Whether you support local farmers and growers at the neighborhood farmers market or head to your favorite community grocery store, odds are you may have some fresh produce in your weekly grocery haul.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a weekly staple in my grocery cart — and when it’s time to enjoy them, all I do is give them a quick rinse under fresh running tap water for a good 10 seconds. Maybe five if I’m feeling like a rebel that day.

That should do it, right? Well, not exactly. Wondering how to wash fruits and vegetables? Here’s one of the best ways to clean fruit and why water may not be enough to clean produce.

Why water isn’t enough

Okay, so why isn’t water enough to clean your produce? Well, according to the pros at eatCleaner, most produce is waxed to withstand the average 1,500-mile journey from its place of origin to its final destination in your kitchen.

That means over 20 sets of hands from field to fork are touching the food that goes into your mouth and body. (Umm, yuck! I hope these people are using hand sanitizer, but seriously.)

Wax seals in debris and pesticide residue, which can’t be removed with just water. Pesticide exposure has been linked to various ailments, illnesses, and diseases.

Not to mention there were 48 million (one in six people) reported cases of foodborne illness and 3,000 associated deaths last year in the U.S. alone. (Yikes!)

How to clean fruits and vegetables

You may have seen all-natural DIY solutions for how to clean your produce. (Vinegar soak in the sink, anyone?)

Save yourself the headache and time and try using eatCleaner, a line of all-natural, biodegradable food washes, sprays, and wipes proven to remove over 99 percent more pesticides, residue, and wax than water alone. (Well, color me impressed.)

How exactly does a produce cleaner work? These products are formulated to strip away wax to thoroughly cleanse residues and dirt trapped under the surface of produce. Pretty nifty, right?

The cool thing about eatCleaner specifically is that their products can also remove surface debris from poultry and seafood and effectively clean cutting and food preparation surfaces to help deter cross-contamination.

So, do eatCleaner’s produce cleaners really work? Like really work? You bet! They’ve been tested by many independent third-party labs, including the Institute for Food Safety and Health to prove their efficacy.

eatCleaner products feature a natural blend of plant-based ingredients. No alcohol or chlorine, which means your food isn’t left with a funky odor or taste.

Instead, the brand uses ingredients like:

• Citric acid, which naturally occurs in most fruit and vegetables
• Sodium citrate, a citric acid salt
• Decyl glucoside, a plant-based surfactant
• Sea salt, a natural preservative and antibacterial
• Vegetable glycerin
• Calcium ascorbate, an antioxidant that helps prolong shelf life

Plus, eatCleaner doesn’t soap up like other brands, making it super simple to rinse off with water. Another perk? Your produce will be brighter after cleansing and will last longer, ultimately saving you money.

The bottom line: Now you know why water isn’t enough to get your fruits and veggies clean — but luckily, there’s a hack for getting the job done that won’t set you back a ton of time in the kitchen. So go forth with this knowledge and clean that produce you just brought home from the grocery store!