I use dishwasher liquid.

dcarch

Dishwasher? Cascade or something like that?

I use bath and body works anti-bacterial gentle foaming hand soap and rinse really well. Works for me, I keep it by the sink to wash hands anyway so it's handy.

Red

There are several suggestions in the link I posted and I'm sure you could find others if you Google "homemade FIT substitute for washing produce". The one I liked from the linked article was 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added to a cup of water and put in a spray bottle (maybe in your finished FIT bottle). Someone else suggested just sprinkling the fruit and veggies with baking soda and washing. Another suggestion was to soak in half vinegar and half water - that would be more expensive than the baking soda-lemon version.

Let us you if you try anything that you feel is effective.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Fruit and Veggie wash

I should be a little more clear:

I use dishwasher detergent (like Cascade) because it is used in a dishwasher for your eating utensils. When I use it, I do it very quickly with plenty of rinsing. I donÂt soak the veggies or fruits for a long time.

There are reports which do not recommend this method. I like the fact that dishwasher detergent is a very powerful cleaner which is approved for cleaning your food items.

There are reports that commercial veggie cleaner cleans no better than plain water.

I am not recommending everyone to use my method.

Mostly some people use vinegar and may be peroxide, but these only remove germs and not chemicals.

dcarch

I apologize, but I am starting way behind everyone else.

What are the Dirty Dozen? What is dirty about them?

Vegetables and fruits that have a lot of pesticides. Here's a link that gives you the list:

Here is a link that might be useful: Dirty Dozen

Lets not forget any pesticides applied to wheat grains used for flours, beans, or sugars, anything in your pantry. You can only buy so much organic or even grow all of that as your own. Coffee and teas as well.

Eh, shrug, I do the best I can, buying organic when it's available.

I went to the link that lsr2002 posted (thank you). I went with a soak of 2 tbs. baking soda, 1 tbs. lemon juice to 1 cup water. I picked all of the grapes off of the vine and let them soak for a couple minutes, swooshed them around and then rinsed well. The grapes do not have that sticky film on them anymore, so I think that solution will work for me. I don't know how much pesticide is removed and I don't know how much is leached into the fruit from the ground in the first place, but I do feel better about eating them. I also cleaned 6 pints of blueberries. Wish me luck; I am not much of a baker and I am now going to attempt blueberry pie and the glazed lemon rum loaf (with the addition of blueberries) from from Thibeault's Table. I think I'm okay with the lemon loaf, but I gotta tell ya, the pie crust scares the heck out of me. lol.

I doubt that you're actually getting rid of any pesticide residue by washing the fruit in anything, even water. If you read the actual story, the Environmental Working Group is worried about fruits that absorb the pesticide chemicals, but does not take into account the residue tolerance levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Nor does it pay attention to the actual levels of residues in the various foods which, overwhelmingly, are well within those tolerance levels. The EWG report forthrightly states that its report "is not built on a complex assessment of pesticide risks."

The "sticky film" on grapes has nothing to do with pesticides. Washing then in an expensive solution isn't going to do anything that washing with water won't do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pesticide Residues in Food 2008

I wash what needs washing, but I just use weak dish soap and a sponge. I figure, if it's safe enough for me to use on my dishes, it's fine for my produce. I'm more concerned about bacteria than pesticides though, and I don't really spend much time worrying about either. Jeepers, most of the vegetables are sprayed with water so often in the produce section that they are just about washed already.

Our bodies have a very good filtering system. If you eat a good, balanced diet to provide it the tools it needs, drink plenty of water with which it can flush you out, and get a reasonable amount of exercise to help the system pump, you're doing your part of the job.

Unless, of course, you have some sort of physical problem that impairs your system, I don't think any heroic measures (or expensive cleaners) are necessary to clean produce. :D

By the way, slightly OT, but one thing that should be washed that many people do not, is melons. We don't think to wash them, because we don't eat the rind. But, a health inspector I used to deal with at the restaurant told me that melons are far more often a culprit in food poisoning than many of the other foods we always suspect. This is because the rind can harbor bacteria (it has greater exposure than other fruits, as it sits on the ground) that gets pushed into the fruit when we cut it. And melons, because they taste as good room temp as cold are often laid out in slices on a tray, to sit and breed those bacteria. Cantaloupes are particularly problematical because of the puckered rinds.

