Can you wash fruits and vegetables in the dishwasher? Expert weighs in

Is it a hack or a hack job?

Lara, who goes by @larad_official on TikTok, revealed a quirky kitchen hack that her mom uses to clean a bulk of fruits and vegetables.

“I’m trying to wash my fruit and vegetables in the dishwasher,” the content creator’s mom admits online. “Why not?”

In the one-minute clip uploaded on June 1 , Lara captures her mother, who doesn’t disclose her name, loading the KitchenAid dishwasher with several fruits and vegetables.

The dishwasher, which has three tray levels, was packed with celery, carrots, tomatoes, apples, limes, oranges, lemons, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, and dragon fruits.

“This is new to me,” Lara captioned the viral clip with 4.1 million views.

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Her mother claims the dishwasher isn’t only for dishes; it can be used to clean her produce with distilled white vinegar so she doesn’t have to wash it herself.

Lara is shocked to find out her mother has run the rinse cycle more than once to get her veggies and fruits crisp and clean.

“I feel like it [needs] more cleaning because so many people touch it,” her mom shared.

She believes fruits and vegetables need a deeper cleaning in the dishwasher than dishes that only her family touches.

The fruitwash expert uses cold water to rinse the items, but her daughter couldn’t comprehend how this hack could work.

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In a follow-up video , Lara disrupts the dishwasher cycle to test the water temperature, which was proven to be cold.

“When I say believe, I mean, believe me, I know what I’m doing,” she scolded her daughter.

Lara unveiled the final results of the fruit wash showing how the produce came out dry and clean. The items were so pristine her mother even took a Bugs Bunny crunch out of the carrot.

After watching the TikTok clip many people online trust and believe the fruit wash hack.

“Your mom just created a trend for the lazy people, and we are in love!” gushed a watcher.

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“Wow! This lady is amazing. Thinking outside of the box or dishwasher,” one person commented.

“A fruitwasher?! Been doing it wrong the whole time,” wrote a jokester.

“My countertop dishwasher actually has a fruit wash setting and basket!” added another.

“I need to see results,” demanded a TikToker. “This could be a game changer.”

Meanwhile, Matthew Taylor, MCIEH, CEnvH, the senior manager and consulting lead for the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), claims that while the dishwasher hack is convenient, using the traditional handwashing method is safer.

“Washing any food items in the dishwasher, including fruits and vegetables, can lead to serious food safety risks and is not recommended,” Taylor previously told The Kitchn .

“Even if you wash the produce without the detergent present, residues of the chemical can permeate fruits and vegetables as well as leftover debris and grime that could remain in the dishwasher.”

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