This Viral TikTok Suggests Washing Produce In The Dishwasher Dont Do It

Between all the shopping, slicing, dicing and actual cooking, crafting a healthy dinner every night is both time- and energy-consuming. But a now-viral TikTok hack promises to make this daily chore a bit less exhausting: Instead of rinsing your fresh fruits and veggies by hand, let your dishwasher do the work.

Posted by @larad_official in June, the clip shows the users mom loading all three racks of a dishwasher with a medley of fruits and vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, limes, tomatoes and dragon fruit. By using the machine and some vinegar, I think itll feel more clean because so many people touch [the produce], she said in the clip. 

Many commenters called this trick genius and a game changer. But according to food safety experts, the hack is anything but that. 

Oh my God, dont do it please, dont, said Dr. Kimberly Baker , director of the Food Systems and Safety Program Team at Clemson University.

Generally, Baker said all produce should be washed immediately before consumption or preparation (think: cutting). Although practices are in place to clean produce as it makes its way from the field to your plate, it still comes in contact with plenty of hands and machines as its harvested, processed, packaged and transported. Once it arrives in the grocery store or at the farmers market, its touched by employees and, often, fellow patrons if its not pre-packaged. In turn, theres a risk of some types of yeasts, molds and pathogens the latter of which can potentially cause foodborne illness lingering on the surface of your fruits and veggies.

There are a lot of places along that path or that system for that produce to become contaminated, Baker said. We dont see contamination, so we have to do our best as the consumer to reduce [it]. And that means washing your fruits and veggies before eating or preparing, as cutting or peeling can transfer pathogens from the outside surface of the produce to the inside youre eating, she said.

However, running your produce through the dishwashers rinse cycle isnt the way to go about it. In reality, the dishwasher is further contaminating not cleaning your produce, said Matthew Taylor , a food safety expert and global senior manager of food consulting at NSF , which sets public health, safety, and sustainability standards for food products. In my 24 years in the business [of] food safety, Im quite surprised, he said. We should not be doing that. There is a clear risk.

By and large, your dishwashers surface is coated with residue of the cleaning chemicals in your detergent. If you use rinse aid, theres likely some leftover in the dispenser that will be released mid-cycle and come in contact with your produce, he explained.

Whats more, the filter at the bottom of the appliance probably isnt cleaned after every single cycle, which means chunks of last weeks dinner will swirl around with your fruits and veggies. Youve got your filters, your arms that spin around dismantle that and have a look underneath, and youll see all the grime that builds up over time, Taylor said. Well, imagine that getting into contact with the food that youre going to eat. Thats not nice.

Even if you give the filter a thorough scrub regularly, theres still a small pool of water that sits at the bottom of the machine, Baker added. Even if youve cleaned that filter, sanitized it, cleaned the inside surface which, you know, who does that? that water is still going to be contaminated, she said. Youre just putting contaminated water on the produce.

Adding vinegar, as demonstrated in the TikTok, isnt going to help sanitize, either. While it does kill pathogens, Baker says the vinegar needs to be in contact with the contaminated surface for such a long time to be effective youd end up with pickled produce. Vinegar is for pickling. Vinegar is for making our food tart, she said. Vinegar really is not a consumer-grade sanitizer or cleaner of any sort.

Compounding the problem is the warm water temperature. Not only can this reduce the quality of your produce (hello, limp celery sticks), but it can also encourage the growth of pathogens. Pathogens are not much different than us human beings, Baker said. You know, we like to be warm generally not too hot, not too cold, just nice and warm. We like moisture. We like food. All those things are what pathogens need to grow on, as well. So youre just adding a whole lot of risk using a dishwasher.

The Best Way To Clean Your Fruits And Veggies

To adequately cleanse your produce, stick with the basics: Run your fruits and veggies under cool water straight from the tap, which dislodges and removes any contaminants, according to the experts. Ensure the water gets into all the nooks and crannies, scrubbing with clean fingers or using a brush strictly for produce if necessary, Baker suggested.

Running water is key. Some people like to wash their produce in a sink full of water, but its surface can be another source of pathogens, Baker said. Plus, if you mix fruits and veggies in one bath, youre essentially moving molds, yeast and pathogens from one piece of produce to another not getting rid of them entirely, she said. Dont bother with the commercially available produce washes, either, as their safety and effectiveness arent known and havent been adequately tested, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . 

Bottom line: Cleaning your produce by hand may take a few extra seconds, but its worth the hassle. Reserve your dishwasher for dirty plates and cutlery, and dont believe everything you see online.

Theres a lot of fun stuff on [TikTok], butwhen we see stuff like this, youve got a question [it], Taylor said. Look, its not safe. Please dont do that.