I didn't know that (IDKT) .... hydrogen peroxide and vinegar were great products useful for removing pesticides, micro organisms, fungi, dust and bacteria from fruits and vegetables. Both products are also excellent for use in sanitizing counter tops and wooden cutting surfaces as well. These products are natural and inexpensive and are not toxic to our environment. The procedure I found, was developed by Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her disinfecting procedure uses white vinegar (or cider vinegar) and 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.
• Put the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide into individual dark-colored spray bottles. Do not mix them in the same bottle**. They must be kept separate.
• Spray your produce or work surface thoroughly first with vinegar, followed by hydrogen peroxide or vice versa.
• Let it set for a bit and then rinse the produce under running water or wipe the treated surface with a clean wet cloth.
It doesn’t matter if you spray the vinegar first or second, as long as they are sprayed one after the other. Once the produce is rinsed, you won’t have any lingering taste of vinegar or peroxide and neither is toxic so there is no need to worry if a little residual is left behind. Ms. Sumner found that the paired sprays work exceptionally well at killing E. coli bacteria, Salmonella and Shigella on heavily contaminated food and surfaces, provided they were used together. These products, when used one right after the other, were actually more effective at killing these lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaning product.
** It is important to note that hydrogen peroxide and vinegar should never be mixed together in one container. This combination creates peracetic acid which is a caustic chemical with entirely different properties, which in this case are harmful. Peracetic acid has entirely different characteristics and would not produce the same results that hydrogen peroxide and vinegar produce when used individually in the fashion explained above.
I personally use food grade hydrogen peroxide. For more details on this procedure or to purchase 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide, contact donna@avoiceforchange.com.
For further information on Dr. Sumner's original research work, reference her articles that appeared in the scientific news journal, "Science News," published on August 29, 1996, and August 8, 1998.
Now you know (NYK)! Pass it along and be A VOICE FOR CHANGE.
Namaste (I bow to you), Donna
