The Pantry Staple That Will Keep Your Salad Spinner Sparkling Clean

Whether it's removing excess moisture from lettuce or cleaning berries, there are many uses for your salad spinner. However, if you're not careful, the spinner itself may not be getting squeaky-clean — even if you wash it after every use. With this in mind, many home cooks have turned to a pantry staple to help them clean this popular kitchen tool: a spritz of white vinegar.

Fruits, vegetables, and herbs can pick up all kinds of undesirables on their way from the field to your home. Rinsing with water helps remove dirt and other residue before they get to your table, but it can also leave produce too wet. If you want crispy greens that will adhere to salad dressings without leaving puddles on your plate, then, a salad spinner is the way to go. Just a few quick twirls are all it takes for centripetal force to separate the extra water from your food.

Now, while many contaminants get washed away in the rinsing and cleaning process, some can end up in the drainage holes or crevices of the spinner (and are much too tiny for you to see). As a result, it can be challenging to effectively clean the whole surface. That's where the vinegar comes in.

At just pennies per ounce, vinegar is an inexpensive way to get a cleaner kitchen. It won't leave any residue on your produce like soap can — and even if it did, it's also a key ingredient in many salad dressing recipes! Additionally, it's non-toxic, biodegradable, and one of the most effective disinfectants around. Regular white vinegar contains about 5% acetic acid, which destroys the cell structures of bacteria and viruses, claiming a 99% kill rate in a fairly short timespan.

To disinfect your salad spinner, first spray it with water to dislodge as much dirt and bacteria as possible. Next, use a spray bottle to mist it with vinegar, going over both the inside and outside (including all the drainage holes). Allow it to rest in the sink for about 10 minutes so the vinegar can work its magic, then give it one final rinse of water and pat it dry.

Remember: bacteria needs moisture to survive, so make sure your salad spinner is completely dry before putting it away. Next time you pull it out, you can be confident that you're giving your salad a fresh, clean start.