Those who wash fruit and veg

[Alpa2]

Recently read that some people are washing fruit in an effort to stop transmission.

Does this mean you bleach the food or wash with soap and water or wipe down with a dettol cloth?

This has amazed me... I’d feel worried eating something covered in soap like that?! Surely better to just buy fruit in a packet or leave it a couple of days?

I’ve no idea on transmission rates from hard surfaces like that but surely everyone would have it anyway if you can literally get it from a piece of fruit. My mind has been boggled!

Do people not wash fruit? Sod covid it's how it's been picked/stored handled that makes me wash it.

@MissMarpletheMurderer

We wash fruit with water always have but I think because of covid some people are washing it with soap or something.

We try and buy the fruit which is in a packet rather than loose, which is shit for the environment but will do it for the time being

I saw a girl on YouTube the other day wipe down an apple with a dettol wipe and the apple was for the baby 🤢

Always wash fruit and veg with water, and take care to remove visible mud.

Washing with soap is bad for you.

I’m all for washing hands and was a bit of a keen hand washer regardless of covid but I cannot stand hand sanitizers and over use of cleaning products, I don’t go near them. I can’t say as I would ever wash fruit with soap and often buy in packets so I suppose it doesn’t occur to me that others may have touched it.

I think hand sanitiser is important at the moment, your original views on hand sanitiser are not appropriate in covid times - for example at work we must sanitise when moving zones. I would be very annoyed if someone wouldn't because they 'can't stand' sanitiser.

Washing fruit in soap is a different issue.

All fruit and veg should be rinsed in water regardless of covid.

I don’t think I’ve ever washed a piece of fruit

With hand sanitizers I just prefer to use the traditional soap and water. I wfh though and not sure what people do in the office.

I've always washed fruit and veg. Not just because of where it may have been stored and previously handled but also because of pesticide traces.
Packaged fruit and veg usually tell you to wash it.
I wash it in cold water 0rior to eating or prepping.
Nothing to do with Covid.

I never wash it, still don't.

I soak fruit in water and vinegar for about 15 minutes, then rinse it and dry it. Veg too.

I've done this for 20 years - nothing at all to do with Covid. I used to also use potassium permanganate when I lived abroad but now just vinegar and water.

I have met people who used bleach and couldn't understand it - it seems so disgusting. I don't want to eat bleached food.

I'd also not want to eat food washing in hand soap but if they'd used unscented washing up liquid and rinsed properly is not have a problem. I've done that a couple of times with apples that were too waxy, actually, not I think about it.

I'd definitely not want to eat unwashed fruit and veg and that's nothing to do with Covid!

I only buy prewashed spinach though. That's a total nightmare to clean otherwise and there inevitably a bit of grit I miss.

"I suppose it doesn’t occur to me that others may have touched it."

I mean it didn't jump off the tree and into the delivery van and onto the supermarket shelf of its own volition

I assumed everyone washed fruit and veg. If you saw the colour of the water after the grapes I washed yesterday, you would too.

@Namechangebuttercup

I only buy prewashed spinach though. That's a total nightmare to clean otherwise and there inevitably a bit of grit I miss.

I would very rarely buy that as the chemicals they wash in are from, and would always wash it to get that off if I had to eat it.

I didn't used to until about 12 years ago I got a really severe case of e-coli having nibbled at a bag of tasty, but unwashed, organic cherry tomatoes before I got home.

I never want to go through that again - and yes, they looked very clean.

Well it’s been 40+ years and so far I’ve been ok! Though I agree with poster above about spinach

Sorry from = grim

Who knew this was a thing some people didn't know

I've rinsed all fruit and veg in water since I was old enough to prep my own snacks. Before that, DM did it for me. We do this because of traces of pesticides, fungicides and ripening hormones left behind on fruit, and traces of mud left behind on veg. The packets tell you to wash them.

I also wash fruit and veg with water and vinegar, but I did that precovid to clean and try to preserve the soft fruit for longer,
I don't however wash packages or tins etc but I have been known to wipe with a damp cloth some products, again I did this precovid but I work in food retail and see the condition that it is deemed acceptable to receive goods from and we would be filthy from unpacking the boxes/containers.

I live near a commercial orchard, they spray the fruit with all kinds of stuff all through the year, you definitely want to wash it although just a run under a tap would suffice. Even organic fruit will be sprayed with stuff you don't really want to eat - one farm I know here uses pig poo

This thread was about actually washing it with cleaning materials though

I’ve always washed fruit and veg in water. Nothing to do with covid.

Fruit and veg gets washed in vinegar before it goes in the fridge \bowl
Always done that though.
Like above I work in food retail and yeah, it's not a clean environment