Name: DIY Vinegar Fruit Wash
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: fruits; 4 cups water; 1 cup white vinegar

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Prolong the life of your fruit by giving them a quick vinegar wash. Here’s how to do it!

I’m not sure when I started washing my fruit but I remember it was after channel surfing daytime television and one of the talkshow hosts said to wash your fruits in 4 parts water, 1 part vinegar. At first I was skeptical but thought back to how my mom would always wash things with vinegar and I thought why not and tried it on some raspberries. Ever since then, I’ve noticed that my fruit, berries especially, seem to last way longer in the fridge once I’ve given them a vinegar bath.

Why Use a Vinegar Bath?

The vinegar will get rid of mold spores and bacteria on your fruits which helps prolong the life of your berries. Often times I find that berries will start to go bad in a couple of days in the fruit but after a vinegar bath, will last for a week or more. Seriously, this is the best way to wash your fruit and berries. Nothing fancy needed, just vinegar.

How to Make a Vinegar Bath for Berries

In a large bowl, add in your berries.
Add in four cups of water and one cup of white vinegar.
Give everything a little mix and let the the berries sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the berries and rinse under running cold water.
Repeat with additional berries if you have them.
Line a sheet pan with paper towels and let the fruit dry (or pat dry with a paper towel).
Once dried, transfer to an airtight container with paper towels in between the berries.

Tips

Instead of a lined airtight container, I like to use these containers from Rubbermaid that are specific made to keep fruit fresh.

It’s important to pat dry your berries as you don’t want excessive moisture on them.
I’ve heard of people using salad spinners to dry their berries quickly but I haven’t tried it.
I don’t recommend doing this directly in a sink as you’ll have to clean your sink ahead of time. There’s lots of nooks in a sink where bacteria can hang out and I rather not soak my fruit in it.
I use a fine mesh strainer to rinse my fruit after.