Key takeaways
- Rinse potatoes under cold running water and scrub them with a firm brush to remove dirt.
- Peel potatoes after rinsing and scrubbing to further reduce pesticide residues.
- If you want to eat the skins, soften potatoes in some vinegar for three parts water and scrub.
As a late harvest season is Veggie, potatoes are one of the few products I still have fresh from the farmers market. And when stored correctly, these spud should be through me through a great deal of winter.
However, these root vegetables can be one of the hardest to clean, especially if they come straight from the yard cocked with mud or dirt. I have also heard that potatoes can be more susceptible to lingering pesticide residues than other vegetables. I talked to a food scientist to get the necessary information about this and the best ways to fully clean potatoes.
Dirt and pesticides on potatoes
The amount of dirt on potatoes purchased from the supermarket or directly from a farmer can vary greatly. Often, grocery potatoes (and usually those from the farmers market) are pre -washed and will not be sporty lumps of dirt that you would see if they were pulled right from the ground. But if you grow your own potatoes or buying from certain farmers, your dirt may very well be stubbornly maintained for your spud.
Remains of potato pesticide are a little harder to measure as they are invisible to the naked eye. “The ‘Dirty Dozen’ is an annual list released by Environmental Working Group (EWG), which highlights the fruits and vegetables that are most contaminated with pesticide residues to help consumers make informed choices to buy organic or conventionally cultivated products,” says Abbey Thiel, PhD, a food scientist, consultant and education.
Potatoes are on the dirty dozen list for 2025 due to concern for pesticide residues if they have not grown organically. This is because their skin is often eaten and exposed to soil that can be sprayed with chemical pesticides.
Don’t let this fact control you away from these nutrient -tight starchy vegetables. “Personally, I think it’s better to focus on eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and not emphasizing too much about whether they are on the dirty dozen list. Critics say it often exaggerates the risk of ignoring security threats set by agencies such as the environmental protection agency (EPA),” Thiel explains. “Washing your products goes a long way.”
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How to wash potatoes to remove dirt and pesticides
There are a handful of ways to wash your potatoes when you return from the grocery store or farm that can both remove dirt and reduce pesticide levels.
The simplest and easiest way is to peel your potatoes after a rinsing under the faucet as it is important to remove all large dirt lumps before peeling. “Wash the potatoes under cold running water and with a firm brush or your hands loosen any dirt on the skin,” Thiel explains.
But if you want to enjoy the taste (and reap nutritional benefits) of potato skins, there are other washing methods that can help lower pesticide residues, including softening. “Either a commercial products wash or mix some white vinegar for three parts water will do the job. Let the potatoes soak in these solutions for five to 10 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing,” says Thiel. This should make the removal of dirt far easier while reducing pesticide residues.
Although there is no way to tell if all pesticide tracks are removed from your taters at home, these tactics should help significantly. But if pesticides are a significant concern for you, choose organic potatoes or better yet grow them at home.