Why You Should Never Wash Your Fruit Before Refrigerating It

Washing your fruit before refrigeration increases the chances of your fruit spoiling prematurely. This is because it adds excess moisture, which speeds up decay. While it is good to wash your fruit, try to wait to do so until your are ready to eat your fruit. But, if you do decide to wash your fruit before refrigeration, be sure to dry the fruit really well before storage.

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Storing fruit isn’t as easy as it might seem ― especially if you want to extend its shelf life. First of all, there are certain fruits that should never be stored together. (Some kinds encourage others to ripen too quickly.) Secondly, you should never wash them before storing them in the fridge. That’s just going to increase the chance that they spoil prematurely.

The instinct to wash fruit is a good one ― just wait to do it right before eating it. Putting washed fruit in the fridge adds excess moisture, which speeds up fruit’s decay. And decay means throwing it in the garbage, which is a waste of money and food. Instead, store properly dried fruit in the fridge and wash it when you’re ready to eat.

If you really insist on washing your fruit before refrigerating it, just be sure to dry it really well before doing so. Cook’s Illustrated recommends using a salad spinner lined with paper towels to get fruits like berries really dry without any rough handling. But it would work for grapes and cherries, too.