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    Vinegar Fruit Wash

    Home » Tips » Vinegar Fruit Wash

    Published: May 31, 2023 by Sarah · This post may contain affiliate links · 26 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!
    4.89 from 9 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 WashVinegar Fruit Wash
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      Recipe Rating




    1. James

      October 09, 2024 at 5:14 am

      4 stars
      Do I need to rinse the vinegar/ water solution off the fruit before drying? The steps say to soak the solution but don’t tell us to remove the soaking mixture off.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        October 15, 2024 at 11:29 am

        No, you don't need to!

        Reply
    2. Cindy

      January 08, 2024 at 2:35 pm

      In the glass container, covered or open?

      Reply
      • Sarah

        January 08, 2024 at 8:36 pm

        Covered!

        Reply
    3. 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!

    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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
    7. Abbey

      March 05, 2023 at 6:24 am

      5 stars
      This is very helpful!

      Reply
    8. Marie

      January 05, 2023 at 12:03 pm

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

      Reply
    9. 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
    10. 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
    11. 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
    12. 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
    13. Anna McNamara

      August 06, 2020 at 8:00 am

      5 stars
      You saved my fruit thank you!!

      Reply
    14. 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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