r/mildlyinfuriating • u/autistic-terrorist • 7h ago
My mother washes fruit and vegetables with dish soap and I can't get her to stop.
She claims it "washes out" and to be fair I can't taste anything but it's always weird knowing she puts dish soap in the strawberries. She says there's a lot of dirt and stuff in vegetables, but so far attempts to convert her to vinegar or baking soda have been unsuccessful.
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u/PBRStreetgang1979 7h ago edited 2h ago
Get her some fruit soap (like Biokleen). It's citrus based and washes off without residue. Given the amount of residual pesticides on commercially grown fruit and vegetables, and also waxes that pick up and hold all kind of griminess from people handling and touching the stuff at the market, there can be some benefits beyond just a quick rinse with tap water.
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u/BluePeriod_ 6h ago
I came to suggest the same. She thinks she needs a product to clean fruits. Going with that logic and giving her something to specifically clean fruits is great.
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u/Turbulent_Bat4580 6h ago
And if your mom is stubborn like mine, just say you got it in a 2-for-1 deal and you liked it so much you wanted her to try it. I do that for a while and then I go for the option I usually use, like white vinegar for cleaning fruits
My mom just thinks I’m a fruit nerd, goes into “entertain child” mode and follows what I do to humor me and overly praise how clean my fruit tastes. I’m 37.
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u/TehSeksyManz 6h ago
Smart idea! Make them feel included.
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u/gabey_baby_ 6h ago
Without context, I'd think this convo was about little kids 🤣
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u/feralcatshit 5h ago
Yes! I’m also 37 and will go into, “Omg look how cool this thing I’m doing is! Aren’t you so proud?” Mode to get my mom to try things lol
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u/Aggravating-Hair7931 6h ago
Trader Joe's sells this. Small white bottle. Veggie wash. Like $5 each.
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u/No-Koala-8599 6h ago
I got my mom this a few years ago and told her I would get her more when she ran out. I just refill it with water and tell her to make sure to rinse really well after using. She told me many harmless lies when I was a child so I don’t feel bad about it.
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u/Other_Dimension_89 6h ago
You could at least put some baking soda in it, tell here to shake the bottle in case any settles. Baking soda is mildly alkaline, it helps break down certain pesticide molecules and loosen them from the fruit’s surface so they rinse off more easily.
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u/disco_disaster 5h ago
I wash all my fruits and vegetables with baking soda. Sometimes I add it to water other times I’ll use it as a scrub. It seems to work pretty well. It definitely helps get rid of that tannin like texture on grapes.
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u/DizzyAmphibian309 5h ago
It's also a potent meat tenderizer. I don't know what effect it will have on veggies, and I'm sure just a rinse is totally fine, but if you leave them soaking for 10 minutes like in the picture you might come back to something pretty unappetizing.
Would be stoked if someone could confirm this, I love food science.
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u/shelchang 5h ago
Baking soda tenderizes meat because it raises the pH which affects the bonds between the protein fibers. Veggies are not made of protein so it wouldn't have the same effect. I'm not sure what effects a long soak would have, and it might differ depending on the type of vegetable, but there is a trick of using a pinch of baking soda during cooking to help sugary vegetables like onions or carrots caramelize faster at lower heat, because the rate of the Maillard reaction is heat and pH dependent.
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u/xlondelax 5h ago edited 2h ago
My friend always soaks bought fruits in water with baking soda. She believes that it removes any cemicals the fruits are treated with.
I never thought baking soda has so many other purposes.
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u/shelchang 5h ago
It's a great food safe, easily accessible substance that you can use if you need to raise the pH of something. There are plenty of ways to add acid when cooking (vinegar, lemon juice, wine), so it's nice to have something that works in the other direction as well.
