When Storing Bananas, Start By Giving Them A Rinse

It's common practice for many, as they unpack their groceries, to give berries, grapes, and even apples a quick rinse or a little vinegar bath to clean off pesticides and kill bacteria spores that lead to faster rotting. But have you ever considered rinsing your bananas? It sounds outlandish, right — because why would such a thick-skinned fruit need a wash when you don't even eat the peel?

It just so happens that if you struggle with fruit flies in your kitchen, it could be because you're not rinsing off your bananas. It's not that those pests are interested in eating the fruit, so much, since they can't actually reach it through the peel; rather, as the bananas ripen in the stores, the flies are attracted by the yeast given off, and they stick around for any bacteria or molds that might be on the peels, too.

They make themselves so at home that they can actually lay their eggs on the bananas, and unsuspecting shoppers take them home, only to find fruit flies all over their cabinet doors a few days later when the eggs hatch. So the very best way to combat this is to remove any plastic wrap over the stems and run tap water over your bananas for about 30 seconds.

You know the saying — an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If fruit flies drive you up a wall when they're present in your home, in addition to rinsing your bananas (and stashing them in the fridge once they ripen), you can also store them in mesh bags or get a mesh covering to go over your fruit bowl. This will help keep any fruit flies that find their way into your kitchen away from your produce, so they can't lay their eggs on it and multiply.

Also, be on top of any overripe or rotten fruit that you might keep on your counter; either freeze it or toss it out. And make sure your garbage can lid is secure to keep the flies from getting in and laying their eggs in your waste bin; if you're throwing away overripe or rotten fruit, it's probably a good idea to just take the garbage out. It's also helpful to keep your kitchen clean to ward off insects of all kinds; that means keeping dirty dishes from accumulating in your sink, and wiping down your countertops daily to remove any leftover crumbs of food.