People divided over ‘genius’ dishwasher hack – expert issues warning

The weird and wonderful internet doesn’t have spread some bizarre ideas around. Some are decidedly less concerning than others, of course, and this is more on the ‘err… okay’ end of the spectrum than the ‘I think society might be collapsing’ one.

Essentially, social media users are spreading an idea around cleaning fruits and vegetables… in the dishwasher.

Dishwashers are miraculous devices, but naturally they aren’t designed to clean food so much as blast grease and food traces off your crockery and cutlery.

The ‘hack’ goes like this: bung your fruit and veg in the machine, then run it on a cold cycle. Of course, a dishwasher tablet isn’t recommended for this particular job, but you could chuck some vinegar in there for added cleaning power.

That's... one way to do it (Malikov Aleksandr/Getty Images)

It seemingly originated via a TikTok from Lara, or @lard_official, who filmed her mum loading up a dishwasher with carrots, celery, tomatoes and dragon fruit, among others plant products.

Lara quizzed her about it, pointing out that dishwashers are for dishes, to which she said: “No, it can clean my vegetables and fruit with vinegar.

"I think I feel more clean because so many people are touching [the produce].”

Rinsing your fruit and veg under a tap is more than suitable if you’re concerned about other people’s hands, insecticides, fertilisers and the like, of course.

In another video posted to Lara’s account, her mum can be seen opening the dishwasher to revealed the cleaned fruit and veg, with Lara herself noting that nothing has been ‘smushed’.

Some called the move ‘genius’ – the bar certainly seems low for that moniker these days, doesn’t it? – while others were quick to point out the potential issues.

“The tomatoes would disintegrate even with cold water,” said one comment.

“The pressure would destroy them,” added another. “Potatoes would probably be OK; everything else would be ruined.”

It’s been doing the rounds across social media, with a user in the ‘Mums Who Clean’ Facebook group asking: “Morning all, has anyone ever tried washing potatoes or fruit in the dishwasher in rinse mode only?”

“I wouldn't with potatoes because the dishwasher would be full of dirt,” said one reply. We can only presume this user has never cleaned any dirty dishes in her their own dishwasher for fear of dirt getting in there.

In case you needed an expert’s view on the idea, the FDA slapped it down in a statement made to Today.

“The FDA does not recommend utilizing kitchen appliances, such as the dishwasher, to wash produce safely and effectively,” said the FDA.

“The FDA only recommends washing produce thoroughly under running water.”

It continued: “The main concern is the introduction of residual chemical contaminants from detergents and rinse aids into the pores and natural crevices of the produce.”

A cold rinse under the tap should be sufficient (Viktoriya Skorikova/Getty Images)

Luke LaBorde, a Professor of Food Science at Penn State University, noted that the risks are low but the efficacy is probably limited.

“It could reduce soil deposits, but most dishwashers recirculate the water, making it unlikely to reduce harmful or spoilage microbes,” LaBorde told Today.

“There is a variety of vegetables; some don’t need much washing, others such as root crops could require more vigorous cleaning.

“Cool running water from the faucet is the recommendation for cleaning produce in the kitchen.”