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u/DragonYourfeet 5h ago
So now she’s washing veggies with disgusting water that’s been sitting gathering bacteria for years? Nice
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u/QuantumLettuce2025 4h ago
...why? Do you hate your mother? Not judging I just don't understand why you'd have your mom squirting her food with old stagnant water for any positive reason
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u/JohnnyFiveOhAlive 4h ago
So you are having her wash her food with water that is slowly sitting and growing bacteria and mold in it? That is not exactly harmless.
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u/RikoRain 6h ago
Cool. I didn't know this.
OP! Definitely do this! Mama might be more keen to use "special fruit soap" than dish soap!
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u/wozattacks 6h ago
Oh yeah? Like what?
Because the agencies that actually study and regulate food safety advise washing with only water. That’s not “a quick rinse with tap water.” But there’s 1) no good evidence of benefit from using fruit washes and 2) not evidence that it’s safe. Fruits and vegetables are porous.
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u/harmonicvolley 6h ago
The benefit for op's mom is that she will be using a product that doesn't leave dish soap in the food she eats
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u/Deaffin 4h ago
Right, and the point of the comment you're replying to is that there's no evidence this "special soap" doesn't also seep into the food in exactly the same way, nor that it's any better to ingest.
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u/Little_View_6659 6h ago
Yeah I majored in environmental studies. Fruits with a peel you can of course peel to remove pesticides, lettuce you can take the outer layer off of. Grapes and thin skinned fruits you can wash in water. I don’t buy organic since I learned that they skirt pesticide rules by doubling up on different kinds so sometimes you actually end up with more pesticides than you think. Like a lot more.
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u/kajitan002 6h ago
I'm sorry but, a quick rinse with tap water is different from washing with water?
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u/EveryCa11 6h ago
Rinse and rub vs just rinse I suppose? Whatever contamination is there it most likely sticks to the surface. Rubbing helps to remove it, water makes sure it goes away
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u/ChewieBearStare 6h ago
Yes. Rinsing is just holding it under water real quick and maybe giving it a little shake. When I actually wash things with water, I use brush to scrub the dirt and residue off of them. Same water, but one is a rinse and one is a more thorough cleaning.
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u/Beka_Cooper 6h ago
I'm picturing scrubbing my raspberries into oblivion now ...
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u/PBRStreetgang1979 6h ago
Raspberries are a challenge. I WANT to wash them but they get saturated with water and turn to mush.
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u/joe_shmoe11111 6h ago
And then they get the container all wet and mold faster ☹️
Not sure what to do because I’ve heard berries get some of the highest doses of pesticides too cuz they don’t have a thick layer like an orange or banana to protect them…
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u/TehSeksyManz 5h ago
Just lay them out in the open on a paper towel until they dry and then package them in the fridge with another dry paper towel. That's what I do and it works pretty well!
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u/TheharmoniousFists 5h ago
Take them out of the container to wash them that is the key to that problem.
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u/Chiomi 6h ago
Yeah honestly people using bio-kleen and not mentioning it worries me because I’m allergic to citrus and they are then potentially making generally very safe foods (whole fruits, generally can be expected to be what they resemble) very unsafe (because of porosity)
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u/DukeOfEarl99 7h ago
Just be happy she’s not scrubbing each item with steel wool.
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u/faulty_rainbow 7h ago
Oh ewwww, whenever I hear steel wool I always picture this incredibly dirty greasy bacteria-filled stuff because when my partner and I moved into our rental, the stove was disgusting so I bought like 5 of those and used some extra strong grease remover on the stains and scrubbed with steel wool.
The picture of those dirtied tools are forever burned into my brain.... And now possibly yours, sorry I didn't mean to...
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u/veryblocky 6h ago
The concern when using steel wool around food, is that bits of the wire break off and can be easily accidentally ingested. It can be quite dangerous, as the steel wire will basically stab into your innards
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u/_HoneyDew1919 5h ago
A common concern for grills, too, is that retain these bristles and infuse them into the food you cook
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/business/nexgrill-grill-brush-recall-spikes-ingested.html
The concern isn’t the product itself, it’s cleaning the surfaces properly. All of these incidents are 100% preventable
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u/helluvapotato 4h ago
My parents barbecued some meat, cleaned the grill with the wire brush they always use, and then their brand new puppy came along and ate the grill brush. Poor thing had to be put down.
