24/11/2025
How to Reduce Pesticides with Baking Soda: A Scientific Guide to Washing Fruits and Vegetables
We all want our fruits and vegetables to be as fresh and safe as possible. While choosing organic produce is a good start, it doesn't guarantee they're completely free of pesticide residue, dirt, or microorganisms from transportation to you. A proper cleaning routine at home is the best defense, especially when you don't buy organic.
Science shows that a mild alkaline solution, made with baking soda, helps break down and loosen many common pesticide residues on the surface of fruits and vegetables more effectively than pure water and bleach, allowing them to be removed by washing [1].
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Here's the simple, step-by-step method with baking soda, shown in the illustration, which combines research-proven baking soda soaking with cleaning under running water and scrubbing.
1. Rinse first: Before soaking, give the product a good rinse under cold running water, scrubbing the surface with your hands or a brush to loosen dirt and microbes.
2. Baking soda bath (Panels 3 and 4): In a large bowl or clean sink, mix 1 level tablespoon (about 10-15 g) of baking soda for every liter of water until dissolved (the study used 10 g per 1 liter of water). Submerge the products completely in the solution, if possible. Firm produce (apples, cucumbers, potatoes): Soak for 12 to 15 minutes; we usually leave them a bit longer. Gently scrub with a clean brush or your hands while soaking.
Delicate produce (berries, leafy greens): Soak for only 2 to 5 minutes and handle carefully to avoid damage.
3. Final Rinse (Panel 5): Discard the solution. Rinse each item thoroughly one last time under cold running water for at least 30 seconds and scrub the surface again. This final step is essential to physically remove any loose residue, baking soda, and remaining surface microorganisms. We also quickly run vinegar (4% concentration) over it as an extra step before the final rinse.
A Note on Bacteria and Chlorine
The baking soda method reduces chemical residue and removes many microbes, but it does not remove any residue that has penetrated the peel or the vegetable/fruit itself, nor does it sterilize the food. According to science, significant sterilization requires specific chlorine solutions (bleach) [2].
However, using bleach at home can be difficult to do correctly, affects the taste, and can leave unwanted residue if not rinsed thoroughly. For most families, a baking soda bath followed by a vigorous rinse with running water likely offers the best balance between safety and practicality. It is also proven to be the best method for reducing pesticide residue.
People with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the elderly, and very young children should exercise extra caution with raw fruits and vegetables, especially high-risk ones such as sprouts and pre-cut salads. For these groups, cooked or heat-treated vegetables are often a safer option than raw ones, as proper heat can significantly reduce the number of disease-causing bacteria.
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REFERENCES:
[1] Yang, T., et al. (2017). Effectiveness of Commercial and Homemade Washing Agents in Removing Pesticide Residues on and in Apples. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(44), 9744-9752.
[2] Gil, M. I., et al. (2009). Fresh-cut product sanitation and wash water disinfection: Problems and solutions. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 134(1-2), 37-45.
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