"Posted by rachelellen ------- Our bodies have a very good filtering system. If you eat a good, balanced diet to provide it the tools it needs, drink plenty of water with which it can flush you out, and get a reasonable amount of exercise to help the system pump, you're doing your part of the job. ---"

I am in total agreement with you. Many areas where people who do not care much about organic foods and who live in somewhat polluted environments have the longest life span.

Our system is designed to produce the weakest children and the nastiest germs.

dcarch

The ingredients list on the "FIt" bottle makes me wonder. It contains two acids (oleic acid and citric acid) and two bases (potassium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate). Are two acids better than one? Are two bases better than one?

But wait. Elementary chemistry says the acids react with the bases to form other compounds. That may serve a purpose here but I don't know what it would be. Depending on the proportions of acids and bases in the formulation, the end result may be acidic or basic. It can't be both. BTW, there are two alcohols (glycerol and ethyl alcohol). Could it be that the multiplicity of ingredient is for the purpose of impressing (or confusing) the purchaser?

The Fit product has a lot in common with glass cleaners and other household cleaners. There are many recipes on the Internet for homemade Windex. These are made with water and alcohol and usually have some ammonia, detergent or both.

If I wanted to use a product like Fit, I would be inclined to make a homemade version. I would simplify it and use only substances that would not affect flavor if traces were left on the food. For me that would be 1/2 C. vodka with water to make up a quart of solution. I don't like the idea of using soaps or detergents on food, but the previous posts tell me that is not an issue for some, so they might like to add a few drops of unscented liquid detergent.

I don't see a reason for anything more complicated than that. Remember, water is a very good and useful cleaning agent in itself. Water is referred to as the universal solvent.

Jim

I just wash it all down with as much wine, beer or other booze as may be available and as is socially acceptable, given the situation.

Works for me. I still have most of my teeth and all of my faculties. And I'm old, I remember when it was OK to have a lawn, fog your yard and eat a steak three times larger than anything else on the table. Had to shake the milk to mix it up and it came in a horse drawn wagon.

Why I remember hearing the fog truck coming down the road and my mother rushing around and opening all the doors and windows to allow the DDT to seep into the house, killing the house mosquitoes.

The good old days.

I like what Metaxa does. LOL!

Good old tap water is good enough for me. The idea of washing fruits and vegetables with any kind of soap makes me cringe.

Ann

Good old tap water is all I use too, with a brush for root vegetables like beets, carrots or potatoes if I'm eating them with the peels on.

The USDA/FDA says plain water is good enough too:

"Some consumers are using mild detergents and soap to clean their produce. Neither the USDA nor FDA recommends washing fruits and vegetables in anything but cold, drinkable water. Dish soaps have not been approved as a food cleaning items and a soapy residue left on the
produce can cause diarrhea. They can also change the flavor of your produce."

They also suggest the following:

"The following steps will limit the amount of residues and bacteria on your produce.

To help remove exterior bacteria, rinse all produce under running tap water. Don"t fill your sink with water and let produce soak there.

Produce such as melons, cucumbers, winter squash, citrus fruit and potatoes should be scrubbed with a brush. Potatoes and melons have grooves which mean your hands can't rub off all the dirt, then when you cut into
them, any dirt from the outside is transferred to the inside.

Bananas need to be rinsed off as well. Imagine how many hands touch the fruit before it gets to your mouth. Your hands could transfer the bacteria on the unwashed
peel to the inside flesh.

Experts at the FDA recommend removing the outer layer of leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage before thoroughly
rinsing the leaves in water. They recommend rinsing until you can't see any visible dirt. Lettuce can be spun dry in a vegetable dryer. If you are saving your lettuce and cabbage for later consumption, dry off the leaves before refrigerating them to prevent the growth of bacteria.

$Bunched fruit like blueberries or grapes need to be rinsed under running water in a colander. A spray nozzle is easiest to use here.

Use hot, soapy water to clean your utensils and cutting boards after preparing each food item."

Now, I think that the government is usually a bit over the top with food safety, so if they say plain running water from the tap is good enough, it's more than good enough for me.

Annie

Tap water for me also.

I use a drop of dish soap, lots of water and my hands.
It's a feel good thingie, I don't really think it does much but it makes dh happy to see me wash fruits and veggies.

