1. Out-of-season vegetables that are harvested early often require heavy pesticide use due to mismatched climate conditions. They should be washed thoroughly multiple times.
2. It is best to wash vegetables with plain water. Washing vegetables treated with fat-soluble pesticides with salt water may actually make them harder to clean.
3. Do not cut vegetables before washing to prevent nutrient loss.
4. Vegetables should generally not be eaten raw. If you must eat them raw, be sure to wash them thoroughly.
5. Blanching vegetables is better than boiling them, as some pesticides can evaporate with the steam.
6. When washing vegetables, it is best to first soak them in a basin of water, and then rinse them under running water.
7. For cabbage and Napa cabbage, remove the outermost leaves before washing the individual leaves separately.
8. For bok choy and similar greens, first cut off the roots, then wash them upright.
9. For bitter melon and small cucumbers, if you are not peeling them, you should scrub them with a soft brush.
10. Vegetables like peas, sword beans, chive blossoms, and small cucumbers have long harvesting periods. To prevent pests from damaging the immature parts, they are often heavily sprayed with pesticides and must be washed thoroughly.