegar if you prefer. The acidity in vinegar helps break down dirty, and kills bacteria and pathogens. 
• Water – plain ol tap water is all you need
• Lemon essential oil – This is one of my absolute favorite essential oils! I use it all over my house for cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting. It is an ingredient I use often in my homemade cleaners as well! It has antibacterial properties that help naturally clean your fruits and veggies. 
• On Guard essential oil – This blend not only cleans your fruits and vegetables, the On Guard protective blend also gives natural support to our immune systems! On Guard is a blend of Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary essential oils.
• Glass spray bottle- Lemon oil will break down plastic so it is important to use a glass bottle to store this homemade vegetable wash. 

How to make this homemade produce wash

Combine all ingredients in the spray bottle and give it a good shake before each use. You could also pour the ingredients into a bowl to give your fruits and veggies a soak, I would suggest this more for “tougher” fruits or veggies such as apples rather than strawberries, which can break down and get soft if they soak for long. 

More natural cleaning products

I love making my own cleaning products and have many resources and recipes for you! They are all tried and true recipes that are not only safe to use, they are budget friendly and so easy to do! Here are some of my favorites:

Homemade dishwashing detergent – One of my most popular recipes, this homemade cleaner is made with non-toxic ingredients such as baking soda, citric acid, and lemon essential oil. It makes a big batch and will wash about 52 loads of dishes!

Homemade glass cleaner – This is another cleaner with vinegar as it’s base and then has lemon essential oil, or fresh lemon juice for streak free shine. It is so simple to make and will save you so much money from buying expensive glass cleaners at the store.

Homemade laundry detergent –  Only made with four ingredients, this homemade laundry detergent is so easy to make and is made without any of the harmful chemicals of fragrances found in commercial cleaners.