For Metaxa, from the perennials forum. This made me laugh!:

* Posted by grinder12000 4 now 5 I guess (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 21, 10 at 7:10

When I was a kid they used to have a truck that would drive around fogging DDT. All of us kids would run behind the DDT fogger - it was great fun.

No ill effects so far in 57 years and my 3rd arm comes in handy!

I have an elderly, Japanese woman friend who told me that when she was a kid in a poor farming village, they used to regularly spray the kids heads with DDT at school to rid them of lice.

I don't know her exact age, but she's somewhere in her middle to late 70's and still working 6 days a week at the family Nursery, hauling bags of steer manure and planting mix around. No extra arms, either. :D

"Posted by annie1992 -------The USDA/FDA -----They also suggest the following: Bananas need to be rinsed off as well. Imagine how many hands touch the fruit before it gets to your mouth. Your hands could transfer the bacteria on the unwashed
peel to the inside flesh.-----"

I will refuse to believe in any advice from anyone who advises me to wash bananas because they have been touched by other hands.
Do you wash your coins? Iron your money to sanitize them when you come home from shopping?
Dry each leaf of your lettuce before refrigerating? Ridiculous!
I have been to banana plantations and banana processing plants in Costa Rica. I am telling you, they are very clean.

dcarch

No, I don't wash coins or money, although I know they are very dirty, but I also don't put them into my mouth, it's not an equal comparison to something I eat.

My lettuce doesn't get washed until I'm ready to use it, it lasts longer if it goes from the garden to the fridge and doesn't get washed until then. I do dry the leaves in my brand new salad spinner, a big OXO that I got at Goodwill for $2.99, the same time I bought Makayla her $8 bread machine.

Bananas I don't eat at all, they are mushy and disgusting. Well, I will eat one if it's very green, very firm, sliced very thin and covered in Hershey's syrup, but that's the only way.

Since I think most of the government safety guidelines are way past what it necessary, I figure if they say tap water is good enough, it most certainly is. If there was any chance, even the most miniscule, that tap water wasn't enough, there'd be warnings everywhere.

That does depend, though, on whether or not your tap water is safe to drink.

Annie

Thanks, Annie. I was afraid to respond to this thread, or just say, "well, I guess I'm gonna die" because I only use water on my produce. I DO wash melons, tho.

Whew, I was worried that I was the only one. But I do like Jim's recommendation of 1/2 cup of vodka. As long as I don't have to waste it on the produce, tho....

Sushipup, drink 1/2 cup of vodka and you won't care what's on the produce. The vodka would probably kill any germs you ingested anyway. :-)

I'm relatively careful in my kitchen and even more careful when canning, but I don't toss outdated milk if it isn't sour and I don't replaced my canned goods yearly, and I eat my eggs runny and my beef very, very rare. I guess I'm just asking for trouble...

Annie

water here too. Apples right off the tree in orchards, and, sometimes we eat grapes and cherries right out of the bag on the way home from the store.

jo

I'm one of those 'water' people too.
I believe some exposure is good. Otherwise you never develop immunities! Sheesh.
I'm not above wiping a fresh carrot on my pant leg and consuming it right there in the garden, no water, no soap, nada.
I haven't needed a sick day in I don't know how many years.
Probably pushing 10-12. And, no, I don't believe I have some super immune system. My husband is rarely sick and neither are my biological or step-kids.

That said, I am fortunate enough to be able to grow much of what we eat. Most of the rest is purchased from known, local sources. Not true for everyone. But I buy bananas and I don't wash them. I also don't touch the flesh after opening. Not because I'm overly careful, because that's just the way I eat my banana!

I've got bigger things to worry about.

Deanna

I wash with water, too. While I am concerned about pesticides, I am kind of grossed out by all the people who have handled and sniffed my fruits before I buy them, from the pickers in the field to the picky people (I am one of them) in the grocery aisles who handle each and every item in the bins!

I used to run behind the foggers, too, and Dad sprayed the house inside and out with more DDT. I swam in Lake Michigan every day before the EPA was invented. Now that I've had kidney cancer at age 57, I wonder always what gave it to me. Something did - I wasn't born with it. I think those of us who escape cancer are darned lucky, given all that our bodies are asked to filter out nowadays. Good old fashioned dirt from 150 years ago was surely better for us than the chemical soups we eat and breathe these days.

Sherry