On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:39:14 -0500, Gogarty
wrote:

In article ,
says...
On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:15:13 -0500, Gogarty
wrote:

In article ,
says...
We are going to Central America. Local fruits and vegetables may be
contaminated. What do we wash them with (e.g., 1 gal desalinated water
with 1 tbsp clorox)?


Hanz

If you read the newspapers then you know that you don't have to leave the
good old USA to get contamintaed fruits and vegetables. Always wash
regardless of source.

Half a cup of Clorox (or generic equivalent) in a gallon of water will
pretty much sterilize the outside of anything you put in it. Not only do
you get clean veggies you can also greatly extend the shelf life of
things like potatoes, onions, other root vegetables and even greens. Dunk
them, let them dry and package them. Rinse in clean water before using.


Not to question the method but are you sure that your mixing
instructions are correct - half cup in a gallon - is correct? It seems
awful strong to me.

I have used 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water for
drinking water and while I have no way to tell whether it really
killed all the bacteria I didn't get sick from it.

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)

Oh, I am willing to admit that a cup per gallon is overkill. Basically, if
you can smell the bleach in the water solution you have enough. But we are
not talking here about making water fit for drinking but making veggies fit
for eating, and preserving them. Hydrogen peroxide has been mentioned. It
will work too but you can't really smell it. And when it evaporates it
leaves no residue for continuing protection. Bleach soultion, when dried,
does leave a bacteria-killing residue on the skin of the veggies and keeps
them fresh for an astonishingly long time.


Certainly if you can smell it you have enough; in fact you have more
then you need.

Yes, I understood that you were cleaning veggies, not water, it just
seemed like a pretty rich mix. However the chlorine dissipates fairly
quickly, although I did once dose a shallow well in N. Thailand with
calcium hypochlorite I got from the base water plant and had to hire a
guy to bail the water out twice before the water could be used for
anything except bleaching clothes :-)

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)