All
  • All
  • Products
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • Conversations
  • Social

Do You Wash Bananas Before Eating Them?

by 34

Ever since I heard that you should wash bananas and other fruits before peeling them, I can't eat a banana without giving it a rinse first. Considering all of the hands and surfaces that the fruit comes into contact with, I'd hate to transfer any of those germs from my hands to my food. How about you?


Source

FoodPollProduceBananasWash ProduceWash Bananas

34 Comments

In Australia we sometimes had a wax tip on our bananas... Kinda looks like a dick D:
Of course i don't wash a banana before i eat it. I've never heard anything so daft in all my life. it's ocd gone crazy. people need to lighten up.
VeeKeeTee VeeKeeTee
i don't because i feel like the peel keeps the germ out? maybe i should
ElleJay ElleJay
Um whhhaat?? I'm pretty OCD with germs but I do not and will not wash a banana skin before peeling!!
sparklestar sparklestar
I like my healthy immune system, thanks. I won't wash bananas.
I thought the world had gone crazy when I saw the headline, but I'm glad to see so many sensible comments and the poll results.
cherryblossom cherryblossom
ITS A BANANA you dont eat the skin, and its enclosed in a skin, even doctors say its pointless to wash a banana..i mean come on its prewrapped for you, nothing can get on it, so why wash it? youre just going to peel it anyway.
sundaygreen sundaygreen
Do you REALISE how many germs are on your hands all the time? You come in contact with objects all day that have germs on them. Like washing a banana is going to help, honestly Of course basic sanitation is a must, don't go to the toilet without washing your hands afterward otherwise you're just gross. But washing a banana? Seems a bit obsessive to me.
imLissy imLissy
Yeah, um, fit, I think you have a small obsession with washing bananas. It's a little freaky.
chameleon7 chameleon7
Not trying to be a b*tch, but why does this question/article keep being posted? If seem to be post again and again every few weeks or so. This time there are more people saying they do not wash bananas then the times before. I have to agree with most people here. I do not wash them and see no reason to. There seem to be more people who are afraid of germs nowadays, germs can be helpful than harmful.
Pistil Pistil
I'm sure I've stuck far worse things in my mouth than a dirty banana. Always ask someone you love before you put anything in your mouth.
Zulkey Zulkey
this also does nothing to address the more pressing banana-related danger: peel slippage.
darc5204 darc5204
Chouette does make a brilliant point. So does AZDaisy. This accomplishes nothing.
Spectra Spectra
Yeah, a lot of people don't really understand bacteria very well, do they? If you have a healthy flora of bacteria in your body/system, harmful bacteria don't grow because the other bacteria crowd them out and stop them from reproducing. That being said, I do not wash bananas before I eat them...I peel the skin down and bite directly into the pretty much sterile fruit. BTW, one thing they tell people with OCD that obsessively wipe silverware off with the napkins at restaurants is: "You do realize that you're just rearranging the germs, right?" So yeah, a few good ol' Gram positive bacteria are actually not a bad thing for your body. Germophobia is so overkill...just wash your hands a reasonable number of times per day and you'll be fine.
lemuse20 lemuse20
oh and Chouette4u, you raise an excellent point :D
lemuse20 lemuse20
I had a banana this morning ...and I didn't wash it. I will say at the back of my mind I did ponder where it's been and I did carefully peel it so I didn't touch much of the outside... And I think about potatos (I eat sweet all the time) that have literally been lying in dirt, and even though I scrub them I'm sure there's still dirt there. Ohhhh well!
tlsgirl tlsgirl
I don't touch it after peeling it, and I've been eating them without rinsing my whole life, so no, I don't rinse it. So far I haven't contracted any rare tropical banana diseases.
misskacie misskacie
(I should note that I understand you wash the peel, but it'll still get water on my 'naner. I'm not talented enough to avoid that!)
misskacie misskacie
A slimy, wet banana? Gross! I'll take my chances and build up my body's immune system with a little bacteria, thanks.
tsp tsp
i love the saying you've got to eat a pound of dirt before you die. i think there are reasonable lengths to go to in avoiding germs, and there is overkill. i agree with the people who said that challenging the immune system is important. exposure to certain germs isn't the worst thing. i never wash fruit with inedible skins (bananas/oranges). I never get a flu shot. I rarely get sick.
Chouette4u Chouette4u
If you're supposed to wash the outside of bananas, doesn't the same logic apply to any packaging of food you're eating? Should I spray the outside of my pretzel bag with Lysol before I open it?
mondaymoos mondaymoos
Sure don't. Guess I like to live dangerously like littlekaren. "No wonder rare diseases are spread". Hm... I'm going to go with probably DEFINITELY not. I can tell just based on my office that the reason is because the majority of people don't wash their *#$*&%$ hands.
Zulkey Zulkey
I find germophobia tedious. Should you wash your hands after you use the bathroom and so on? yes. But you can't avoid everything. Just think of each time you handle cash and all the places it's been before you. I am going to eat an orange with lunch today and not wash that at all. I live on the edge!
cmill38 cmill38
you know i've never thought about washing bananas, but now that you mention it i certain will. i worry about other germs so why not on bananas?
AZDaisy AZDaisy
Does just rinsing the piece of fruit actually kill germs? Or isn't it like rinsing your hands without soap...just spreading germs rather than killing them? Either way, no, I don't wash bananas.
Anna Wintour Says the US Pays More Attention to Anorexia Than Obesity
Does the US Pay More Attention to Obesity or Anorexia?
Classes For Overweight Students Only: Cool or Not?
Fitness Classes For Overweight Students Only: Cool or Not?