A grocery trip can feel like you’re doing something good for yourself. You fill your cart with apples, berries, leafy greens, carrots, and other colorful produce, then bring everything home with plans for healthier meals.
There’s one small step that can be easy to skip: washing it.
Fresh produce passes through a lot of hands before it reaches your kitchen. It can also pick up soil, bacteria, pesticide residues, insects, and other unwanted material during growing, harvesting, packing, and transportation. Washing your fruits and vegetables won’t remove every possible contaminant, but it can reduce many of the things you don’t want to eat.
Here are 13 things that may be sitting on your produce before it reaches the sink.
Pesticide Residues
Farmers use pesticides to protect crops from insects, weeds, fungi, and other problems. Small amounts can remain on produce after harvesting.
The Environmental Working Group tracks pesticide residues found on commonly eaten fruits and vegetables. Apples, strawberries, spinach, and other produce can have detectable residues.
Washing produce under running water can remove some surface residues, though it won’t remove everything. Give firm fruits and vegetables a good rinse and gently rub their surfaces with your hands.
Related: 13 Surprising Vegetables That Thrive Without Soil
E. coli and Salmonella
Fresh produce can pick up bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella during growing, harvesting, processing, transportation, or handling. Leafy greens have been involved in several foodborne illness outbreaks.
A thorough rinse under cool running water can remove some bacteria and dirt from the surface. For leafy greens, separate the leaves and rinse them individually before drying them.
Washing doesn’t make contaminated produce completely safe, but it is still a useful food-safety step.
Dirt and Sand
Some fruits and vegetables come straight from soil, so a little dirt shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Carrots, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, and other crops can carry tiny particles of soil even after they’re harvested and packaged. Those particles can also contain microorganisms.
A good rinse removes the grit and leaves you with produce that’s much more pleasant to eat. Nobody wants to bite into a salad and hear that unmistakable crunch of sand.
Related: 12 Vegetables That Are Great for Vertical Gardening
Wax Coatings
That glossy apple at the grocery store may have more than a natural shine. Some fruits and vegetables receive a food-grade wax coating after harvest to help reduce moisture loss and maintain appearance.
Food-grade wax isn’t automatically harmful, but dirt and other material can still sit on the surface. Rinsing and rubbing the produce under running water can help clean the outside.
For firm produce, a clean produce brush can help with stubborn residue.
Residues From Post-Harvest Treatments
Produce can receive treatments after harvest to help maintain quality during storage and transportation. Some fruits may also be treated in ways that affect ripening.
These treatments aren’t necessarily dangerous when approved for food use, but washing produce before eating it can remove some material from the surface.
It’s an easy habit that takes little time, especially if you’re about to eat the produce raw.
Related: 12 Tried-and-True Ways to Keep Chipmunks Out of the Garden
Parasites
Certain parasites can make their way onto fresh produce. Cyclospora, for example, has been associated with outbreaks involving fresh fruits and vegetables.
The NIH has examined foodborne parasites and the role of produce washing in reducing contamination.
Berries can be tricky because their delicate surfaces make them harder to clean. Rinse them gently under running water shortly before eating rather than leaving them sitting wet in the refrigerator.
Mold Spores
Mold can start developing on fruits and vegetables before you notice anything is wrong. Soft produce such as berries, peaches, and tomatoes can be particularly prone to spoilage.
Washing doesn’t make moldy produce safe to eat, so visibly moldy soft fruits should be discarded. For fresh produce that looks healthy, rinsing and drying it can help remove surface dirt and reduce excess moisture that may contribute to faster spoilage.
One tip: don’t wash everything the moment you get home if you aren’t planning to eat it soon. Extra moisture can make some produce spoil faster. Wash what you’re ready to use, then dry it well.
Cross-Contamination in the Kitchen
Unwashed produce can also spread germs around your kitchen.
For example, if you put an unwashed cucumber on a cutting board and then use the same board for bread or cheese, anything on the cucumber’s surface can be transferred to the board.
A study from Kansas State University looked at common food-safety mistakes in home kitchens, including cross-contamination.
Keeping produce and ready-to-eat foods separate, washing your hands, and cleaning cutting boards between foods can all help reduce this risk.
Tiny Insects
A few tiny bugs can hitch a ride home with your produce.
Leafy greens, fresh herbs, broccoli, and other vegetables can occasionally contain aphids, thrips, mites, or other small insects. They aren’t usually something you need to panic about, but finding one crawling across your salad isn’t exactly appetizing.
Rinse leafy vegetables and herbs under running water, separating the leaves so water can reach more of the surface.
Residue From Harvesting and Transportation
Produce doesn’t go straight from the field to your kitchen. It can pass through harvesting equipment, bins, packing facilities, trucks, and grocery displays along the way.
Most food-contact equipment is subject to sanitation requirements, but produce can still pick up dirt and other material during handling and transportation.
A good rinse helps remove surface debris before you eat it.
Human Handling
Think about how many people may have touched the produce before you bought it.
Someone picks up an apple, examines it, and puts it back. Another shopper does the same thing with a tomato. Workers handle produce during stocking and transportation, too.
That doesn’t mean every piece of fruit is covered in harmful bacteria. It does mean washing produce before eating it is a sensible habit, especially for foods you’re going to eat raw.
Natural Toxins
Washing your produce won’t remove every food-related hazard. Some risks come from the food itself.
Potatoes are a good example. Green potatoes can contain higher levels of glycoalkaloids, including solanine. These compounds can cause unpleasant symptoms if consumed in large amounts.
If a potato has extensive green areas, sprouts, or a bitter taste, don’t assume washing will fix the problem. Discard questionable potatoes rather than trying to scrub away the green portions.
Fertilizer and Soil Residues
Produce can come into contact with fertilizers and soil during growing and harvesting. Most of this material isn’t something you’ll notice, but traces can remain on the outside of fruits and vegetables.
Running water can remove dirt and some surface residue. For produce with firm skins, rubbing or gently scrubbing the surface can help.
Make Washing Produce a Habit
Washing fruits and vegetables doesn’t need to turn into a complicated kitchen chore. Put the produce under clean running water, rub firm surfaces with your hands, and use a clean produce brush for items with tougher skins.
Don’t use soap, bleach, or household cleaners on food. They aren’t made for washing produce and can leave behind chemicals that you don’t want to consume.
After washing, dry produce with a clean towel or let it air-dry before storing or eating it. A few extra minutes at the sink can help remove dirt, some surface bacteria, and other unwanted material before your fruits and vegetables make it onto your plate.
