Should You Wash Produce Before You Put it in the Fridge?
If you've ever wondered whether to wash produce when you get home from the store or wait until you're ready to use it, you're not alone. It's one of the most common food storage questions—and the answer is a little more nuanced than most tips suggest.
What Happens if You Wash Produce Right Away?
Water left on the surface of produce creates a hospitable environment for bacteria and mold. Wet spinach leaves in a sealed bag, damp berries in a container, or a rinsed head of lettuce with moisture trapped in the layers all create conditions that accelerate surface rot.
The sliminess that appears on greens stored wet is often bacterial in origin. It grows fast, it's unpleasant, and it's caused by the moisture sitting on the surface, not by the produce itself deteriorating.
The best fridge storage practice: don't wash produce until you are ready to use it.
Should You Line a Crisper Drawer with Paper Towels?
If washing produce before storing it is more convenient for you, it can work—with one unskippable step. The produce must be thoroughly dried before it goes into the crisper drawer. That means lining a crisper drawer with paper towels isn't enough.
PRODUCE STORAGE PREP NOT TO SKIP IF YOU PRE-WASH VEGGIES:
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Moisture left on the surface of produce is a problem.
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For damp salad greens, lettuce, and herbs, use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
- For other veggies, dry them with a clean towel. (100% cotton flour sack towels are recommended for both hand drying and air-drying produce.)
2. Air-dry your produce before sealing it into a container and/or storing it in the crisper drawer.
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Lay another clean flour sack towel on a clean countertop.
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Spread out damp produce in a single layer on the towel.
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Let that produce air-dry for at least 20 minutes. (That's just enough time to clean out your produce drawer and/or put other groceries away.)
3. Don't rely solely on your fridge to keep produce fresh. You need Fridge Hydration.
Why Does Produce Go Bad So Fast?
Whether produce goes in washed or unwashed, dry or carefully dried, it still faces the same challenge once it's in the crisper drawer: dry refrigerator air continuously pulls moisture from plant cells.
All living plant tissue loses water to the surrounding air. Even after harvest, vegetables continue to release moisture, especially when the air around them is dry.
Refrigerators run on cold, dry air. That air has a constant moisture deficit. It pulls water vapor out of produce through its cell walls, lowering the water pressure inside the plant tissue.
That water pressure is what makes greens crisp and vegetables crunchy. When it drops, texture breaks down. Lettuce wilts. Celery bends. Broccoli goes soft.
Crisper dehydration is a big issue for produce—and it happens regardless of how clean (or not) your veggies are in the fridge.
Skipper Creates an Oasis for Veggies
Slip Skipper in your crisper drawer, replace it every three months, and let it run. Skipper continuously adds purified water vapor to your crisper drawer. This raises the ambient humidity to levels that significantly slow produce dehydration that your refrigerator is constantly causing.
As produce loses moisture, it wilts, softens, and starts to break down faster. Here's a complete guide to keeping produce fresh. In short:
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Wash produce before you use it.
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Throughly dry your produce if you wash it before you store it in the fridge.
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Count on Skipper to create the perfect the environment for your produce.
The result: produce that stays fresh up to 3x longer.
Skipper. The mister for your crisper.
FAQs
Does washing produce before storing it in the fridge make it spoil faster?
It can since excess moisture leads to faster breakdown.
What’s the best way to keep produce from rotting in the fridge?
Balance moisture so produce doesn’t dry out or become overly wet, which causes dehydration, cell breakdown and bacteria growth.
