Natural DIY cleaners for yoga mats and produce

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On January 17, health and fitness website FitSugar offered a few do-it-yourself solutions for keeping your gym or yoga mat clean and funk-free, and your fresh produce rinsed clean of pesticides, dirt, and bacteria.

For gym or yoga mats, keep a small spray bottle of essential oil-infused water in your gym bag, and spritz immediately after use. Tea tree oil and lavender oils are recommended because of their antibacterial, antifungal, and tension-relieving properties. Tea tree oil is also useful to treat poison ivy and acne, and lavender oil is said to promote relaxation. To make your solution: fill a small clean spray bottle with distilled or spring water and add one or two drops of essential oil.

For nonorganic fruit and vegetables, celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, known as Dr. Oz, a New York cardiac surgeon and author, offers the following simple recipe. Spray this solution on your produce, especially more delicate ones such as berries, let it sit for five minutes, then rinse.

Dr. Oz's Produce Cleaning Solution

• 1 cup (240 mL) water
  
• 1 cup (240 mL) white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 lemon

Another option is to use vinegar and water, reports FitSugar. However, pesticides can still penetrate through the pores of even thick-skinned fruits, such as oranges, experts say. According to the US-based Environmental Working Group, some of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables are peaches, apples, celery, strawberries, spinach, and pears. Some of the least contaminated produce includes onions, avocados, asparagus, kiwi fruit, and mango. For the complete list, visit: http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214.

For more, visit FitSugar. 

For a video on washing produce: http://www.ehow.com/video_4397743_does-washing-produce-eliminate-pesticides.html