Influencer reveals gross aftermath from soaking strawberries in baking soda bath: ‘Water [is] always so dirty afterward’
One Instagrammer is advising produce lovers to make sure their fruit is totally clean with an easy hack — and your fruit will last longer, too.
The scoop
The account for Love of Earth Co. (@loveofearthco) shares sustainability tips on Instagram and sells plant-friendly products on their website — including a monthly box filled with sustainable goodies.
Their Instagram post revealed a hack to make your strawberries clean and ready to eat whenever you want and last longer overall.
The user recommends letting the strawberries soak in a bowl with cold water and baking soda. To some users’ surprise, the water in the bowl was left a shocking brown and yellow color from all of the dirt and pesticides that had been washed off.
One viewer commented that she uses the same trick, and said, “[The] water [is] always so dirty afterward.”
The rest of the hack suggested letting the strawberries completely dry and then placing them in a jar with a cloth to soak up extra moisture at the top and bottom of the jar.
“Baking soda helps remove dirt and pesticides from fruits and vegetables so make sure to always have some on hand,” they explain.
How it’s helping
This hack not only makes your produce last longer, but it also ensures that your fruits and veggies aren’t holding on to any toxic pesticides or dirt.
If you really want to get your money’s worth out of your strawberries, check out this hack to make strawberry vinegar out of your strawberry tops. Or, if you want to try your hand at growing your own strawberries, this article has a great hack to make sure you’re doing it cost-effectively.
The hack from Love of Earth Co. is a great way to cut down on food waste. Between 30-40% of all food is thrown away in the U.S., meaning that approximately 22% of trash is food that’s been tossed in the garbage.
Easy hacks like this are a great way to make sure your strawberries don’t end up like that. They’re much more enjoyable as a snack anyway.
What everyone’s saying
Some comments were glad to see such an easy hack.
“This is a great tip! Definitely going to try!” said one user.
Others were able to offer even more advice. One user had a great suggestion in case you still can’t get them eaten up in time, saying, “If you have berries that are about to go bad make some chia seed berry jelly/jam.”
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
