Hey! Do you know how to clean cabbage? Cabbage is one of the most common vegetables that people make dishes with. It’s easy to cook, store, and eat. It can also be a good source of fiber and vitamins. However, it suffers from the same problem as many other vegetables: it can get slimy and moldy when it sits in water for too long.
Why need to clean cabbage?
Unwanted mold on cabbage is not only unsightly and unpleasant, but it can also make you sick if you’ve eaten it. Moldy cabbage can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that most under-five-year-old children get sick from eating contaminated food.
Eaten undercooked, moldy cabbage can also cause vomiting and diarrhea. Cabbage leaves are often contaminated with E. coli bacteria that cause sickness if eaten.
What is needed to clean cabbage?
- A medium-sized head of cabbage
- Water
- A bowl
- Salt
- A colander or strainer
- Baking soda (optional)

How to clean cabbage in 4 steps?
A few people store their cabbage in the refrigerator, but this is a bad idea since the common temperature in the refrigerator is between 4-8 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s too cold for food to stay fresh). There are many concerns about storing food in the fridge. For one thing, it can make your food spoil faster than it would normally.
- The first step is to wash the cabbage. Wash it with clean tap water. If you have a salad spinner, you can use it to remove the excess water from it.
- The second step is to remove the dirty outer leaves and then cut the cabbage into chunks.
- The third step is to put the cabbage chunks into a large bowl. You need to add some amount of salt and mix it with cabbage firmly. Then, you should leave the bowl in a cool area for about 2 hours. When you return after two hours, you will probably find that the juicier parts of the cabbage have separated from the harder parts where molds can be found more easily. If you want to remove the slimy layer easily, you can use baking soda instead of salt.
- The fourth step is to rinse the cabbage under running water. If you want to make the rinsed water cleaner, you can remove all the excess salt from it.
How to easily clean cabbage worms?
- Remove the cabbage from the ground.
- Place the cabbage in a bowl and cover it with boiling water for about 5 minutes.
- The next step is to remove the worms from it by putting them into a bowl filled with water and ice.
- After this, you can rinse them out of the leaves one by one with water and then either cook the cleaned leaves or use them to make other tasty dishes like soups, stew, side dishes, etc.
How to properly wash cabbage with salt?
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and next put them into a bowl filled with water.
- Then, add some amount of salt to the water.
- After this, leave the bowl in a cool place for about 2 hours.
- Rinse with clean water and remove any remaining salt and debris on it with a damp cloth or paper towel.
- You can wash it again with clean water and leave it in a cool place or put it into a refrigerator to keep it fresh.
How to properly clean cabbage with vinegar?
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage.
- Wash cabbage with running water for about 30 seconds and then pat dry.
- Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar to the bowl of water used for washing the cabbage (you may add more or less depending on how strong you think the smell is). This is to help prevent odors from escaping into the rest of your house.
- If the cabbage has a stronger odor, you may consider soaking it for about an hour in a bowl of water with 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar in it.
- Let the cabbage soak for about an hour and rinse and use as you would normally after that.
How to easily clean savoy cabbage?
- Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and next, cut off the bottom of it.
- Now, cut both sides of the cabbage into slices before chopping it into thin strips.
- Put them in a bowl and add some amount of water and then sprinkle some salt on it and stir it with your hands.
- After this, leave the bowl in a cool place for about 2 hours.
- After two hours, you should rinse the cabbage with clean water and remove any remaining salt and debris on it with a damp cloth or paper towel.
- You can wash it again with clean water and leave it in a cool place or put it into a refrigerator to keep it fresh.
This method of washing cabbage can be used for other cabbage varieties like savoy cabbage, etc.

Frequently asked some questions about how to clean cabbage
Do you need to wash the inside of the cabbage?
Yes. Leaves are delicate and they’re exposed to a lot of dirt or other contaminants. When you eat the leaves without washing them, you can ingest dirt or other contaminants into your body.
So if you want to chop them up and eat them fresh, then you should wash the cabbage before doing so.
How do you clean cabbage before cutting?
You can clean the cabbage that you’re about to cut by putting the latter into a bowl of water. Then, sprinkle some salt on it and stir it with your hands. You can also use a vegetable brush or an old toothbrush to clean it before slicing.
How to easily clean cabbage worms?
- Remove the cabbage from the ground.
- Place the cabbage in a bowl and cover it with boiling water for about 5 minutes.
- The next step is to remove the worms from it by putting them into a bowl filled with water and ice.
- After this, you can rinse them out of the leaves one by one with water and then either cook the cleaned leaves or use them to make other tasty dishes like soups, stew, side dishes, etc.
How do you get rid of bacteria in cabbage?
Obviously, you should not put the cabbage in your basket if it is really dirty or has a smell because you will just contaminate it. You can then wash and clean it properly after cutting or chopping it.
How do you chop cabbage without cutting bacteria?
You can cut the cabbage without cutting any bacteria by using a knife and chopping tools such as a chef’s knife or a vegetable chopper. You can also place the cabbage inside a bowl of water and let this sit there while you’re doing your work.
video credit: Criefarmywife Tv
Conclusion of how to clean cabbage:
These methods and tips on how to clean cabbage are some of the most useful ones for you. These are simple and easy to perform, so you don’t have to stress out too much about how to clean cabbage or any other food that often contains bacteria. You can use these tips on cleaning cabbage easily as a reference guide because they’re proven highly effective.