We’ve all faced the dilemma of buying a bunch of bananas only to have them turn brown and mushy within a few days. While many people rely on the classic trick of wrapping the stems in cling film to extend their freshness, it turns out there’s another method that might just keep bananas in perfect condition for even longer: immersing them in water. A helpful recommendation from an Express reader garnered some attention in the past: “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 the three or four days in a fruit bowl on their own or on a banana hook.” This seemingly simple tip might sound too good to be true, but one TikTok content creator carried out an experiment to put it to the test; and the results were eye-opening.

Dustin Hadley, who shares life hacks with his half a million followers on TikTok, is no stranger to testing new ideas.

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

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

For the test, Dustin placed one bunch of banana stalks in a tub of water while leaving another bunch beside it, unmoistened, and let them sit for a week.

After 12 days, Dustin returned to check the bananas and shared the results with his followers, saying: “Let’s see what these bananas look like; they’ve been here for 12 days.”

The bananas that had their stems submerged in water were still firm, with a few brown spots on the peel but no significant signs of over-ripening.

He said: “The bananas with stems in the water were yellow with lots of brown spots and still attached. They were solid and firm.”

In contrast, the bananas left out on the counter were a different story: “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.”

The peel had turned a darker brown, and the fruit inside was mushy and overripe; what Dustin described as “shrivelled up.”

This method works especially well for bananas purchased while still green. In this case, Dustin found that with this technique, bananas can remain fresh for up to 15 days.

However, if you find this method doesn’t suit your kitchen, the tried-and-true cling film method is still a reliable option.