# Does rinsing fruits and vegetables really do anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337 "2020-08-05T14:54:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/1 "2020-08-05T14:54:37Z")
I always rinse celery because I can usually see some dirt on the stalks. However, I’m wondering if rinsing other fruits and vegetables really does anything. If dirt is not visible, I assume that some rinsing has already been done in the store or before it arrives there. And if pesticides are used on fruits and vegetables, I would think that there must be some water resistance to them if they are to be effective; otherwise they would wash off in the rain or irrigation. If that is so, what good does any rinsing do? So, without going to expensive organic produce, do I need to rinse my stuff, or is it just a waste of time? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/2 "2020-08-05T15:01:34Z")
Anything that grows near the ground needs to be rinsed. Even washed with soap, for melons, squash, and the like. Organic produce needs rinsed or washed as well. Organic does not mean pesticide-free. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/3 "2020-08-05T15:04:40Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > If dirt is not visible, I assume that some rinsing has already been done in the store or before it arrives there. To address just this: as a former Safeway employee who worked produce a good portion of that time: we never really washed anything at the store. The stuff in the cooled area got spritzed with water every hour or so, and the lettuce we would dump into a big cold water bath in the morning to crisp it up if it was starting to get limp, but “cleaning” was never the goal, it was just about making it saleable and getting it out the door. Generally I’d say it’s a good idea to rinse off your produce when you get home, simply because you have no idea what’s happened to that thing before it was yours, and trust me, supermarkets are disgusting places no matter how clean they may appear. ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/4 "2020-08-05T15:31:35Z")
Rinsing all plant produce is definitely better than nothing, but in order to get rid most of any pesticide residues a 10% salt solution is even better. [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBBkPJTIT3Q). Might not be a problem if you buy fruits and vegetables that don’t use pesticides. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/5 "2020-08-05T15:33:06Z")
It’s a wonder I’m alive. Other than mushrooms, I don’t recall every rinsing, let alone washing, a fruit or vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/6 "2020-08-05T15:40:39Z")
Whole fruits and vegetables are considered so healthy that even without washing you should probably still eat them, not to say washing them isn’t good advice. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/7 "2020-08-05T15:49:22Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Generally I’d say it’s a good idea to rinse off your produce when you get home, simply because you have no idea what’s happened to that thing before it was yours, and trust me, supermarkets are disgusting places no matter how clean they may appear. Anecdote time: I stopped at a grocery store one morning to pick up some apples for breakfast. It was pretty early in the morning and some cleaning was still going on. Some of the produce bins had mats in front of them, the kind that are soft rubber with holes in them. The folks cleaning the floors had taken the rubber mats and draped them over the produce, to get them out of the way while they cleaned. I called the store manager later in the day to complain, but I’m sure they still do it. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/8 "2020-08-05T16:24:41Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > So, without going to expensive organic produce, do I need to rinse my stuff, or is it just a waste of time? You should rinse the veggies. Some veggies (like carrots) even have labels telling you to do so. At a lot of agricultural places, water used for irrigation gets contaminated by cattle farms runoff water thereby introducing bacteria like e-coli. This is the predominant cause for the frequent lettuce Recalls. You should rinse organic produce too. Farmers usually use a surfactant (soap) with insecticides and fungicides so that it can penetrate better by removing the natural oils on leaf surfaces. So washing may not help with that. ---
**Author:** ![songsearch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@songsearch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/songsearch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/9 "2020-08-05T16:43:56Z")
Yes. Washes off pecticides and e coli bacteria. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/10 "2020-08-05T16:55:51Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > It’s a wonder I’m alive. Other than mushrooms, I don’t recall every rinsing, let alone washing, a fruit or vegetable Same here, plus I eat raw eggs, beef, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/11 "2020-08-05T17:00:48Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > It’s a wonder I’m alive. Other than mushrooms, I don’t recall every rinsing, let alone washing, a fruit or vegetable. > [@kayaker](#): > > Same here, plus I eat raw eggs, beef, etc. Hearty congratulations to both of you. Everyone else should thoroughly rinse (using your fingers to scrub, at the very least) their produce. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/12 "2020-08-05T17:07:51Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Hearty congratulations to both of you. > > Everyone else should thoroughly rinse (using your fingers to scrub, at the very least) their produce . I didn’t mean to discourage washing/rinsing. I agree it’s the better practice. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/13 "2020-08-05T17:13:23Z")