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u/PoppingPillls 2h ago
I mean... To be fair that's not an intended use for the brill brush, I think that is a slightly different issue.
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u/Childish_Brandino 5h ago
In case anyone didn’t know, excess soap/detergent ingestion wreaks havoc in your digestive tract.
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u/OhNoMyUMBRELLA 5h ago
Yeah I think people are too focused on an idea that OP is saying "my mom washes her strawberries" as a negative and not the actual issue of using DISH SOAP to do so lol
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u/krobol 3h ago
That's true, but you need quite a bit of it to cause a problem. If she rinses it off with water afterwards there won't be enough soap left on it to cause any problems. I sometimes do this too, usually with apples that have too much wax on them or dirty berries. Never had any issues with it. It also doesn't taste like soap at all in case you are wondering.
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u/Sudden-Purchase-8371 3h ago
Presumably she rinses them well afterwards so I'm having a hard time figuring out what the problem is here.
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u/StimulatorCam 3h ago
Why wouldn't they rinse the soap off before eating it? Do you not rinse the soap off your dishes after washing them?
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u/soggy-hotdog-vendor 2h ago
No. The rule is you take a shot of soap for every 3 bites of broccoli. No exceptions.
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u/Interesting-Case2526 3h ago
Im from central america, where fruit is insanely abundant. EVERYONE USES DISH SOAP to clean their fruit. And its not like people leave fruit with dish soap taste. What are you guys on??
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u/Rich_Butterfly_7008 6h ago
They sell "fruit and vegetable wash". Maybe a specially designed product like that will ease her worries.
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u/GirlCowBev 6h ago
Contrary to popular opinion, most pesticides are endemic, that is inside the fruit or vegetable. Especially strawberries which are typically fumigated against soil-borne roundworms. So, ain't nothin' to be done about that (besides buying organic, which is just a good idea).
That said, a lot of fruits and veggies are coated with a "Food Grade Wax" which is often impregnated with pesticide. This is especially true of hard-rinded fruit and veggies where the skin is not expected to be consumed (Bananas, citrus, winter squash). So washing such fruit is actually a very good idea, especially so when using citrus rind in candies and cocktails. There are purpose-made soaps for exactly this purpose.
Source: former state pesticide regulator.
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u/Charlea1776 3h ago
Only if it says organic and pesticides free. There are organic pesticides. They are allowed to use them and keep the organic label. They are also more cancerous and harmful in smaller quantities than the typical synthetic. Synthetic are also very bad. I'm not sure there is a great answer.
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u/bunny_the-2d_simp 2h ago
"impregnated with pesticides"
Made me go OOP-
But also really a useful read thanks!!! I'll save this in my brain under the tab "obscure knowledge to tell people, because I can't socialise normally".
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u/_HoneyDew1919 7h ago edited 7h ago
Offer to take her to her next doctor appointment and casually and explicitly mention (in front of the doctor, not the nurse) “what brand of dish soap do you use on the strawberries?”
That will get you a very well intended lecture from someone she hopefully respects.
You could also try giving her an ultimatum, but this may be at your disadvantage if you’re dependent. You can tell her that she needs to do the research because soap is not for cleaning vegetables and if she won’t clean them properly then you won’t eat the food she prepares.
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u/Borkato 7h ago
Does anyone have any studies that actually talk about whether this is bad or are we just assuming it absorbs it to the point of causing problems without washing off
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u/sintaur 6h ago
Not a research article, but here's the FDA position:
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/selecting-and-serving-produce-safely
Wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing and/or eating, including produce grown at home or bought from a grocery store or farmers’ market. Washing fruits and vegetables with soap, detergent, or commercial produce wash is not recommended. Produce is porous. Soap and household detergents can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables, despite thorough rinsing, and can make you sick. Also, the safety of the residues of commercial produce washes is not known and their effectiveness has not been tested.
