If you’re like most people, when you bring fresh produce home from the grocery store, you probably give it a quick rinse under tap water, shake off the excess, and pop it into the fridge. In fact, some folks skip the rinse altogether. But after learning what I’m about to share, you might rethink how you clean your produce—especially strawberries.

Recently, a viral trend on TikTok has shed light on what really lurks beneath the surface of those juicy red berries. The method is simple: submerge your strawberries in a bowl of salt water. Start by dissolving some salt in a bowl of water, then place your strawberries in the solution. While some TikTok users recommend letting them sit for about five minutes, others suggest soaking them for as long as an hour. Once the time is up, rinse the berries, pat them dry, and take a peek at the bowl. What you’ll see might surprise you—tiny bugs that the salt has drawn out of the strawberries. Yikes!

For those who want to take this cleaning method a step further, some users advocate adding a splash of distilled vinegar to the salt water mixture. This addition not only helps to remove bugs but also eliminates dirt and bacteria that could be hiding in your strawberries. Just remember to rinse them thoroughly afterward—you definitely don’t want your berries tasting like salt or vinegar!

While the thought of bugs in your strawberries is undeniably unsettling, it’s better to know they’re there and get rid of them. I can honestly say that I wasn’t this thorough when washing my strawberries before, but you can bet I will be from now on!

Feature image source: TikTok/@callmekristatorres