Bananas will stay ripe and yellow for 15 days with 'simple' water hack

There's nothing more irritating than buying a bunch of bananas, only for them to turn brown within a few days. Many people may rely on the classic trick of wrapping the stems in cling film to extend their freshness, or keeping them nice and firm in the fridge. However, it turns out there's another method that might just keep the fruit in perfect condition for much longer, and it involves placing them in water.

An Express reader gained some attention in the past by commenting on the hack. They said: "A simple and cheaper way of making bananas last longer is to immerse the stalk end in water.

"Ours keep for 10 to 14 days when stored like that, rather than three to four days in a fruit bowl on their own or on a banana hook."

This hack has also been carried out by a TikTok creator who shared the results online.

Dustin Hadley, who shares life hacks with his followers on the app, is no stranger to testing out new hacks.

In one of his experiments, he tested the water method for himself, posting the results on his TikTok account @that40yearguy.

He said: "I've never done a week-long test, we're going to try this banana hack to see if they stay fresh for longer."

He then went on to place one bunch of banana stalks in a tub of water while leaving another bunch beside it, leaving them for one week.

Dustin returned after 12 days and said, "Let's see what these bananas look like; they've been here for 12 days.

"The bananas with stems in the water were yellow with lots of brown spots and still attached. They were solid and firm.

"The bananas that had been left on the side, not in water, I tried to pick up from the stem, but it snapped off and peeled open the banana before dropping to the floor."

This method works especially well for bananas purchased when they are still green.

The content creator found that this technique kept the bananas fresh and ripe for 15 days.

However, if you don't want a banana water bowl lying around your kitchen, the cling film method could work well.