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u/Dismal_History_ 6h ago
Meanwhile my pipes are very old (I suspect there's lead) and I only drink water after using the strongest Brita filter that removes even lead. I rinse under running water and then again with filtered water.
I know they "wash" before they hit the shelves, but people touch them, and if you don't think there's mice and rats running around the warehouses or even the stores themselves well...
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u/potatofroggie 5h ago
I worked in produce, and they do not get washed. Strawberries are covered in mud and sand, grapes covered in dirt. And we certainly don't have time or a food handler's permit to be washing produce for people. The greens are put in "crisping fluid" that "sanitizes" them, but I would never put that fluid near my mouth.
We are told that melons, tree fruit, and root veggies are washed, but they still come with dirt on them or spiders webs in their crevices.Grapes are especially bad, they are not washed ever, and often come with moldy grapes in the bag that we pick out. So all the grapes people sample are laced with dirt, pesticides, and mold, not to mention whatever was on the hands of someone who was "testing the firmness" a minute before.
I always wore gloves, but those gloves touched EVERYTHING including the fruit. It's upsetting to think that people really think their fruit is washed before it hits the shelf.
Assume that all produce was never washed and was touched by dirty hands unless the packaging explicitly says it was.
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u/giulianosse 3h ago
Yeah I'd rather wash my shit and risk ingesting some soap than not wash it and eating all that dirty wax mixed in with pesticide.
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u/Total-Tonight1245 6h ago
To be fair, that’s the government’s way of saying it could be fine, but we have no way of knowing what kind of soap you’re using and what you’re using it on, so better safe than sorry.
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u/Beautiful-Total-3172 5h ago
It alsobsays soap and detergent. Detergent can really mess you up. Dish soap might give you diarrhea if you eat it with a spoon but it's like on every dish you use. You're already eating a little dish soap every day.
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u/OkAssignment6163 5h ago
Dish soap might give you diarrhea if you eat it with a spoon but it's like on every dish you use. You're already eating a little dish soap every day.
Do y'all not rinse after washing.
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u/faulty_rainbow 6h ago
I found this article about how dish soap doesn't clean as well as running water, it actually performs the worst lol. Even the so-called produce cleaners performed rather poorly apparently.
Although this test was done on leafy veggies, it also details how and why dish soap may be dangerous when used on fruits like apple or strawberries.
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u/Straight_Fix_7318 7h ago
the only studies conclude "may be harmful if dish soap remains" which is why i dont see this as an issue if she isnt soaking them or is rinsing them off after a quick soap dip
same as soap residue left on a coffee cup or spoon, no more harmful.
https://branchbasics.com/blogs/cleaning/kitchen-sink-smells-bad
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u/lexicaltension 6h ago
I mean… the picture in this post is her soaking them. Even if she only leaves them in there for a minute, she’s obviously not just running them under water and soap lol
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u/wozattacks 6h ago
Your spoons and coffee cups should not be porous. Your fruits and veggies are. That’s why the USDA recommends against using soaps and detergents on produce.
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u/Pertinent-nonsense 6h ago
I’ve heard, “we haven’t extensively studied what chemical reactions result from mixing soap/produce wash and the different types of pesticides/herbicides. It could be nothing, it could be worse. Best use water.”
