Fruit & Veggie Wash

We're all friends here, right?  So I guess I can admit just how stupid and lazy I am.  That should make you come back for more information tomorrow!
Cleaning one's fruit and vegetables properly.  I know it's important.  But I admit, until very recently, I used warm water and elbow grease and that was it.  As in, I ran the individual item under warm water and rubbed it clean with my fingers.  Some of you are gasping in horror.  The rest of you are wondering what the problem is. 
I have read in more than once place that one should delay washing produce until you're ready to eat it because getting it wet promotes mildew and the food will go bad more quickly.  Now I'm a bit mortified.
I've started doing some research and blog hopping to get some insight on clean-eating and to find easy fixes that I might miss otherwise and what I've seen has made me change my ways.  Evidently, if you properly wash your fresh produce immediately, it will last longer.  Some of the chemicals and pesticides on food are meant to promote quick ripening.  Faster from seed to store, faster money.  It makes sense, then, that these items would continue to ripen over quick on the counter top if the chemicals are not removed.
And the affect of those chemicals sitting on that food for longer?  Greater concentration in the fruit or vegetable when we finally do eat it.
I'm sure I don't need to list the potential effects of pesticides and chemicals on our bodies over time and if that's something you want to know more about, it's at your fingertips through the Internet.  I'm just here to share my dirty little secret and how I've fixed it.
I was concerned about how clean my fruit was when I started infusing it into my water.  I don't know why that was my wake up call but I suddenly envisioned residual crud leaching from the fruit into the water.  Like that's different than just flat out eating it?  Anyway...
I now clean my produce immediately.  And I'm both grossed out and pleased at the change in the feel of the fruit after I've done my due diligence.  Ditto the scum in the sink.  My fruit and vegetables are now literally squeaky clean! 
P.S. this system will not work with lettuce.  You will need to clean lettuce by scrubbing and using a salad spinner or it will get soggy and gross before you can use it.

Fruit & Vegetable Wash

Ingredients

• Water
• White or apple cider vinegar
• Baking soda

Method

• Fill clean sink or big bowl with water, mix in about one cup of vinegar and one tablespoon baking soda. 
• Place produce into sink, don't overfill.  Leave room between the items and be sure the water covers everything.
• Soak for 10 minutes
• Scrub with brush or clean cloth
• Rinse
• Dry on counter top before putting items away. 

Tips

• Change water between each batch.
• Use shorter soak time for soft berries, drain into colander.
• How do you know it worked?  The texture of the produce will become literally squeaky clean instead of tacky or waxy and you'll see the reside in the sink. 
• Do this immediately when you get home from the market and you'll be good to go for the week. 

The Mr. has occasionally had a little bit of tickling in his throat after eating fresh produce that he felt was some kind of allergic reaction but he could never pin down what the item was. It was never the same thing twice.  Sometimes a salad in a restaurant, sometimes an apple at work, sometimes strawberries at home.  Since I started this process he has not had this reaction with anything he eats from home. 

As I said, I'm mortified, horrified and grossed out that I didn't catch on to this a long time ago but if there's anybody out there in the same naive position, now you know too.