Fit Fruit And Vegetable Wash
I have to admit, I'm not the target demographic for this type of product. Jane's tried to beat it into my head that we need to wash things before we eat them, but I'm a guy, and when I want to eat something, I simply want to eat it. Washing things tends to get in the way. However, the vendor contacted us and asked us if we'd like to review Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash. Since at least 75% of what we eat is produce, Jane thought it would be worth a test run.
The website and instructions claim you'll notice a marked difference between the produce you wash with Fit and the produce you rinse off in the sink. Our experience didn't hold that to be true for most things we tried. However, as I've mentioned before, we buy almost all of our produce at our local farmers market, and most of that is organic and/or spray-free. So I'm not sure how much residue would be removed anyway. We didn't find a significant difference when washing supermarket apples however, and that was a bit disappointing. Jane is torn. We know that the skin of apples has cancer-inhibiting properties, but there is usually a significant coat of something (wax?) on the skin, so we often eat our apples peeled.
We did notice a huge improvement using Fit on our citrus peel. If you use the zest of lemons, limes or oranges in your cooking/baking, this product does a great job getting the waxy coating off the citrus rind. I tried to capture before and after images, but it's too subtle for the camera. The results are quite obvious in real life though, the rinds felt cleaner and weren't as shiny as they had been prior to washing. We also had success using fit when washing blackberries.
Fit is easy to use. You either spray, rub and wash for individual items, or add a capful to a bowl of water and soak things like berries, mixed greens, or cauliflower. Using the product, we noticed no aftertaste, no smell, no residue.
All in all, I can't say I agree with all the advertising claims made by Fit Fruit and Vegetable Wash, but I do see a place for it in our pantry.
Related Information:
I used to use store bought washes but then I switched to just the detergent or hand soap sitting by the sink. I always wash, even if I’m peeling. My husband also doesn’t wash most things, although he has this year due to the e. coli scares. If I’m using the peels, either zest or eating as in apples, I always buy organic.
Hi Julia,
I used to use soap as well, but IMO this stuff does a noticeably better job on citrus rinds. I’m not sure how much of a difference it would make on the organic varieties.
I tend not to buy organic citrus as I usually discard the rind, and don’t use that much of it when I am baking to justify the increased cost versus the amount consumed per serving. I’m already paying $1.50 for one meyers lemon at the grocery store. (Interestingly, that’s the same price as a grapefruit.) I do try to use the Environmental Working Groups list of 16 most contaminated fruits & veggies to guide me in my organic purchases.
I remember when this first came out, and I’ve used it ever since. I’ve always been afraid to use dish detergent or hand soap because I just don’t think I would want any of that residue left behind on my food. We eat a ton of fruits & veggies, but organics are just too expensive. If I can use a product like this that costs me a few dollars, I save a lot more by buying regular produce. It definitely works for us.
When that bottle is empty, fill it with this homemade wash instead. It’ll wash just as well, won’t add any plastic to the land fill, doesn’t contain any worrisome chemicals, and is a lot cheaper.
Hi Jacki,
I never thought about the residue from the soaps. Jane’s telling me she would water down the dish soap when using that to wash our produce.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for the link. Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a little lemon juice and baking soda!
I hear soapnuts can be used as a wash. You can search it on Amazon.com or Google it. I think one of the more well-known brands is ‘Maggie’s Soap nuts’ or something to that effect.
Shine on
-PurpleZoe
Hi PurpleZoe,
Thanks for sharing, it’s always good to have options!