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Vinegar Fruit Wash

Home » Tips » Vinegar Fruit Wash

Published May 31, 2023 Last Updated May 31, 2023 / By Sarah 22 Comments

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Prep and store your fruit for easy eating all week with this simple vinegar fruit wash! 

Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes washed with vinegar wash in bowls.

My kids LOVE fruit, especially berries, and for that I am grateful! Strawberries are one of the staples in our house. After a year of cleaning and slicing strawberries multiple times a day, I thought there must be a better way! Now, I do one more thing after grocery shopping that has made my life so much easier. 

I spend 20 minutes washing and prepping, then our strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and other fruit are clean and ready to enjoy for the whole week. We love to throw on top of yogurt or use them to make Strawberry Smoothie Bowls or our Favorite Green Smoothie!

We store berries in glass containers and pull them out as needed for snacks, school lunches or as part of our meals at home! My friend introduced me to this practice and I am forever grateful. For more cool tips like this one browse our tips page!

*This post contains affiliate links.

 Vinegar Fruit Wash

Vinegar fruit wash and strawberries, blueberries and grapes in bowls.

Vinegar Fruit Wash works for:

  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Grapes
  • Apples 
  • Plums
  • Cherries

Do not soak raspberries – keep them refrigerated and wait to wash them until just before eating! They are too fragile and will turn to mush if you wash them too early.

FAQ

Does soaking fruit in vinegar wash make it last longer? 

According to Best Food Facts, washing fruit in vinegar does not extend the shelf-life. Removing bacteria and mold spores will help your fruit to last longer, and doing so is better for you! Vinegar does help kill mold spores, so washing in a vinegar bath isn’t a bad idea. Washing fruit with clean water will remove 98% of bacteria. 

Should I do vinegar wash for Strawberries? 

Strawberries tend to get moldy faster if I don’t do the vinegar wash, so always wash them right away. If you don’t plan to eat strawberries right away, wait to wash them until just before you plan to eat them. The same goes for blueberries.

How to Wash and Prep Fruit

  • Add four parts lukewarm or cool water and one part vinegar to a large bowl. You can also use your sink if it is very clean. 

  •  Remove fruit from the vinegar and water and allow it to dry on paper towels. Dry the fruit completely before storing. 

Strawberries, blueberries and grapes drying on paper towels after washing.

  • Optional: cut stems off of strawberries and slice them in half. 
  • Cut off any mushy parts or spots that look like they could be going moldy.
  • Store fruit in glass containers that have lids or cover with plastic wrap. 

Enjoy fruit all week. It’s now ready to be thrown on top of salads, yogurt, smoothie bowls, or onto the plates of toddlers! Hooray!

If you try this, please leave us a comment and a positive review! We love hearing from you.

Vinegar Fruit Wash

Prep and store your fruit for easy eating all week with this simple vinegar fruit wash!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Author: Pretty Providence
Cost: $0

Video

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Paper Towels

Materials

  • 1 part Distilled White Vinegar
  • 4 parts Water

Instructions

  • Fill a large bowl with three parts cool water, one part distilled white vinegar.
  • Add strawberries, blueberries or grapes to the bowl and soak them for 10-20 minutes.
  • Lay paper towels or kitchen towels on the counter and spread the fruit out on the towels to dry.
  • Dry fruit completely.
  • Cut stems off of strawberries and slice them. (optional)
  • Store your prepped fruit in glass containers in the fridge and enjoy having them ready to eat at a moment's notice.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Instead of soaking in a bowl, you can use your sink if it is very clean. 
  • Always dry the fruit completely before storing. 
Vinegar Fruit Wash works for:
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Grapes
  • Apples 
  • Plums
  • Cherries
Do not soak raspberries.
Did you make this?Mention @prettyprovidenceblog or tag #prettyprovidence!

