The Best Fruit and Veggie Wash

Fruit and Veggie Wash: A Buying Guide

Produce washes are an easy way to clean your vegetables and fruits without using brushes or soaking them in water. They are also composed of safe ingredients, usually made from food. Here’s what you need to know when buying vegetable wash.

The Importance of Fruit and Veggie Washes

Vegetable wash is used to clean produce. It gets rid of any dirt or particles attached to the surface, as well as most pesticide residue and wax.

The Different Types of Fruit and Veggie Washes

Liquid-based

Liquid-based vegetable washes usually come in spray bottles. These washes are applied directly to the surface of the fruit or vegetable. They can also be used for soaking produce, which achieves the same result. However, this may be inefficient and a waste of wash, which is why these products are often applied directly rather than used as an ingredient for soaking.

Powder-based

While liquid-based washes are great for a quick cleaning, powder-based washes are best for soaking. The powder is combined with water, resulting in a mixture that works like a liquid-based wash. For this reason, powder-based washes are often used to soak a large number of fruits and vegetables at a time. You can even fill an empty spray bottle with the mixture if you prefer direct application.

Tips for Using Fruit and Veggie Wash

Spray bottles are your friend

Vegetable washes are in spray bottles for a reason; only one or two sprays per fruit or vegetable are necessary for cleaning. Let the wash settle for a bit before rinsing with water so the cleaner can dissolve the dirt and pesticides.

Don’t put too much powder

When using powder, it’s important to use the right amount. Too much can make the mixture overly concentrated, and too little will result in insufficient cleaning. Be sure to follow the instructions as provided by the product manufacturer to ensure that you get good results.

How to Use Fruit and Veggie Washes

How often should you use a vegetable wash? You could use it for every meal, but that might not be the most time- or cost-efficient. Here are a few guidelines for when to use a wash. As safe handling of produce can reduce the risk of contamination, it is always recommended to clean vegetables before consumption.

First, let’s talk about fruits and vegetables. In general, fruits are cleaner than vegetables. There are many reasons, but one of the biggest is that many fruits hang safely on trees or stalks, whereas vegetables are closer to the ground, making them more prone to accumulating dust and dirt. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is generally the rule.

And even among vegetables, some are “cleaner” than others. For example, corn is a common vegetable that’s subject to all sorts of pesticides and insecticides to keep it safe from critters. This makes it more likely to contain residue from pesticides.

Finally, there’s the actual marketplace to consider. Some markets follow strict sanitary procedures to ensure that all products sold are in keeping with their standards. This results in generally cleaner fruits and vegetables. Other markets, however, aren’t so strict. You can expect some of these fruits and vegetables to be a little dirtier than the ones you find at, say, a supermarket.

So how do you know what to wash and what not to wash? It’s simple: Create a hierarchy of food to wash, from highest to lowest priority. The highest priority should be root-crop vegetables that are sold in less sanitary markets. The moment those veggies come out of the bag, they should be washed. You can then work your way down the list, with fruit being less of a necessity to wash, and so on. Of course, if you spot a bit of dirt on your fruit or vegetable, giving it a thorough washing won’t hurt.