How to Clean Your Produce: DIY Produce Rinse
DIY Produce Rinse
We are fully into the Spring Season over here, and that means fresh fruit and veggies from the garden! Or grocery store if we are being totally honest here. In order to make sure you and your kiddos are eating healthy foods, you want to have them available as long as possible.
I used to simply rinse my produce off under the tap until I saw a video about how much gunk is left sitting on fruits and veggies. I have been using my DIY produce rinse for a few years now, and I’m never going back!
This DIY Produce Rinse is so simple, you can almost do it in your sleep! I use my DIY produce rinse on pretty much all of my fruits and veggies that don’t come with a peel 😉
Before Washing
Before washing, be sure to remove any fruits or veggies that have begun to rot or soften past the point of use. If you leave them with the good produce, it can quickly spread and before you know it, your whole container has gone bad!
To avoid that, I use my DIY produce rinse to keep everything as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
You can check out my weekly cleaning schedule for tips on keeping your fridge cleaned on a regular basis.
DIY Produce Rinse
It truly is so simple. You will need a colander and a bowl that the colander will fit inside. I have this nifty set of bowls that nest together. You can find a similar set here. Put your produce of choice in the bowl and add water until the produce is just about covered.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to your bowl. You should see the water start to fizz a little once the baking soda and vinegar interact. This is perfectly normal. Mix your rinse around, making sure all pieces of produce have been submerged. If you are rinsing something on a vine, like grapes, the motion can help to free the fruit from the vine. Let sit for 5 minutes. I like to mix the rinse around again and let sit for an additional 5 minutes.
When you strain the water, what is left behind can be dirt, pollen, small leaves or seeds, and sometimes fiber. You can see in the photos below that grapes are pretty filthy before they are washed! There is something very satisfying about seeing how clean they get.
Once strained, I spray the produce down and give it a small toss in the colander to make sure no residue is being left behind. I dump the produce out on a dishcloth and pat dry.
Fruit
I like to wash fruit the day I bring it home from the store, or at the very latest the next day. If I put it off, I am more likely to find it has started to rot. By cleaning it immediately, we are more likely to eat it all.
I like to store freshly washed fruit in glass containers in the fridge. I usually put down a paper towel to collect any water that was missed when patting dry. These will last anywhere from 4-9 days in my experience.
If it is a room temperature fruit, such as apples, I simply put them in a fruit bowl on the counter after washing. Check out my post on saving money on groceries to get the most bang for your buck!
Vegetables
If I am cooking something like green beans later that day, I will go ahead and wash those veggies along with my fruits when I get home from the store.That way, they are ready and waiting when I cook dinner. Root vegetables, like sweet potatoes or regular potatoes stay unwashed until I am ready to use them.
For something that has to be peeled, like carrots, I wash about half of the bag, and then save the rest to do later in the week. If it needs to be chopped, like broccoli or peppers, I go ahead and rinse it immediately, but hold off on chopping until it is time to cook it.
After using my diy produce rinse, I make sure to store the vegetables in clean containers in the fridge until I am ready to use them. I go shopping weekly. This means the longest that anything is in the fridge before being cooked is 5-6 days. I use this le Creuset pan to slow roast my broccoli, and I kid you not, it is my toddler’s favorite way to eat a vegetable!
Produce that Rinses Well
- Berries
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Plums
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Green Beans
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Hard Leaf Greens like Kale or Romaine Lettuce
Produce that Does Not Rinse Well
- Soft Leaf Greens like Spinach or Arugula*
- ‘Furry’ fruits, like Kiwi
*In my experience, greens tend to wilt very quickly once rinsed, so I do not suggest washing and storing them using this rinse.
This DIY produce rinse is a game-changer in my opinion. My fruit tastes fresh and feels clean to the touch. You can tell from the photos above how much gunk was sitting on them before rinsing!
If you’ve read this far, I’m so thankful! As a thank you, check out my FREE Meal Plan printable below! It comes with it’s own space for your grocery list as well!
Have you tried a DIY produce rinse before? If so, how did it go? Let me know in the comments below if you use this rinse!
Disclaimer: You know your family and body best. Please do your own research and use discretion when trying new methods involving ingesting anything new.
