How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables Effectively So They’re Safe to Eat (2024)

Understanding how to wash fruit and vegetables will make them safe to eat so you can reap all the benefits of these tasty, healthy foods. One way to do that is to ensure any produce you use has been washed well before peeling, cutting, eating, or cooking with it. There's nothing complicated about washing fruit or veggies. And they're good for you, so there's no excuse to skip them.

If you think about how many people handled that apple to get it from the orchard through delivery and to your store, then how many grocery store customers picked it up and set it back down (or coughed while walking by, ew!), you'll have even more motivation to learn how to wash fruit and vegetables every time you eat them, whether cut up for a healthy snack or part of a delicious dinner.

How Fruits and Vegetables Become Contaminated

Although most consumers understand that meat needs to be properly handled to prevent food-borne illnesses, some don't realize that fruits and vegetables may also cause illness if not handled and stored properly. In fact, contaminated fruits and vegetables can be the culprit in large outbreaks of food-borne illness (an issue the FDA is working to resolve). Some of the ways that fruits and vegetables can become contaminated include:

• Harmful substances present in the soil or water during the growing phase
• Poor hygiene among workers during harvest, packing, and transporting

How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables

It's incredibly simple (and no, there's no magic length of time for how to wash fruit or vegetables), but it's also simple to overlook just one element of the rinsing process that could result in eating unsafe produce.

• Start by bringing home good produce. Choose produce free of bruises, mold, or other signs of damage. If you're purchasing precut items, ensure they've been refrigerated or displayed on ice at the supermarket (and they're not past their best-by date).
• Store perishable fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator (unless it's one of the items best at room temperature) at 40°F or below until you're ready to use them. Always store precut fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator, too.
• Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after handling fresh produce.
• Wash the produce before you peel or shred it. That way, contaminants won't be transferred from your knife to the fruit or vegetable.
• Hold the fruit or vegetable under cool running tap water, gently rubbing it as you rinse it. There is no need for soap. (Mushrooms are an exception; learn about them here.)
• Use a sharp paring knife to cut away any damaged or bruised areas.
• For firm produce, such as melons and winter squash, you may prefer to use a clean vegetable brush to scrub the surface as you rinse it.
• Produce with bumpy, uneven surfaces, such as cauliflower and broccoli, should be soaked 1 to 2 minutes in cold water (with outer leaves already removed) to remove contaminants from the nooks and crannies, then rinsed again.
• Use a clean cloth or paper towel to dry the produce before using it.

How to Wash Salad Greens

Salad greens require special attention. First, discard the wilted outer leaves; then prep and wash greens as directed for each type.

• For leafy lettuces, such as green or red-tip leaf, butterhead, and romaine, as well as endive, remove and discard the root end. Separate leaves and hold them under cold running water to remove any dirt.
• For smaller greens, such as spinach and arugula, swirl them in a bowl or a clean sink filled with cold water for about 30 seconds. Remove the leaves and shake gently to let dirt and other debris fall into the water. Repeat the process if necessary. Drain in a colander.
• For iceberg lettuce, remove the core by hitting the stem end on the countertop; twist and lift out the core. (Do not use a knife to cut out the core, which can cause the lettuce to brown). Hold the head, core side up under cold running water, pulling leaves apart slightly. Invert the head and drain thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.
• For mesclun (a mixture of young, small salad greens often available in bulk at farmers markets), rinse in a colander or the basket of a salad spinner.

Other Tips for How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables

To promote safety and health, it can be tempting to go even further when cleaning produce, but remember these pointers for how to wash fruit, vegetables, and lettuce:

• Do not use soap or detergents when washing produce.
• You don't need to seek out a special produce wash to clean fruits and vegetables. Cool, clean, running tap water is fine.
• Wash all produce before using, even if you'll peel it. Any dirt and bacteria on the outside of unwashed produce can be transferred from the knife into the fruit or vegetable.

How to Wash Fruit with Baking Soda

A study at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found a combination of baking soda and water was a more effective method for how to wash fruit and remove pesticides from apple skins than water alone. Though our Test Kitchen didn't see any harm in trying the fruit wash by soaking apples 2 to 12 minutes in a solution of 1 tsp. baking soda and 2 cups water, then rinsing again, we lack the tools to measure remaining pesticides.

Vegetable and Fruit Recipes for Every Meal

Now that you know how to wash fruit and vegetables correctly, keep all your produce safe to add to berry desserts and other recipes. A simple side of Oven-Fried Veggies is a nutritious addition to a chicken or beef dinner. Have a meal ready when you walk in the door with this vegetable casserole, complete with protein-rich beans. Fresh salads, including this Summer Tomato Salad, make the most of abundant summer crops from the grocery store or your backyard. Take the opportunity to use fruits each season, whether peaches in summer or apples in the fall, to make and freeze pies to enjoy all year long.