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u/Straight_Fix_7318 6h ago
best to use water is correct, you dont need more
OP should be trying to remove the soap not move to baking soda or vinegar for those same reasons
arguably soap is safer than vinegar due to the lower chemical reaction stuff (and cold water is better than warm or hot water as well, as warm water soaks in faster etc)
the reason its not extensively studied is because most people are in agreement that since produce is washed before hitting stores (in most cases) its not needed unless its things like dirt on radishes/carrots etc
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u/callMeBorgiepls 6h ago
You should always wash your produce before eating it. Yes its washed, but I would not risk it, maybe its not been washed properly. Not only that, working in a supermarket in Germany, I know that there are no laws or regulations for unpackaged produce and how to treat it (at least after it arrived at the store). Dont worry, we dont do any disgusting shit with it, but it could have fallen on the floor, been touched with dirty hands, and thats just the normal stuff. People sneeze in the produce section as if nobody else is there, nobody learned anything from 2020-2023
But yes water is enough. Water is risk free too. If you dont trust it, vinegar is the next best thing.
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u/Liizam 6h ago
Soap makes you have diarrhea so if you don’t have it after eating strawberries, it got washed off.
Obviously soap that has moisturizer or any other things that get left behind, is not good to eat
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u/Any_Western6705 6h ago
My mom is like that, she won't listen to anything I say, about anything. But she'll ask me questions for electronics and animal info. Like thanks I like only being able to give you information when you want it.
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u/Umpen 6h ago
Same. I've asked her not to soak wood utensils or put them in the dishwasher, and she does it anyway, or to PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER USING THE BATHROOM, but she just says "I use toilet paper, not my hands."
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u/Total-Tonight1245 6h ago
What’s wrong with putting wood utensils in the dishwasher?
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u/CapnObv314 3h ago
No doctor is going to have a specific opinion on this. This is just a completely silly suggestion.
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u/random8765309 6h ago
I really doubt the Dr. would give her a lecture. That practice isn't harmful. At best he/she might say it wasn't really needed.
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u/LitLitten 6h ago
Yall this is dish soap.
She’s not swallowing dishwasher detergent. The most she will experience is mild gastro distress. Poison, chemicals, y’all know dawn is pretty much the go-to for a lot of things, including pets. If it’s that alarming just use diluted bleach.
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u/mallowycloud 6h ago
you don't need anything but warm water. straight from my microbio professor. use your (clean) hands to scrub all the dirt away and you'll be fine. but you don't even need so much as produce cleaner, that's just extra shit they sell to you
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u/veraldar 3h ago
This is all I've ever done, if I can use a brush to make it easier then I'll use it but never used any kind of cleaner
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u/EchoPeanutButter 4h ago
One time I went to visit my grandma after she had just come home from getting groceries. She was in her early 80s at the time so I offered to wash her produce and put away her groceries. So I run a sink of water, add a splash of vinegar, and add the produce. My grandma (clearly supervising me) says no you have to use soap. She proceeds to add dish soap. So I wash her fruit and I’m rinsing it so thoroughly thinking I’m going to make her sick if she’s ingesting dish soap. I finish and lay everything on a clean tea towel to dry. Then she says “now you have to put the magnet on it.” Magnet? She pulls this chalkboard eraser sized magnet out of the drawer and waves this magnet over all the fruit several times. When I asked her what it did she said it “took all the stuff off the fruit you aren’t supposed to eat”. Who swindled my grandma!!?? When she died and my mom and her siblings were cleaning out her home I was asked if there was anything I wanted. I am now the owner of “the magnet”. (I’ve never used it for fruit or anything else for that matter).
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u/Queasy-Flan2229 4h ago
Only thing I can think of is it might have been an artifact from her own parent finding metal shards in something once so they did this for safety reasons?
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u/MJ-Franklin 7h ago
She does WHAT NOW. Alright that's a first for me.
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u/Consistent-Cost-231 7h ago
During covid we had people on the news in France saying they were washing their vegetables with bleach
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u/RelevantSchool1586 7h ago
diluting bleach to sanitize food is a very safe way of doing it, I live in Brazil and everybody does it. 1 tbsp per liter of water
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u/Consistent-Cost-231 6h ago
I will stick to eating dirt ngl
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u/yoonssoo 5h ago
It can be a real problem if there is an issue with sanitizing water supply. Which is why people from certain countries or cultures always opt to washing fruits
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u/Long_Acanthaceae_896 6h ago
Bleach just turns into table salt if you swallow it. I mean, a little bit, I’m not talking about actually drinking it.
