So spinoff from the grapes topic.

How fussy are you about washing your fruit and vegetables?


I must say I rarely wash anything. The only time I was is when there is an obvious something on it.

Anyone know any good reasons for or against washing fruit and veg?

I wash my fruit and veg, even if its a quick rinse under the tap. We also wash the top of cans of drink - you never know where they have been

I always wash my fruit and vege - unless im peeling it

Nup, not something I think of unless I can san see with my naked eye that it needs a wash. In 34 years I can't say this has caused me an issue

I wash my fruit and vege. The only ones I can't be bothers washing is the very inside of a cabbage or lettuce - its so hard to get the water off them once washed.

Oh, and big fruit like watermelon and rock melon - I don't wash them...

I very rarely used to, however I now do after a storey on 60 minutes I think it was about a brain disease that you can get from snails, even the slime left from them, found a fact sheet on it from NSW health -> factsheet.

Also I don't know if it is still true but I was told by a woolies employee a long time ago that they don't spray their veges and fruit with straight water, they spray it with something that makes them last longer. Who knows if they still use it, or if others use it so to be safe I wash for that as well.

I've always washed anything that is to be eaten raw. Considering I can see a layer of chemical residue on most fruit bought at supermarket, to me it is madness not to.

I'm extra vigilent when I'm pregnant due to the listeria risk as well.

I've had one gastro type illness as an adult and I attribute this partly to being careful with food preparation (washing fruit, using different chopping boards, washing hands in the kitchen etc.).

Nope I rarely wash them. If I can see dirt or a bug or something then I do, but normally just put them in the bowl or fridge when I get home and eat them as is.

Unless it is peelable - I wash it all (fruit and veg).

As Gretch said..... god only knows what pesticides, sprays or chemicals have been used to produce them or keep them lasting longer on the shelf.

Not to mention the many people who have probably handled them before they get to my dinner table.

This is me too! I sometimes even wash before I peel as I figure my hands may rub the chemicals etc and then touch the peeled bit!

Things I don't wash are pumpkins, melons and bananas! Pretty much everything else gets a good wash.

I wash everything, at least a quick rinse. That said, I don't really eat fruit, so washing it isn't exactly taking stacks of my time!

Everything gets washed here, we are in a remote mining/aboriginal town and alot of bugs go around very easily so its just a habit now to wash everything to reduce chances of getting sick.

Nutrimetics sell a product that you can use to wash you fruit and vegies - the difference between an unwashed grape and washed one is quite different.

We once had a special fruit and veg wash (not Nutrimetics) but it left a sticky (organic) residue on the fruit! It had to be swirled around a lot in warm water first and was a bit of a pain to use.

I wash everything, even if it needs to be peeled. Bugs don't worry me in the slightest, but there are untold germs and chemicals on foods so I'd like to wash off as much as possible.

No, I lied - I don't wash mushrooms, but I will wipe them with a damp cloth.

You can catch quite a few nasty bugs from unwashed fruit and veg. Mainly bacterial like e coli (common cause of gastro/food poisoning). One of the more nasty ones though is toxoplasmosis which is more harmful during pregnancy as it can cause birth defects.

I wash everything including carrots, potatoes etc as I worry I might transfer germs from the peel while I am peeling it. I am slightly paranoid though

Yes, I wash everything, including skinned fruit. And I take great pleasure in having wet lettuce as it drives DH mad!

I remember there were all those deaths of elderly people in a home from eating rockmelon. The skin wasn't washed, but as the knife cut through the skin to the flesh, the bacteria was passed on.

Wash everything except bananas, pretty much

For reasons mentioned above by others - other people touching etc, chemicals sprayed on them.

Fruit and veg that gets peeled or cut also gets washed, but depends on the fruit/veg as to whether it gets washed before or after (potatoes/carrots get washed after peeling, fruits like watermelon get washed before cutting).