In the Chemical Industry, we often come across reasoning like this : 1. My dad never wore a seat belt and he did just fine. 2. Growing up our house had no GFCIs and we did fine 3. I’ve never worn eye protection when working with power tools and nothing ever happened. … Risk is a product of likelihood x impact. When the likelihood is extremely low but the impact is extremely high, humans are not good at intuiting the risk. So the chance of getting e-coli from unwashed veggies is extremely low but the impact, if you do get it, Is very high. The risk is simply mitigated by washing your veggies but if you like to accept the risk, then it surely is your choice. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/14 "2020-08-05T18:13:09Z")
Melons and other fruits and vegetables with skins get washed with common dish soap using the same guideline we are all now familiar with (about 20-25 seconds) and then rinsed, even if the skin is not going to be eaten. I figure the knife will drag whatever is on the surface into the edible part. Leafy vegetables get rinsed but without the soap since it may not get completely soap-free. The packaged lettuce presents a question since they usually say they are “ready to eat”, so they may get a rinse anyway. Grapes get a rinse, again I do not want to bit into a spot of soap on them. Yes, I figure it is a good idea to either rinse or wash with soap any fruits and vegetables, and fresh herbs for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/15 "2020-08-05T20:21:29Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I didn’t mean to discourage washing/rinsing. I agree it’s the better practice. Ah, sorry. I thought you fell into the “I never wore a seatbelt!” camp that @am77494 referenced above. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![deRanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@deRanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deRanger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/16 "2020-08-05T20:32:06Z")
Is it possible that very slight but repeated exposures to e coli builds a resistance to infection? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/17 "2020-08-05T21:07:51Z")
Produce is [by far the biggest cause of food borne illness in the US](https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/attribution/attribution-1998-2008.html) (lower deaths than meat/poultry, but not by a lot. Yes, you should rinse your produce if you’re not going to cook it. > [@deRanger](#): > > Is it possible that very slight but repeated exposures to e coli builds a resistance to infection? Possible. But pathogen load is an argument _for_ rinsing produce, not against. Because it’s not like rinsing your produce is going to eliminate E. coli. It’s going to reduce it some, hopefully below the level where your immune system can handle it. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/18 "2020-08-05T22:36:56Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Organic does not mean pesticide-free. It should… In the UK at least, [quote] _Organic food is the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides; growth regulators and livestock feed additives.__Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products produced from or by GMOs are generally prohibited by organic legislation._ _Organic agriculture is a systems approach to production that is working towards environmentally, socially and economically sustainable production. Instead, the agricultural systems rely on crop rotation, animal and plant manures, some hand weeding and biological pest control’._[/quote] Probably the greatest risk comes from food handled by people with low hygiene standards ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/19 "2020-08-05T23:20:28Z")
Last weekend I picked three pounds of wild blackberries growing in our front yard. I was simply going to put them in a bowl for people to chomp on. After all, we don’t use any pesticides or other sprays in our yard. But my daughter insisted on soaking them in water first. Good thing, because a handful tiny white worms floated to the top. She stirred the blackberries around until there were no more worms, scooped them away, and then drained. Not the worms are inedible. But why eat worms when you don’t have to? Good call on her part. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337/20 "2020-08-05T23:36:50Z")
“No man-made pesticides or fertilizers” is not the same thing as “no pesticides or fertilizers”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rinsing-fruits-and-vegetables-really-do-anything/917337.md?page=2)