Should You Wash Fresh Produce With Anything Other Than Water?

During a time when hand-washing is paramount, people have begun to wonder how best to wash their fresh fruits and veggies. Experts agree that there is no reason to overthink cleaning your produce: Water is the only thing you should use.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a video has been circulating about using soap and water, but since its release (and millions of views) the video has been updated to tell viewers they should only be using water.

"Cold, running water is the best way to wash your fresh produce," says New York-based dietitian Natalie Rizzo, RD.

"Water is considered enough by food and safety experts," says Sarah Sorscher, deputy director of regulatory affairs for Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

It's also important to understand that there is no reason to believe that COVID-19 is foodborne, Sorscher says.

Before you wash your produce, wash your ​hands​ first for 20 seconds with warm water and soap. Then, gently rub your produce while holding under plain running water. Finally, dry your produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce any bacteria or other substances that may have been on the surface, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Be careful to avoid water splashing back onto [your food] from the sides of the sink, which can be contaminated with bacteria," Sorscher says. "You can prevent this by soaking or rinsing the produce in a separate bowl."

Washing your produce with water should be standard practice. But before you even touch your food, it's important to wash your hands with soap and water first. That way you'll get rid of any disease-causing germs.

The FDA recommends following this stepped procedure when washing produce:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
2. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas
3. Rinse produce before you peel it
4. Gently rub produce while holding it under running water
5. Scrub tough exteriors with a brush
6. Dry produce with a clean paper towel to get rid of lingering bacteria
7. Remove the outermost leaves on a head of lettuce or cabbage
8. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds once more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing the peels even if you don't plan on eating them because if a piece of fruit or vegetable does have germs on it, they can seep through to the skin when you cut it.

It's also important to cut away damaged or bruised areas before eating because that's where disease-causing bacteria could live, according to the CDC and the USDA.

For foods with rough exteriors, like potatoes or beets, Rizzo recommends using a scrub brush with water.

While scrubbing your hands with soap and water is one of the best ways to keep your hands clean and free of illness-causing pathogens, you should not wash anything you eat with soap.

"If consumed, they can make you ill," says Tamika Sims, PhD, director of food technology communications for the International Food Information Council. "These compounds were not designed to be ingested or be introduced to foods."

Sorscher points out that even if you're rinsing produce with soap on it, there could be residue, which can be harmful.

The USDA says soaps and detergents are "not approved or labeled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for use on foods," and "you could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on produce."

While you could wash produce with diluted vinegar, which may be more effective at reducing bacteria, it's not necessary, Sorscher says. And vinegar isn't included on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of certified disinfectants.

Like vinegar, lemon juice can alter the taste of your produce if used for washing, Sims says. While some older, small studies have suggested they can remove E.coli and Salmonella, plain water can do the trick.

"If you choose to [wash with lemon juice], the produce should still be rinsed with running water to be thoroughly cleaned," Sims says.

Given that a quick search on Amazon shows produce-cleaning products are pretty much entirely sold out, you may find it hard to believe that they're not effective.

"There's no evidence to support what they claim to do," Rizzo says. What's more is these washes haven't been vetted by the FDA, Sorscher says.

"Companies that sell produce washes aren't required to prove they are safe and effective," she says. "The little research that has been done on these washes generally shows they are no better than distilled water at removing microbes. Some are actually worse."

Sanitizer should only be used to "wash" your hands if soap and water — which is the best way to clean your hands, according to the CDC — are unavailable.

Sorscher says that while the food industry might use approved sanitizers in its wash water — called "produce wash water sanitizers" — it's never been recommended for consumers at home.

Plus, these sanitizers are different from hand sanitizers: Produce wash water sanitizers are either chlorine- or peroxyacetic acid-based, while hand sanitizers are alcohol-based, according to the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.