Wet lettuce is fixed by a salad spinner

I was everything that doesn't have a hard peel (like banana, mandarin, melons etc.) at the time I bring all the groceries home. Lay it all out on some towels to dry and then put away. Even punnets of blueberries etc., everything just goes in the sink.



Like PP just said, lettuce whiz!!! $5 at Big W.



I'm just lazy and often don't peel them...

Was it Triguard? We have this but i dont use it for washing fruit etc.

We wash everything, and often use one of those green scourer thingys especially on apples to try and get the wax off. Also use it on carrots as I have stopped bothering to peel them. I dont even peel potatoes half the time now.

I know I know... I have one but I don't need it for salad (don't care about moisture on leaves for salad). I need to get rid of moisture for making finer cut leaes for things like dumplings. Need to wash and then air dry for hours! No time or patience.

Heck I'm lazy. But I'll try to be good next time

No, the one we had was specially created for fruit and vegetables.

I thought everyone washed fruit and veg. I am shocked that some people don't, to be honest.

Needless to say, yes, I wash fruit and veg very well. The thought of not washing it turns my stomach. Bugs, dirt, chemicals, and other people's germs and unwashed hands...ew!

I don't wash bananas and citrus fruit that I'm going to peel.

Isn't it funny, these are the one's I wash the most! I hate gritty lettuce.

I always used to, but since being with DH I don't. He grew up on a farm and his family used to grow all different types of produce and they don't bother washing most of the produce except for obviously dirty stuff. I really don't think a quick rinse under the tap is going to get rid of chemicals, nor is it going to get rid of germs. If you do a proper wash with some kind of soap (like someone mentioned) then I could see the point, but just a bit of water seems pointless to me. When you go to the toilet to you just quickly run your hands under the tap or do you always use soap?

I always use soap after the toilet!

exactly my point! So why do people think that a quick rinse under the sink is going to get rid of germs off fruit and veg?

I wash everything unless I'm going to peel it.

I know when I select my fruit and veg I pick up heaps of them while I'm selecting them and put them back (firmness, hidden black spots, smell) so I assume other people do the same and I don't want to eat something that other people's hands have touched.

Plus all the sprays etc that are on supermarket fresh produce can't be good for you. During summer I go to the famers markets, but still wash everything because they've been pulled out of the ground and gone straight to market so are dirty generally.

So...in the longest possible way of saying it yes I do.

I use soap after the toilet!

I don't use soap to wash f&v, I use a cloth to wash the skins of stuff like apple and nectarines. I don't wash every grape and blueberry individually of course but in that case, a quick rinse under the tap is still better than nothing at all.

I must be super tired today because I am feeling judged for washing fruit and vegetables!

no, not at all! I was getting the impression that it was silly of ME because I don't wash. I was just pointing out that I don't understand how just rinsing them under the water is going to get rid of germs or sprays that have been sitting on the produce for a long time. I'm happy to be pointed to data that indicates otherwise. But there's certainly no harm done in rinsing if that's what you're happy to do

I very rarely wash F & V. I probably should when I'm giving them to Ethan but I just don't think about it.

I wash everything except mushrooms, which I just use some damp paper towel to wipe over. If I'm peeling something then I won't usually wash it.

There is often a chance that anything grown on the ground could have residdual manures and related bacteria on it, so washing is a good idea.

In the case of rockmelons - the peel doesn't actually protect you. We have had a some big Salmonella outbreaks associated with the bacteria being in the bumps of the rind. When people (or the shops) cut the rockmelon in half to display/sell/store they are inoculating the surface of the fruit with bacteria..

I saw this clip which made me think of this thread.

Does anyone use a soap to wash their fruit and veg? I use hot water so hopefully we're killing any nasties, but I wonder if a special soap would be better?

I always wash mine. I work in a Supermarket and I see how much its handled by customers and it grosses me out, lol

Work In supermaket and wash my fruit for the same reason plus I watched today tonight a couple years back when they tested bacteria find on fruit & vegetables e coli and many other nasty one were find even human poo yuk