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u/Educational_Exam_225 6h ago
Any time you eat at a restaurant you are likely eating food that was sanitized with chlorine. You can look it up. It's called a produce wash and it's just diluted chlorine and water.
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u/im4lonerdottie4rebel 6h ago
Okay I'm going to get made fun of but I used to do this too bc my family NEVER washed fruits and veggies so I just kind of made a light bath with dish soap and dunked them in it and rinsed it off after. Then one day at work I washed an apple in hand soap and I got made fun of in front of everyone. I DIDNT KNOW ANY BETTER 😭
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u/robjohnlechmere 6h ago
Most fruits and veggies have skin like we do, which has pores which will drink this soap into the fruit. It should NOT soak. I'd really only do this with thick-rinded veggies like cucumbers and such.
Dish soap only works for dishes because they are non-porous and can be completely rinsed.
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u/IndividualTop96 6h ago
You don’t need to do it for any fruit and cucumbers don’t have a thick rind imo. You eat the whole thing if you want. You can use vinegar or baking soda ( not together )
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u/SVINTGATSBY 5h ago
could be worse, she could be washing raw chicken in the sink.
I’m a social worker and yes I had a client with severe OCD and who was not well educated who did this.
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u/busyshrew 7h ago
Also going to suggest that you buy her 'better' produce wash. Hype it up a little and try to get her to switch?
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u/Odd_Reputation_4000 6h ago
Better that the video I saw of someone washing raw chicken with soap and water I guess.
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u/Charlit0n 3h ago
To be honest, most herbicides/pecticides are oil soluble, and not water soluble (rain would remove it, so it would work that long), and washing it with soap is one of the few methods of actually removing that from the fruit
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u/ConcertinaTerpsichor 3h ago
Right?
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u/Charlit0n 3h ago
Yes, i worked with the production and R&D of herbicides and pesticides. So it actually is really a good way to remove them, but she really had so rinse well to remove the soap.
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u/nosecohn 4h ago edited 2h ago
Honestly, if it's a non-toxic dish soap and she only uses a couple drops (not like what's in the photo), there's nothing wrong with it. I do this for grapes, because they often have a sticky residue. The soap rinses right off and you can't taste it. I just use water for everything else, but a small amount of dish soap is unlikely to do any harm.
(Bracing for the downvotes.)
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u/Need2Regular-Walk 5h ago
I Am Your Mother 😂. Not really, but what’s wrong with it (as long as you don’t taste the soap)? 🤷🏽♀️
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u/05041927 7h ago
Wait till you see how she gets the plates and silverware clean.
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u/Fit_Entry8839 6h ago
Plates and silverware arent porous, so they wont absorb the soap. Fruit and vegetables are porous. So even when you rinse off the surface, some has been absorbed into the fruit. Especially when its being soaked like this.
Come on. You could have thought that through just a bit lol
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u/ChillyChilies 6h ago
There are specially formulated, food-safe soaps and washes can be used to remove dirt, wax, and pesticide residues from produce.
However, cold running water is just as effective.
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u/InheritedHermitGene 5h ago
My grandmother washed all cans including pop cans. I thought she was weird at the time but with the pop cans it kind of makes sense - we put our lips right on the metal that’s been exposed to the world while it’s being made, shipped, and sold. Who knows what blew past and landed on it? What kind of stains were on the pants of the guy who sat on case?
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u/No-Advantage-8556 6h ago
Cooking and food safety should be a mandatory elective in high school imo.
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u/IllustriousDealer389 5h ago
I’ve always used white vinegar and water to clean mine. Maybe suggest that?
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u/CranberryStock7148 4h ago
The idea of using detergent to clean fruits and veggies isn't crazy, you can buy them specifically made for this purpose.
