Is It Safe to Wash Fruits and Vegetables With Soap or Hot Water?

Everywhere that we see today, you will either hear about the COVID 19 vaccine updates or someone giving advice on how to disinfect and sanitize the environment to stay safe from the virus. Amid this mayhem that we all are in today, the rising concerns to protect oneself and the people around is no less than a nail-biting situation. It is of no surprise that people will try anything so far as it gives them the surety that it will help them against the virus. But, here is when we need to be patient and rationalize things more carefully.

After a video that went viral with 16 million views so far of a doctor from Michigan, who advised to wash the vegetables with soap, it has raised many eyebrows worldwide. People are actually following the advice and washing their eatables with soap, thinking that it will kill the virus and make the product safe to eat.

On the other hand, somehow a myth that hot water can kill the virus has been circulating on the internet and people have actually been following the advice where it has resulted in either damaging the product making it unfit to eat or has caused mild to severe burns on people who accidentally used too hot water to wash their eatables.

Addressing washing eatables with soap:

Let’s get practical here. Yes, your concern for the coronavirus is logical, but washing fruits and vegetables with soap will do far more harm than good. Researchers since years have spoken about the harms of dishwashing soaps that you use for cleaning your utensil that it gets consumed in some way and cause various health issues. The residue of the soap can still be on your utensils, and when you eat food off your plate, you are consuming the soap as well, and that can give you gastronomical problems among various other serious health issues.

Now think on the other side, we are dealing with a pandemic right now, and if in this situation, you get infected with diarrhea, stomachaches, and nausea, etc. the only resort let will be to go to the hospital. The places where you have the maximum risk of catching the virus is the hospital facilities and grocery stores at the moment.

According to the latest Updates of COVID 19 Vaccine, four possible vaccines are competing ahead in the race against the novel coronavirus. Oxford’s AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V are the two vaccines that have high hoped among Moderna’s and Pfizer's vaccines. But until the confirmation, we must not forget to follow the guidelines and take measures to boost one’s immunity.

The front line workers that include doctors and nurses at the top of the list are every day putting their lives on the risk in their fight against the novel coronavirus. The least that we can do is follow the safety measures and stay healthy so that we do not have to visit the hospital, and it can be used for those who are really in need of treatment.

When you experiment like this, believing a video or following some hack thinking that it will kill the virus, you are putting yourself and your loved ones at a greater risk. Do not let go of your rationality because in times of a pandemic where no one really knows how to cope up with it, taking risks is only going to make the situation worse. You do remember that President Trump once advised in one of his interviews to consume sanitizers and how it had resulted. People got sick and many of them had died, according to the reports by the hospital facilities. Many got admitted in the hospitals as a consequence, a more risky environment than they were otherwise.

Addressing washing vegetables with hot water:

Now, let’s talk about washing fruits and vegetables with hot water. First of all, if you want to kill the virus, you will require boiling water, which is enough to cook vegetables instead of cleaning them. Also, you will burn your hands if you dare to wash with such hot water.

If you think warm water can help, then you are sadly mistaken. Warm water can cause wilting that can deteriorate the shelf life of the product and also make them unfit to consume.

It is useless to wash the vegetables with hot or warm water because first, there is no evidence that proves coronavirus can get through vegetables, and second, washing vegetables with cold water is enough to get rid of the unwanted bacteria, make them clean and safe to eat.

What you should be doing is to clean your hands before and after you wash your vegetables as that will leave out any possibility of getting infected.

What is the solution in the end?

The best way to consume fruits and vegetables is to clean them under the running tap and ensure that you wash your hands before and after washing them. You can also scrub some salt to ensure that the vegetables are properly cleaned. Do not go too hard on them as that can damage the product. Staying simple and basic is the key!

Be mindful and not fearful in times like these. Yes, there are concerns but do not lose yourself in the process. We should not be following everything that we hear and must think logically and research if an idea that is out on the internet is worth following. Keep track of the COVID 19 vaccine updates and until then take steps to boost your immunity and that includes eating healthy, cleaning fruits and vegetables adequately, and opting mindful thinking so that we do not become crazy in such puzzling times.