The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases annually in the U.S.

Produce accounts for 46% of those cases. And germs on fresh produce — such as listeria, salmonella, and E. coli — are frequently the agents.

One potential source of contamination that you may overlook is the rind or skin that you don't eat  on fruits such as melons, avocados, and oranges and other citrus. Their surfaces can carry bacteria that are transferred onto edible inner flesh when you cut through them.

One FDA study found listeria on the skin of almost 18% of avocados tested.

The smart move is to scrub all uncut firm produce, such as potatoes, avocados, citrus, cucumbers, and melons, with a clean brush under running tap water. Other fruits and vegetables can be effectively cleaned by rinsing with cold, running water.

When done washing, dry with a clean paper towel.

Do not wash any produce with soap, bleach, sanitizer, alcohol, disinfectant, or other commercial produce washers or chemicals. You'll potentially do yourself a lot more harm than good. In addition, salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, and lime juice are not effective at removing germs on produce.

As for "pre-washed" greens or other produce, research shows you do not need to wash that at all. If you do, you risk introducing contamination that (for instance) lurks in your sink. It can get there from raw meat products, even if you don't wash them — which you should not do.