If the package is labeled “prewashed,” you don't need to wash the fruit again, although you can if you like. Do not wash berries until you are ready to eat (or freeze) them.  Wash your hands well, along with your counter tops, sink, and cutting board. Wash fruit in cold or lukewarm running water. Warm or hot water may damage fruit. Scrub whole fruit (like apples and pears) gently with a soft-bristled brush, or just rub the fruit with your fingers. Use a commercial fruit-washing solution, if you like, but water should be sufficient. If you want to soak your fruit, use 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar and soak in the sink for 5 to 10 minutes. This may help extend the life of the fruit, but is entirely optional. When freezing fruit, be careful not to stack wet pieces on top of each other. You'll wind up with a big brick of frozen fruit that is difficult to eat – and even more difficult to share.  Wash your fruit before cutting it into pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. You can leave a little moisture, but the pieces should not be completely wet. Arrange your fruit pieces on a cookie sheet or large serving plate, on top of a layer of wax paper. Be sure the pieces aren't wedged too close together, or stacked on top of each other. Once your fruit pieces are completely frozen, you can transfer them into a tupperware container or a larger zip-lock freezer bag, and they won't stick together. Before freezing, skewer your fruit with toothpicks or popsicle sticks. Once frozen, your snacks will have little “handles” – making them easier to manage.  Insert one end of a popsicle stick into larger fruit pieces like banana halves. Use toothpicks in smaller treats like melon cubes, or mini popsicles made in ice cube trays. (Decorative toothpicks are especially festive – you can find these in the baking supplies section at the grocery store.) Store your fruit as far as possible away from raw meat, seafood, and poultry – meat juices can leak or drip onto fruit and contaminate it. Prevent this by storing your fruit above any meat in your refrigerator. Keep your fruit separate from meat in your shopping cart and in your shopping bags. Most fruits should be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit (about 4.5 degrees Celsius) or below. However, don't refrigerate tropical fruits, like mangoes, because the cool temperatures can cause shriveling, darkening, and an unpleasant flavor.  Refrigerate cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. Don't wash them until you are ready to eat (or freeze) them, as water may damage them. Store apples up to a week on your kitchen counter, or longer in the refrigerator. Store citrus fruit in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator. Keep melons in the refrigerator on a shelf – not the crisper drawer. Peaches, plums, nectarines, and other stone fruit should be ripened in a paper bag on a countertop, then moved to the refrigerator. Use separate cutting boards for meat, vegetables and fruits to avoid contamination. Clean your fruit cutting board before each use. To help you remember to keep cutting boards separate, buy a different color for each use. For example, a red one for raw meat, a green one for vegetables, and a yellow one for fruit. Before you prepare your fruit, be sure to wash it thoroughly. Many fruits are listed on the Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s “Dirty Dozen” list of foods most likely to be contaminated by pesticides. In order of potential danger from contaminants, these fruits are:  Strawberries. Apples. Nectarines. Peaches. Grapes. Cherries. Grapes. Blueberries.

Summary: Wash your fruit thoroughly. Keep frozen fruit pieces from fusing together. Try using toothpicks and popsicle sticks. Store your raw fruit correctly. Know which fruits to refrigerate. Designate a fruit-cutting board. Be aware of pesticides.


Have a partner help you slide your new tub into place. Feed the drain shoe into the hole in the floor, and set the rest of the tub down. Make sure the tub is level one more time before securing it to the wall. Make sure the tub is in full contact with the floor so the ledger boards aren’t supporting the full weight. Use screws or nails that are 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) long to secure the tub flange to the the studs. Work slowly so you don’t accidentally crack your tub. Put 1 nail or screw into each stud to keep it in place. Access your pipes from the hole you cut in the room adjacent to your bathtub. Use a pipe wrench to tighten the drain shoe to the P-trap until it’s completely secure. Squeeze a ring of silicone sealant around the pipe and P-trap for another layer of protection from leaks. If the faucet had a screw, put the faucet back on with a screwdriver and turn it clockwise. If the faucet screwed off by itself, twist it back on by hand and use a pipe wrench to secure the faucet in place completely. Let the sealant on your tub dry for 1 day so it’s completely set. Turn the water valve back on and let it fill the tub. Listen for any dripping noises and watch for any noticeable leaks near your drain or on your pipes. If you find any leaks, use more sealant around the leaking area. Check the drain shoe from the access panel you cut earlier so see if any water is leaking underneath your tub. Cut the pieces of drywall to the sizes of your gaps with a reciprocating saw. Hold the piece of drywall or backerboard against the studs so it covers the flange and there’s a 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) gap between the board and the tub. Use nails to secure the boards in place.  Drywall or backerboard can be purchased from your local hardware store. Don’t forget to install new drywall on the access panel you cut out from the other room. If you’re using tiles, mix tile mortar in a bucket based on the instructions on the packaging. Stir the mortar with a flat trowel and spread it on the drywall. Press the tiles onto the backerboard and hold it in place for 30 seconds. Use tiles that match the existing ones in your bathroom. Otherwise, you’ll have to retile the entire wall. For a fiberglass surround, set the entire piece in place so it covers the tub flange. Drive screws with an electric screwdriver into the divots along the sides and top of the surround so it’s secured to the studs. Once you’ve secured the tiles to the backerboard, place a thin bead of silicone around the bottom of the of the tiles to fill in the gap. Put the tip of the sealant dispenser into the gap, and pull the line slowly so it applies smoothly. Wipe any excess sealant away with your finger.
Summary: Slide the new tub in place so the flanges rest on the ledger boards. Screw or nail the tub into the studs. Connect the drain shoe to the pipes. Reattach the faucet. Fill the tub and test for leaks the day after it’s installed. Cover the exposed studs and flange with drywall or cement backerboard. Replace the surround. Seal the gap between the tile and tub with silicone sealant.