Any harm in washing fruit bought at a market with normal bathroom (bar) soap?

Question

I was in a hotel in a foreign country and that was all there was available. Of course, I rinsed it well in running water before eating it. A compulsive friend was sickened by the concept. Am I nuts or is that an over-reaction?

I was in a hotel in a foreign country and that was all there was available. Of course, I rinsed it well in running water before eating it. Normally I just use water, but customers at the store in Prague did not use gloves to select fruit (or bread). A compulsive friend was sickened by the concept. Am I nuts or is that an over-reaction?

The soap was the bar I had been using myself in my hotel room, so I know what it'd been used for!

Answer 1

You are perfectly normal! I wash fruit with soap even at home because I don't like the thought of eating the wax and chemicals and such like. Grapes are a bit too fiddly though so they just get rinsed in plenty of water!!

Answer 2

I think using a bar of soap to wash fruit is over reacting. That I also find to be sickening. Secondly if you choose to do that its fine, but make sure its a new bar of soap. You know what bars of soap are used for, now why would you want to use soap to wash fruit off with?
Just wash the fruit off with water and its fine too eat. There is not need for soap.
You say that was all that was available yet you say you washed it off with water. So water was available so why not just wash the fruit off with water only? That's what most people do. Likewise you talked about the people at the market not using gloves to select the fruit. I don't know about there but where I buy my fruit lots of customers touch the fruit and they don't wear gloves. I just buy it and wash it off with water and its safe to eat.
Ok the bar of soap you used, I know it came from your room. However if you used the bar of soap to wash your body with then used the same bar to wash your fruit with. That could be why your friend found it to be sick.

Answer 3

Hey Alison,

If I were you, in the future, I would properly wash my fruit the way that all anal retentive people wash their fruit...

In the Hotel LAUNDRY! Use Tide and Hot water if you can!

Your friend is nuts in the fact that you are more likely to get e-coli from the use of Animal Fertilizers than you are from the Czechs not washing their hands first. Not to mention the parasites that your body isn't used to in the municipal water supply.

Why do you think in Mexico and South America they refer to the water as Montezumas Revenge.

James in San Diego

Answer 4

Why does everyone always say wash your hands good with soap and water yet only rinsing fruit with water is okay. Water only will magically get rid of any germs? If you want to clean it soap is okay.

Answer 5

depending on the country I might be more worried about the water than the soap, even counties like canada have problems with water contamination. I boil everything, especially water. Everybody thinks I am just a tea fanatic.

Answer 6

It is ok if you use soap to wash your fruit however you must make sure that you get it all off or you can make your self sick :[

Answer 7

Normal people just wash fruit or vegetables in running water. There is no need to launder them.

Answer 8

i think its cool, i dont even use soap to wash fruti, i just let water run over it.

i actualy eat soap in small quantities, it is very good for digestion purposes, SMALL QUANTATIES ONLY

Answer 9

what country? most soaps are safe to eat -- but if you were in zimbabwe or something then i wouldn't know. most prepackaged food is washed in chemical baths -- if more people knew where their food had been they might not eat it.

Answer 10

I dont think there is anything wrong with it as long as you rinsed it well