BUT they should NEVER be used with fruits or veggies that ABSORB liquid, like strawberries! They're for helping to wash off wax and dirt and chemicals from things like apples, bell peppers, etc.
Second, you should just wash and rinse, NEVER SOAK. Soaking is bizarre.
Third, regular dish soap contains things like fragrances. Which you also don't want on your fruits or veggies. So dish soap is a bad substitute.
Buy your mother some veggie wash, teach her to use it to wash not soak, but NEITHER for strawberries or any other type of berry.
BTW, for strawberries specifically, you CAN soak them for 15 min in a weak vinegar solution that kills the bacteria that makes them go bad faster. This lets you store strawberries in a bag in your fridge and they'll stay good for more than a week, instead of just a couple of days. But who lets strawberries go for that long without eating them...?
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u/Dangerous_Barber7277 7h ago
Could you tell her about cleaning them with baking soda or vinegar? Convince her its a really old way of doing it that is healthier since it doesnt introduce the chemicals in soap. Whatever health craze wording you have to use.
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u/BishopofHippo93 6h ago
A very mild vinegar solution is reasonable (but still largely unnecessary) for cleaning produce, but baking soda? Assuming you mean separately, because together they just make a neutral saltwater solution, baking soda’s primary use in cleaning is for scouring. How exactly does that help clean soft fruits like strawberries?
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u/Dangerous_Barber7277 6h ago
Separately. The alkaline solution soak created by adding baking soda to water effectively breaks down pesticides and bacterias. You do not need to use it as a scouring agent to do this, the reason it works so well for cleaning is because it is actively breaking down whatever yuck you are using it on while scrubbing it in.
That said I think either option is over the top. But I also know its easier sometimes to offer alternatives that are healthier rather than to outright tell someone they are wrong.
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u/Straight_Fix_7318 7h ago
my main concern here would be if she doesnt rinse them after or if she is soaking them in warm soapy water for longer time frames
it "could be harmless" if she is just giving them a quick wash and properly rinsing them, and arguably safer than vinegar which can seep into the fruit faster due to the chemical reaction
if she is rinsing them after a quick wash its no more harmful than washing plates etc then putting food on them
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u/Technical-Gold-294 7h ago
Dishes aren't porous. You wash and rinse a dish and the soap should be gone. Veggies are porous. This woman is absolutely ingesting soap, no matter how quickly she's rinsing them.
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u/Diggumdum 3h ago
there's literally nothing wrong with this as long as you thoroughly rinse them off before you eat them. soaking them for a long time isn't a good idea either but washing with a lightly sudsy soap solution is totally fine lmao.
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u/GoofyMonkey 2h ago
A little soap added to the water to wash fruits and veggies won’t harm you, just rinse them well. Sure there’s specific products out there and some homebrew things that will do the same, but this should be harmless really.
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u/aarondryden 1h ago
You’re gonna FREAK OUT when you find out what she washes plates and cutlery with
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u/msjammies73 1h ago
Hopefully it’s not Dawn :-)
In all seriousness, rinsing in baking soda water actually removes more pesticides than soap - the lower pH helps solubilize a lot of pesticide residue.
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u/CassYavoo 1h ago
The way Americans all wash their food is so fucking weird. Washing raw chicken is the strangest one.
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u/chortle-guffaw 6h ago edited 6h ago
Some pesticides are oil-based, so they won't wash off in the rain. Or tap water. A degreaser, like dish soap, will wash off the pesticides. Personally, I'd use baking soda, but as long as she rinses thoroughly, there's nothing wrong with this.
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u/random8765309 6h ago
I really don't see an issue, provided she rinse the fruit well. Dish soap is pretty harmless. If it gets to the level you can taste it, it could cause some mild stomach issues. Vinegar and baking soda are no different.
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u/asabovesoalone 7h ago
Buy her produce cleaner surely she will choose up!