Vinegar Soak: 4 parts water, 1 part vinegar, doTERRA’s On Guard essential oil blend & dirty produce
Have any of you seen all of the pins on Pinterest for a vinegar and water produce soak? I’ve seen claims that it reduces up to 98% of bacteria found on produce. We try to eat organic produce as much as possible, but sometimes, it just isn’t financially feasibly. In that case, I decided it was time to take action! I created my own variation of the produce soak.Here is what you will need:
- A clean sink or large bowl (ours is 13 qts.)
- Distilled vinegar
- doTERRA’s On Guard blend
Use 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar (Some people recommend a 1:3 ratio). Add 4 drops of On Guard to the solution. Then, add your produce. I let mine soak for about 1 1/2 hours before rinsing and scrubbing. After reading up on this wash, I will likely use a spray bottle from now on and only soak vegetables (like lettuce and broccoli) and fruits (like berries) that are harder to clean with a spray bottle and scrub brush.
Produce soaking in vinegar solution
So, if any of you are wondering why you should wash your produce and why I chose the ingredients I did, here is some research:
A study performed by Cooks Illustrated found the following:
- Simply using a scrub brush removed 85% of bacteria
- Using a 1:3 vinegar to water ratio removed 98% of bacteria on produce
On Guard contains the essential oils of wild orange, clove bud, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus & rose mary. Here is some research some of these herbs’ antiseptic properties from www.pubmed.com:
- Clove & Cinnamon to control E. Coli?
- Clove bud has antimicrobial activities
- Antibacterial properties of eucalyptus
- Antimicrobial activity of rosemary against “foodborne & spoilage bacteria”
I hope that helps. Enjoy protecting your health by washing your fruits and veggies!
I’m linking up with Natural Living Mondays.
