Do You Wash Fruit?

[boxtops]

A visitor told me the other day that she'd always been told to wash fruit in hot water, to remove germs. Hot water would surely affect the fruit, I'd never heard of that before.

I never wash fruit, unless it's visibly grubby. IMO, we are far too "protected" from a few germs these days, my grandma used to say that you have to eat four pounds of dirt in your lifetime (but preferably not all at once).

What (if anything) do you do?

[Tilly2]

I know someone who used to work in a supermarket distribution warehouse.
Believe me, you should was everything!

[joggerjayne]

I give it a rinse.

Otherwise it's like eating the piddle mints in a restaurant.

Think of all the people going to the loo, not washing their hands, and then checking your fruit.

[maggiebee]

Never washed a piece of fruit in my puff. As my ma used to say "you eat a puckle dirt afore ye dee"

[DrFilth]

at my old house there was a shop on the corner and at the night time there would often be a couple of cats sat on the pavement looking at the window.

one night coming out of the chippy i saw a cat stood up on its back legs looking into the window, when i went past i then saw what they were watching

mice running all over the apples, oranges, yam and whatever else was in the display

[Sycamore3House]

I agree with boxtops we all need more germs in our bodies. I never wash fruit & veg. I only peel carrots if necessary.

[Kgrayz]

snaggs?

[Brinjal]

Living here in Africa i was in bottled water or sometimes in water with sterilizing liquid

[grasscarp]

I am probably going to regret revealing this - I have never washed any fruit. ever.

[ladybirder]

Always, worried if I didn't the pesticides would cause me to grow a moustache on my upper lip.

[grasscarp]

As a child we had an orchard, and I picked apples, pears, greengages etc straight from the trees and ate them. Didnt ever get into habit of washing anything.

[tamborine]

Only if its unpeelable. I wash all veg & pulses before cooking, dont want urea in my food.

[Old_Geezer]

I can't be bothered, and assume washing fruit is part of the process from farm to supermarket. Reading here just gives me another reason to miss out on 5 a day.

[pusskin]

We dont buy any fruit or similar while out for the day.
we buy stuff we can eat straight away and enjoy. no fear of cats pee, or traces of sh*t what we cant see lol Because you cant wash fruit while out of the house.

[Baldric]

Unless it's out of a tin, yes!

[gingejbee]

I always give my banana a good wash.

[jomifl]

It doesn't do any harm to wash off the fungicides, insecticides, bird crap, slurry overspray etc. and it might even be good for you.

[scooping]

Cold tap and worry about something of more importance.

[pusskin]

Wouldnt dream of washing bannanas. But have to wash all tomatos though.

[shaneystar2]

From the look of some of the people I see who manhandle the loose fruit and veg in the supermarket or on the market stalls then, yes, I wash all fruit and veg. They could have picking their noses before picking over the tomatoes ....yuk .

[boxtops]

These are really interesting answers, with a clear division between the washers and the wash-nots....

Yes naomi, I do, but not everyone in health is healthy - look at all the numbers of smokers who work in hospitals.... infection control in a vulnerable healthcare setting is, IMO, quite different to my domestic kitchen.

Much to my dismay, my visitor wanted to hot-water-wash a tray of fresh strawberries, which I think would have ruined them...