How should strawberries be washed to be clean enough? A woman in Taiwan recently had a close call after picking strawberries, almost using a strawberry-scented dish soap provided by the farm to wash them, sparking a funny anecdote. Strawberries consistently rank at the top of the list for pesticide residues among fruits and vegetables. How can they be washed cleanly and eaten safely? Is a special fruit and vegetable cleanser necessary?
The woman shared on Threads that she recently visited a strawberry farm with her family. After picking strawberries, they went to the washing area and found a bottle of "Strawberry Orange Blossom Dish Soap" next to the sink. Mistaking it for a special fruit wash, she almost squeezed it onto the strawberries. Luckily, her sister stopped her just in time, allowing for a safe outcome, much to her family's amusement and exasperation. Even the farmers' association that produces that dish soap specifically left a comment on the post clarifying, "Please do not use dish soap to wash fruits."
3 Steps to Correctly Wash Strawberries and Remove Pesticides
Although this was a harmless, amusing incident, it sparked a discussion among netizens about how strawberries should be washed. Some netizens mentioned they usually just give them a quick rinse under water before eating, while others asked about the safety of products marketed as fruit and vegetable specific cleansers. According to the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS), soap, formulated washing detergents, or produce cleansers should not be used to wash any vegetables, as they could become a new source of chemical residues.
Nutritionist Go Min-min states that strawberries easily rot after contact with water, so they should be eaten immediately after washing. She proposes 3 steps to correctly wash strawberries and effectively remove residual pesticides on the surface as much as possible:
- Soak the strawberries in water for 3-5 minutes to allow pesticides to dissolve into the water.
- Rinse under running water so that any remaining pesticides are carried away by the flowing water.
- Before eating, cut off the strawberry stems or any rotten parts to prevent pesticides from penetrating into the fruit flesh.
