Does soaking fruits and veggies in vinegar water clean them?

The problem with fruits and vegetables is, among other things, residual petroleum-based chemicals on the surface. You really don’t want these in your system. Another thing to think about is the lack of, or rudimentary toilet facilities available to fruit and vegetable pickers in the field. I’ve yet to see a port-a-potty with facilities for handwashing. I don’t think vinegar will have an effect upon the petroleum-based chemicals, and it will have questionable effect on the various germs trapped in the oils of workers hands, which can include E. coli. Then there is further handling from field to store.

I know for a fact that passively soaking these edibles in vinegar water will not remove organo-phosphates, a family of chemicals designed to destroy the central nervous systems of agricultural pests, which builds up over time to toxic levels in the fat of mammals.The use of these chemicals is being discouraged in the States, but is still being used on produce imported from other countries.

What is needed is luke-warm water, soap to cut the oils, and light agitation – much like handwashing. Simply wash the fruits and vegetables in warm, soapy water and rinse well when you bring them into the house. I wouldn’t trust passive soaking to do the job at all.

When my mom lived in Indonesia, where the water quality is horrible and rife with E.Coli and other bacteria, she would rinse all the fruits and vegetables in a diluted bleach mix, just a bit stronger than the level for purifying drinking water. And then she would rinse that off with purified bottled water.

Or, you could buy organic.

Jack Bishop, editor of “Cook’s Illustrated,” performed a similar experiment, and found that vinegar killed approximately 98 percent of bacteria on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fortunately, you can drastically reduce your exposure to pesticides and bacteria found on produce with a thorough vinegar and water wash. Experts found that a white vinegar and water wash kills 98% of bacteria and removes pesticides.

Cleaning produce with vinegar helps kill bacteria to ensure your fruits and vegetables are safe for consumption.

However, if your looking for a green and cost-effective way to clean up that produce, our favorite way is to give the produce a bath in white vinegar and water. Research suggests that this simple trick can remove pesticides and kill up to 98% of bacteria.

The last link is for a simple vinegar/water bath, and most directly responds to the question.

Yes, vinegar works. I use a cup in a gallon of water and let the fruits and veggies float around in it.

I don’t know if the average home kitchen is aware enough of the pH needed to effectively use vinegar to kill bacteria, but when applied correctly, the chemistry would work. You do have to know how much acetic acid is in your vinegar and you have to know how to make the solution strong enough. Putting a tablespoon of 5% acetic acid vinegar in a sink full of fruit isn’t enough. The outcome is only going to be as good as your solution, if you will pardon the pun.

Bleach works because it is a base (as opposed to the acid that vinegar is) and you don’t generally have to use as much because it is generally supplied in higher concentrations. When I was a camp counsellor, we used a tepid, weak bleach solution to wash the dishes. No soap and no hot water. It felt very strange, but knowing what I know now about organisms and pathogens, it makes sense.

Yes, soaking vegetables in vinegar and water will kill bacteria but you will need quite a lot of vinegar for it to be effective – about 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water – so much that the vegetables will probably start tasting of vinegar. Washing vegetables under clean running water has been shown to be just as effective

That would be a GA if only for the pun, @cazzie. But the rest was good, too.

The weak chlorine solution would be my recommended go-to. After all, it’s already in most industrialized nations’ tap water – in low concentration, obviously – for exactly that reason.

In addition, it’s also used in many restaurant and other food service applications as part of the required three-sink washing system for dinnerware.