Sarah

Vinegar Fruit Wash
Vinegar Fruit Wash
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meri

    May 12, 2023 at 7:18 pm

    Hope this doesn’t sound weird. Can I slice apples and soak to have them last longer? I buy slices and they spoil quickly
    Soaking berries for the first time just now

    Reply
    • Sarah

      May 15, 2023 at 11:59 am

      I haven’t tried doing this with sliced apples, but I have soaked them in a mixture of water and lemon juice for a short time and it seems to work well. That’s what I do when I send apple slices in my kids’ lunches!

      Reply
    • Julie

      July 24, 2023 at 11:35 am

      Cut them up and drizzle some honey and a little bit of water. This prevents them from going brown!

      Reply
      • Jessica

        July 25, 2023 at 1:31 pm

        Awesome, thanks Julie!

  2. Lee

    May 05, 2023 at 8:21 am

    5 stars
    Awesome thanks!

    Reply
    • Jess

      June 04, 2023 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      You can also cut the apple slices and “rinse” them in pineapple juice. We meal prep and do this with apple slices then put them in containers and they last at least the whole work week… not sure if they last longer, or not, since my kids devour them haha.

      Reply
  3. Nikki

    April 24, 2023 at 2:41 pm

    Can you store washed strawberries and grapes tofu in refrigerator?

    Reply
    • Nikki

      April 24, 2023 at 2:43 pm

      *together

      Reply
    • Jessica

      April 25, 2023 at 1:03 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  4. Grace Keenan

    March 26, 2023 at 8:24 am

    Can I uses the 4 to1 fruit wash on oranges. I discovered a lump of a spoiled mandarin orange in my refrigerator yesterday. My daughter says use bleach instead of vinegar. Hope you can respond quickly

    Reply
    • Sarah

      April 07, 2023 at 10:17 am

      I haven’t tried it but I’m guessing that it would work on oranges as well since Vinegar has antifungal and antibacterial properties!

      Reply
  5. Abbey

    March 05, 2023 at 6:24 am

    5 stars
    This is very helpful!

    Reply
  6. Marie

    January 05, 2023 at 12:03 pm

    5 stars
    A great idea. Beats washing one bunch at a time. Thanks

    Reply
  7. Lance

    May 23, 2022 at 3:45 pm

    The instructions say to use three parts water to one part vinegar, but every other place on this page including the igredients says to use four parts water to one part vinegar.

    Reply
  8. Jenee

    February 26, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! I have been wanting to try this for a few months because all my fruit goes bad so quickly (hubs buys it from Costco but it doesn’t last long enough to eat). I was wondering if you would use the same mixture for more than once in a day? I have berries and then grapes, but it won’t all fit in one. I know I can make more, but I can’t always run out and get more vinegar. Also, would you keep the grapes on the vine during the soak?

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jessica

      March 02, 2022 at 1:04 pm

      Hey Jenee! Yes, you can use the same bath back to back, that should be fine. I typically pick my grapes off before but that is personal preference, keeping them on should work fine as well!

      Reply
  9. Jenna Munday

    December 09, 2021 at 10:10 am

    5 stars
    This article is so useful! I have been aware that I need to store my fruits (and vegetables) in a more efficient way and this has been one of the few really practical articles that I’ve come across in my research :)

    Reply
    • Jessica

      December 13, 2021 at 2:54 pm

      You just made our day! Thanks so much Jenna!

      Reply
  10. Jodi

    September 08, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    The recipe says 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar, but you said 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar above the recipe.

    Reply
    • Jessica

      September 08, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      Either would work fine, but I do 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Thanks for noting that, we will fix it!

      Reply
  11. Anna McNamara

    August 06, 2020 at 8:00 am

    5 stars
    You saved my fruit thank you!!

    Reply
  12. Kimberly

    July 29, 2020 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    This is a great idea and I love doing it all at once.

    Reply

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Hey! We're Sarah and Jessica. We're BFF's and have known each other since we were 5 years old. This blog is our place to share all of our best recipes, tips, crafts and DIY projects.

You can read more about us on our about page and find us on instagram! We love making new friends.

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