Thanks very much to all who have commented here. Its kind of funny that I spent half of m.y original post trying to defend my little technique in terms of health concerns and no one seems to be worried about it…I absolutely wasn’t worried either because I, just like all of you, knew that bleach basically evaporates pretty quickly. Just leave some bleach in an open container for a few daysr and you’ll find it to be weakened or gone except for remaining water. But I was just sure that a lot of people would jump in to tell me I’d get cancer and kill my customers and how awful i was for using bleach on a food item. Glad I was wrong and hate that my OP was so long because I was defending attacks that never came.
@MES111 I think our strengths are almost exactly the same. I said I use 3/4 cup of bleach with 1/3 bucket of water and you use 1/2 cup in half a bucket, so if anything mine is stronger. But we are pretty close. Its amazing though…I can just watch my apples clearing up as they sit in my bleach mix.
I agree with everyone that the soap probably isn’t necessary, may leave residue, etc. I will probably stop that part after hearing the comments here.
After I posted this I read that the U.S. government (EPA) REQUIRES apples be washed in bleach (solution) for at least 2 minutes before being sold for consumption!!! REQUIRES it. Not that the EPA is perfect or always on cutting edge of food safety, but this might help those worried about health impacts of my own little bleaching process. Also proves what I already said I suspected- that I wasn’t the first person to use bleach on apples! ha (SOURCE: https://qz.com/1110960/how-to-wash-your-apples-according-to-science/#:~:text=Unless%20they’re%20organic%2C%20apples,they%20get%20sold%20to%20consumers.)
It makes sense to me that sterilizing (to a degree) apples with bleach and killing microbes, germs, etc would extend storage life. I’m not sure about @Boizeau 's assertion that it shortens storage life by removing natural waxes? Could be, but my apples always shine and look waxy after bleaching and knowing how common bleaching is commercially, and hearing the experience of others here who find it extends storage life, I just don’t know. And while I appreciate your suggestion that rinsing in plain water is better, keep in mind that the whole reason I bleach mine is to get rid of sooty blotch, fly speck, mildew, and other surface discoloration. plain tap water won’t remove those things unless you vigorously scrub each apple for several minutes, which just isn’t practical for the bushels and bushels of apples I get. And I’ve seen several articles saying plain water is very ineffective at removing pesticide residue from apples (even though that isn’t my goal with bleach). For pesticide removal studies show that baking soda is the most effective thing! (more than water or bleach or other things)
source: https://www.consumerreports.org/pesticides-herbicides/easy-way-to-remove-pesticides/
interesting stuff though. Thanks all for commenting. This bleaching thing is a brand new discovery for me and I am just really excited to have found such a simple way to dramatically improve the appearance of my apples. The before and after is just shocking and people now days want to buy perfect looking fruit even if its actually somewhat unnatural looking and doesn’t change taste. So I’m thrilled to have discovered it, even if I did learn later that it is by no means an original idea! ha
