Is washing fruit effective in reducing exposure to pesticides? As it turns out that yes, your standard household tap water will reduce the amount of pesticide on your produce. By washing your produce you are able to rid the surface of most the residual pesticides but not the pesticides that have already been absorbed into the tissue of the plant through its roots. Short of buying organic, there are only a few things you can do to reduce pesticide residue more effectively. Washing your produce with a vegetable brush may actually backfire, because detergent residue could be added to fruits with porous outer layers.
