Does washing fruit before you eat it make a difference?

Most people believe that if you don't use soap when you wash your hands then you might as well not wash them.



I never use soap when washing my fruit and with all the wax and stuff the grocery store puts on fruit, does it make it any cleaner or safer to eat if I wash it?

Does washing fruit before you eat it make a difference?
I don't use soap when washing fruit and veg but I do wash it.



I feel that the produce has been handled, transported, stored, displayed - lots of time for it to accumulate more than just the wax...



This Washing Guide on foodnetwork.com may help you decide: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_wa...
Reply:Yes. Wash the fruit. I soak mine for about 15 minutes. Then use a little hand towel to dry. The wax is nasty, but if that is what you can get, it won't kill you. Fruit has been handled by many, many people and exposed to air carrying all sorts.



Got intestinal parasites once - disgusting. Doctor asked if I washed fruit, said no. Wrong answer.



Started washing all produce since.



Do not get sick over this!
Reply:Yes, it makes a difference.
Reply:Washing definitely makes it much safer to eat. Most fruit has pesticide residue on it, so it needs to be washed off.

If you want to make sure to get all the wax off as well, invest in some "Veggie Wash."

P.S. Washing your hands without soap is NOT the same as not washing at all. The people who say that are probably the same disgusting slobs who run out of public bathrooms without washing their hands.....gross!
Reply:I just ate an apple without washing it.
Reply:I am not sure how much good it actually does, but i always wash my fruits and veggies before using it. You have no idea how many people handled the fruit or veggie you have boughten before you got it home. I work in retail and just seeing some of the people that come into the store i am not going to take any chances.
Reply:i think there's a big difference there, when you ash your fruits with water it clean some dirt from the skinof the fruit and the chemical it have sometimes...
Reply:Let me put it this way: pesticides and waxes aside, have you EVER seen a Porta-Potty out in the middle of a strawberry field?



Wash it. You can thank me for the vivid mental image later.

:-P
Reply:I would eat your peach clean or dirty- you rock dulcie!
Reply:Only if you eat it skin and all. Then it does make a difference. It can remove pesticide residues and the bacteria picked up in the fields and from handling at the packing plant and in the store.
Reply:I notice some dirt that comes off when I wash my fruit, so I would say it makes a difference. You can get this spray in the produce section that is supposed to help clean. I mostly use it on grapes because they never seem to get clean enough.



I don't agree with the hand washing. If you had dirt on your hands and washed them with water, then the dirt would come off, right? They may not be AS clean as if you washed them with soap, but cleaner than they were.