Food & Drink : Food :

What's the honest-to-goodness best way to wash your produce?

03.04.2009

Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 03/04/2009 - 12:00am.
The Bite:
Use water and white vinegar - no lie. A few squirts on your fruits and veggies gets rid of the nasty stuff (like pesticide residue) that you don't want - no store-bought washes necessary. Sincerely yours, Ideal Bite.
The Benefits: 
  • Brushing bugs under the rug. A diluted vinegar rinse kills 98% of bacteria on produce - researchers found it works even better than a scrub brush.
  • Cash savings you can believe in. Water and vinegar rinses cost just pennies; the premade washes we found cost $4 and up.
  • It's a simple truth: Buying plastic bottles of produce wash means having to recycle them too (not to mention the energy and materials needed to make and ship them in the first place) - you'll still need to buy bottles of vinegar, but you'll buy fewer of them.
Personally Speaking: 
Some of us who happen to have white vinegar in our pantries actually have no idea how it got there. Now we've got a use for it…
Wanna Try: 
  • Mix water to white vinegar 3:1 in a spray bottle (if you've already got a bottle of the premade stuff, use it up and reuse the sprayer). Rinse with water after you spray. Yes, it's that easy.
 

Cocktail Fact

Rosalyn, SD, is home to the International Vinegar Museum.

Bang For The Bite

Homemade vinegar rinses: easy to make, cost almost nothin', and they avert unnecessary products - totally deserving of a solid four apples.

43 comments
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Cathy  on March 04, 2009 at 05:15 AM 1
You can also use it on Black Enamel sinks and the high gloss stainless. It removes water spots.
Anonymous  on March 04, 2009 at 05:21 AM 2
Is that 3 parts white vinegar to one part water? Not much dilution there. You should suggest buying WV in the large 1 gal / 2.5 gal jug sizes, and reusing the jugs for emergency water supply storage, or to hold sand, salt or kitty litter for use to combat icy winter conditions. BTW, some kitty litter with clay content is mildly radioactive - detectable with pager sized detectors. Same with many Granite counter tops that are installed in kitchens and bath rooms. There are many sources of natural radiation all around us, including energy emitted from the sun and radon gas seeping up through the soil. No reason to panic, just be aware, test and take some prudent precautions.
cheryl  on March 04, 2009 at 05:47 AM 3
the ratio is water to vinegar, 3 to 1
Jennifer  on March 04, 2009 at 06:00 AM 4
White vinegar is also the only way to remove the smell of pet messes, from clothes, carpet, etc. Put it straight into the washer with the soap. Removes the smell, and keeps pets from messing there again! For carpets and other stuff that can't g in the washer, equal parts on the dirty spot, let sit and soak for 10 to 15 mins, then blot up. Voila! Desmellification!
Jennifer  on March 04, 2009 at 06:00 AM 5
White vinegar is also the only way to remove the smell of pet messes, from clothes, carpet, etc. Put it straight into the washer with the soap. Removes the smell, and keeps pets from messing there again! For carpets and other stuff that can't g in the washer, equal parts on the dirty spot, let sit and soak for 10 to 15 mins, then blot up. Voila! Desmellification!
Ed Seymour  on March 04, 2009 at 06:10 AM 6
Does it seem possible that the white vinegar and water solution could serve as a substitute for the "antibacterial" stuff in hand washing. I have heard of nasty bacterial infections developed from touching shopping carts in Kerrville. I wondered if a spray of hands with vinegar solution followed by wash off with regular hand soap would do the trick. Any ideas on this? Ed Seymour
Anonymous  on March 04, 2009 at 06:17 AM 7
I use WV for all kinds of things. It is great in the washing machine. I load my clothes in, add a scoop of baking soda and then put the vinegar in for fabric softener and bleach. My clothes have been coming nice and freshly clean. Sometimes I add a drop or two of essential oil into the vinegar to give the clothes a nice smell. Placed into a spray bottle, diluted with water and a few drops of essential oil is a GREAT all purpose cleaner. I use it to clean pet and kid messes, glass, etc.
Annmarie  on March 04, 2009 at 06:32 AM 8
Just want to thank IdealBite and everyone who added a comment. I have a jug of white vinegar in the closet that I never use. I do plan on using the store bought cleaners up then switching to Vinegar for everything... thanks again
Anonymous  on March 04, 2009 at 06:47 AM 9
skip the plastic spray bottle and use a glass bowl for the rinse
Anonymous  on March 04, 2009 at 07:07 AM 10
Vinegar has so many uses it's crazy. I find this web site helpful: http://www.vinegartips.com/
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