Homemade DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash Spray

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Make your own DIY fruit and veggie wash with vinegar and essential oils to clean off dirt, wax and pesticide residue from your fresh produce! This wash is very easy to make and less expensive than store-bought produce cleaners.

DIY Fruit And Vegetable Wash

I love making DIY projects like homemade cleaners!

Whether it’s all-purpose cleaner, foaming hand soap, or essential oil air freshener, I just enjoy making my own cleaning products rather than buying them from the store.

It’s true that some homemade cleaners are a little more labor-intensive than just going out and buying something ready-made. 

But this DIY homemade fruit and veggie wash is one of the easiest DIY products to make, and it contains only three simple ingredients!

I’ve been making our own fruit and veggie spray for so many years that I can’t even remember when I started doing it. 

We started out buying a store-bought produce spray, and then I found out that it was something I could actually make myself. And I’ve been making it ever since!

Why Make Your Own DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash?

I always feel better about using cleaning products around my house when I know they have only non-toxic, all-natural ingredients. 

So many conventional cleaners contain all kinds of questionable ingredients, some of which are known to be toxic to people and pets. 

Exposing my family to toxic cleaners is something I try to avoid. And I really like that this fruit and vegetable wash is so simple to make. 

But even though it only has three non-toxic ingredients, it’s still very effective at getting your produce clean! 

And while I prefer to grow my vegetables in our home garden or eating store-bought organic foods, sometimes all I can afford at our local grocery store is conventional produce. 

One report from the Environmental Working Group found that 75% of non-organic produce is coated with pesticides, including dangerous fungicides that are known to be hormone disrupters. 

Keeping pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and bacteria such as E. coli out of my family’s food is so important to me. 

This wash isn’t guaranteed to remove every single trace of these potentially harmful substances. But I still feel better knowing that vinegar and lemon essential oil are each a natural disinfectant. 

They both have cleansing and antibacterial properties that can help get rid of the toxic residues found on produce. 

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Supplies Needed for DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash

• 16 ounce glass spray bottle
• Label maker (not required, but fun to use!)
• Funnel (optional, but makes it easier to fill the bottle—I love this mini funnel)
• Two-cup measuring cup

DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash Ingredients

The full recipe amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Water
• White vinegar
• Lemon essential oil or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

How to Make DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash

1. Add all ingredients to a glass spray bottle.
2. Shake well to mix.
3. Add a label to your spray bottle so you know what’s in it.
4. Spray produce and scrub gently. If you have time, allow produce to sit for five minutes with the 

How to Use DIY Fruit And Vegetable Wash

• Shake well before each use to thoroughly mix the ingredients. 
• To use this fruit and veggie wash, spray produce and scrub gently, then rinse the produce with cool water and dry with a paper towel or clean cloth if desired. You may need to drench or soak produce for at least 5-10 minutes if it’s extra dirty or has little bugs in it. 
• Use a vegetable scrub brush to give your produce a good scrub to help remove even more residue and wax. 
• If you have time, allow produce such as leafy greens to sit in the veggie wash for at least 5 minutes before rinsing with cold water.

Frequently Asked Questions About DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash

Can you use fresh lemon juice in place of lemon essential oil? 

Yes, you can use fresh lemon juice in place of the essential oil. Keep in mind that fresh lemon juice is more perishable so your homemade produce wash won’t keep nearly as long as it will by using essential oil. But either one will work.

Does vinegar actually kill harmful germs? 

Vinegar does have some disinfectant properties. It isn’t a super strong germ killer, but is able to destroy some harmful bacteria and fungi. While disinfectants like bleach or alcohol are more effective germ killers, the acetic acid in vinegar kills some germs and is much safer to use around the house. 

Can you use apple cider vinegar instead of regular white vinegar? 

Yes, apple cider vinegar can be used in place of plain white vinegar when making your own produce wash. I would only use regular apple cider vinegar and not the raw kind that contains live cultures. 

What kinds of produce can you use with this spray? 

You can clean any type of produce with your DIY fruit and veggie wash. We use ours to clean berries and other fruits as well as vegetables.

More DIY Cleaning Recipes

• DIY Homemade Natural All Purpose Cleaner
• DIY Toilet Spray Recipe
• How to Make Foaming Hand Soap
• DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipe
• DIY Essential Oil Air Freshener
• Lavender Linen Spray DIY Recipe

DIY Fruit And Veggie Wash