We all know about the astonishing benefits of baking soda, right? It can be used for cleaning white clothes, curing heartburn, beauty purposes, etc.
But, a recent study showed that this magical product can eliminate up to 96% pesticides from your fruit and vegetables.
A study conducted by the University of Massachusetts examined the efficiency of baking soda in cleaning the fruits.
The researchers have applied two most common pesticides phosmet and thiabendazole to organic gala apples.
Phosmet is popular insecticide while thiabendazole is a fungicide that has the ability to penetrate apple peels.
Then, the apples were washed with 3 different liquids, including tap water, 1% baking soda/water solution and a commercial bleach solution.
According to the results, submerging apples in a baking soda solution for 2 minutes eliminated more pesticides than a 2-minute soak in the bleach solution, or 2 minutes rinsing in running tap water.
The scientists need 12-15 minutes in the baking soda solution to completely eliminate the pesticides.
How to Use Baking Soda to Wash Produce
You can use baking soda to scrub pesticide residue from vegetables and fruits. As an alkaline salt, baking soda is eco-friendly and can be used as a produce wash.
To a bowl of water, add a few tablespoons of baking soda and soak your fruits and vegetables. Leave them for a few minutes then rinse with fresh cold water.
You can also shake some baking soda on produce and use a produce brush to scrub away. This technique is particularly effective for muskmelons, because their rinds have various nooks and crannies that love to accumulate dirt and microbes.