The sanitation of fruits and vegetables you eat affects your immunity, heart, brain and whole body system. So it is quite important to wash your fresh produce thoroughly and protect your health. Many water-based soaks, sprays or rinses are capable of removing at least some surface contaminants. These solutions ensure that the fruits and veggies you eat are as safe as possible.
Here are some easiest and most cost-effective ways to remove bacteria and contaminants from the outer surface of fresh produce:
Baking soda: Fill a big bowl with two litres of warm water. Add two teaspoons of baking soda. Mix well. Soak fruits and vegetables in this solution for 10 to 15 minutes. Scrub with your hands. Rinse with plain water thoroughly. Let them air dry.
Common salt: Fill a big bowl with two litres of warm water. Add one tablespoon of common salt and dissolve it. Soak fruits and vegetables in this solution for half an hour. Scrub with a brush or hands. Rinse in running water scrubbing with hands. Let the produce air dry.
Lemon juice: Fill a big bowl or bucket with two litres of warm water. Add two big tablespoons of lemon juice in it. Mix well. Dip the produce you bought in it. Let them rest for 30 minutes. Scrub with hands. Rinse in running water thoroughly. Let them air dry.
White vinegar: Fill two litres of warm water in a big bowl. Add two tablespoons of vinegar in it. Mix well. Keep your veggies and fruits soaked in it for 30 minutes. Rinse with plain water scrubbing with your hands. Let the washed produce air dry.
Hydrogen peroxide: Mix one cup of hydrogen peroxide with two litres of water. Soak fruits and vegetables in this solution for 15 minutes. Scrub with your hands. Rinse under running water scrubbing with your hands. Let the produce air dry.
If you have to sanitise a large quantity of produce, you can fill a clean kitchen sink and make a sanitising solution in it to wash all the fruits and vegetables in one go. However, do not wash berries and leafy greens with other vegetables and fruits as they are quite delicate in nature. You can soak them in plain cold water for few minutes, then rinse thoroughly and dry.
Drying the washed produce is always important to stave off decay. Also, washing your hands for 20 seconds before and after sanitising the produce is very important to keep the contaminants from fruits and veggies at bay.
Your store-bought produce has likely been touched by many contaminated hands before it got into your kitchen. Just rinsing your produce under running water may not loosen debris, remove pesticides, dissolve common wax coating and eliminate bacteria and other pathogens that has been passed to your produce by dirty hands of other grocery shoppers. So make your own thorough wash for your fruits and vegetables before consuming them and be safe.
During coronavirus pandemic, everyone is afraid of getting infected through food. However, there is no evidence that this virus can be transmitted through fruits, vegetables and other grocery. Still it is always better to sanitise the produce we buy to prevent as much risk as we can. The safety of fresh produce and other foods is of utmost important right now. How effective these sanitising solutions are to remove coronavirus, remains speculative. Nevertheless, do your best to clean the fruits and veggies before consumption and keep you safe.