By AUDREY ENJOLI
The Reason You Shouldn't Soak Your Fruit In Water
Soaking your fruits in water may seem like the easiest way to clean them, but the cross-contamination from the grime in your sink can cause more germs and bacteria to fester.
Even in a bowl, the germs can spread from one fruit to another due to the water being stagnant and not running. A soak can also leach essential water-soluble nutrients from fruits.
Although you can’t rid your fruits of all unwanted microbes, you can eliminate the majority of the filth, be it visible or not, with cool running water in addition to a gentle rub.
Note that the porous surfaces of many fruits and veggies make them susceptible to potentially unsafe chemicals seeping in, so using soap to clean them shouldn't be an option.
You can also do without the fancy produce washes since plain tap water is equally good, if not better, at ensuring a deep clean, and it's the most effective way of washing produce.
With all that said, undesirable bacteria can grow when produce is stored whether it's already been cleaned or not, so be sure to cleanse them right before they're eaten anyway.