IEHL: apparently bugs come out of your strawberries when you put them in salt water

Now that corona has taught us how to wash our hands REALLY well (or at least, I hope it has), it may also be time for the next step: washing your fruit REALLY well. Rinsing the lot under a stream of water may not be enough. At least, that’s what the viral videos currently doing the rounds on TikTok seem to suggest.

The videos advise washing your strawberries (and other berries) not just by rinsing them with water, but by washing them in salt water, optionally with a splash of vinegar. The footage doesn’t lie: when you do that, all kinds of tiny bugs come out. As in: moving bugs. Living bugs. Spiders, maggots, insects.

@callmekristatorresWAIT FOR IT… Still trying to think happy thoughts today. ##fyp ##foryou ##strawberrieswithbugs ##bugsinstrawberries ##rednoseday ##got2bhome♬ original sound – callmekristatorres

‘Nothing to worry about’

If we are to believe CNN, there is not much to worry about. Yes, maggots and spiders can be seen, but according to experts, they are harmless and unavoidable. “If you eat fresh vegetables and fruit, you eat insects,” says entomologist Greg Loeb. “There are simply organisms living on your fruit. Don’t worry, it won’t make you ill, and simply washing your fruit really is enough.”

Better safe than sorry

Are you still skeptical and would rather be safe than sorry? Then you can follow the TikTokers’ advice. Although… their advice does differ quite a bit: one says soaking for 5 minutes is enough, while another talks about at least half an hour. And although some say cold water is perfectly fine, it does seem sensible to use warm water to dissolve the salt.

@thatnatchatsy’all better WASH your strawberries ‼️?? Comment what I should look at next! ✨? ##fyp ##foryou ##science♬ Don’t Start Now – Dua Lipa

Note: don’t forget to rinse the strawberries afterwards. Unless you were in the mood for a salty snack, of course.

Read also:

• Recipe: drunken strawberries with tequila
• Strawberry drive-in: 2 hours in traffic for fresh strawberries
• Yes! Strawberry madeleines!