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NON-TOXIC CLEANING 101
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FEATURED
YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS
ExPLORE
NON-TOXIC CLEANING 101
Proper washing is key to reducing pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables, and we’ve found that using a non-toxic fruit and veggie wash is the most effective. Of course, depending on the produce you’re washing—whether it’s apples, broccoli, kale, or berries—your approach will vary.
For example, firm-skinned produce like apples and potatoes can simply be sprayed with Truly Free Home Fruit & Veggie Wash, allowed to sit for one minute, and gently scrubbed with a clean brush or your hands. But smaller items, like berries, and vegetables with nooks and crannies, like broccoli, benefit from a soak.
Mom-approved move: Even if you plan to peel your produce, it still needs to be washed. The reason? When you use a sharp peeler or knife to remove the skin, the bacteri
Berries are some of the most pesticide-heavy produce you can buy. Strawberries, in particular, have topped the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list for years—and their soft, porous skin makes them especially tricky to clean.
The key with berries is a soak, not just a rinse. Here’s how to remove pesticides from strawberries and other berries.
Step 1: Place berries in a large bowl and add cool water until they’re covered.
Step 2: Add a ¼ cup of Truly Free Home Fruit & Veggie Wash per 5 cups of water and gently swirl with your hands.
Step 3: Let the berries soak for 5 minutes before draining and rinsing them under running water.
If you're using a DIY approach (more on that below), a baking soda soak works better here than vinegar, which can affect the flavor and texture of delicate berries.
Not all vegetables wash the same way. Here's how to remove pesticides from vegetables, depending on the type you’re using.
Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce): Submerge in a large bowl of cool water with your non-toxic produce wash. Swish well and let soak 5 minutes.
The large surface area of leafy vegetables actually works in your favor. One study shows that washing leafy vegetables with larger surface areas removes more pesticides compared to those with smaller surface areas.
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts): These types of vegetables need a soak to get into all the crevices. Use a bowl or plug your (clean) sink, add water, and a ¼ cup of non-toxic produce wash, and let them soak for at least 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
Firm produce (potatoes, carrots, squash): Firm-skinned produce can handle a good scrub. First, use a clean produce brush and scrub under running water. This helps remove any waxy coatings that are often added to make produce shinier, but can trap pesticides underneath. Then, generously spray your vegetables with a non-toxic produce wash. Let it sit for up to a minute, then scrub again under water using your hands or a scrub brush.
Thin-skinned produce (tomatoes, peaches, nectarines): To remove pesticides, spray with a non-toxic produce wash, let it sit for at least one minute. Rinse your produce under water while gently rubbing the outside. Avoid using a produce or scrub brush, as it can damage the delicate skin of this type of produce.
The truth about DIY washes like baking soda, vinegar, and salt water is they certainly help remove pesticides from produce, but they each have limitations. DIY methods often require longer soak times, can affect the taste or texture of delicate produce, and none of them are formulated specifically to tackle the hydrophobic (water-repelling) nature of pesticide residues.
Tap water doesn’t remove pesticide residue that well because many pesticides are hydrophobic—meaning they actively resist plain water. That's where a plant-based formula changes the equation. Truly Free Home Fruit & Veggie Wash is powered by citric acid, which breaks the bond between pesticide residues and produce surfaces, so rinsing actually carries them away.
It's also faster. Compared to DIY methods, which often require up to 15 minutes of soak time, our Fruit & Veggie Wash just takes 1 to 5 minutes to work its magic—and it’s more effective, too.
If a non-toxic fruit and veggie wash isn't available to you, these common kitchen staples can help in a pinch.
Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 cups of water. Soak your fruits and veggies for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with plain running water.
The baking soda helps break down some pesticides, making them easier to remove. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that a baking soda solution removed 80% of thiabendazole and 96% of phosmet from apple surfaces after 12 to 15 minutes, significantly outperforming plain tap water and an EPA-approved commercial bleach solution.
The catch? That level of effectiveness required a 12–15 minute soak. Most of us aren't standing at the sink that long on a Tuesday night. Still, even a few minutes is better than a quick rinse with water alone.
Mix 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts water (for example, 1 cup vinegar to 3 cups water). Soak your produce for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse well with plain water. The acetic acid in vinegar helps dissolve some pesticide residues. However, vinegar can affect the taste or texture of some fruits and vegetables, so use it carefully, especially with berries, which tend to absorb flavors quickly.
Make a saltwater solution by adding about 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of water. Add produce and let it soak for 5 to 15 minutes, followed by a thorough rinse. This works particularly well for heartier fruits and vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and apples. Just be sure to rinse well afterward to remove any lingering saltiness.
Soaking in a baking soda or vinegar solution is effective, but some studies suggest that spraying the solution directly onto produce and then rubbing the surface can remove even more pesticide residue. This method ensures the solution makes direct contact with the skin. After spraying and rubbing, rinse thoroughly under running water to remove any remaining residue.
A note on dish soap: Some people wash their produce with a small amount of dish soap. While the surfactants in dish soap can help lift residues, most experts advise against it. Dish soaps aren't formulated for food contact and can leave residues of their own behind. If pesticide removal is your goal, stick to food-safe options like baking soda, vinegar, or a plant-based produce wash.
For produce with edible skins—apples, peaches, tomatoes—peeling can remove some additional pesticide residue that washing misses. But here's the complication: some pesticides are absorbed into the plant itself, so no amount of washing or peeling will significantly reduce those residues. Peeling also means losing the fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants concentrated in the skin. So, in most cases, it’s better to wash produce well and keep the peel.
For produce you'd peel anyway, like bananas, oranges, avocados, and cantaloupe, you still need to wash the exterior before cutting. Pesticides and bacteria on the surface can travel from the skin to the flesh along the blade of your knife.
Is organic worth it? Organic produce is grown without most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, though organic farmers may use certain approved substances derived from natural sources. One study found that, on average, organic produce has significantly lower synthetic pesticide residue compared to conventionally grown fruits and vegetables.
If buying entirely organic isn't in your budget, we recommend prioritizing it for the EWG's Dirty Dozen—the 12 fruits and vegetables that consistently carry the highest pesticide loads when grown conventionally. Strawberries, spinach, peaches, apples, and grapes are all on that list.
Pesticides are so pesky because they’re engineered to stay put. And how well you’re able to remove pesticides can depend on a handful of factors, including the thickness and wax content of a produce's skin, the surface area, the specific characteristics of the pesticide, and how long the residue has been on the produce.
Some pesticides are also formulated with adjuvants, or compounds specifically designed to help pesticides stick to plant surfaces and resist rain. So they won’t rinse off when you’re washing produce under water from your faucet, either.
That’s why the type of washing method matters. Plain water provides some mechanical removal, but without a cleaning agent that helps lift residue, you're relying entirely on the physical force of running water. That force alone isn't enough for most pesticide residues. And it's no match for the ones that have bonded to a layer of wax.
The good news: a combination approach—the right produce wash, the right method for the produce type, and buying organic when it counts most—meaningfully reduces your family's exposure. If you ask us, that's worth the extra 60 seconds at the sink.
