Do you want to buy the PodBloom Produce Cleaner? thisplease don’t do so yet. Like you, I also saw Ads for this fruit and vegetable cleaner, but this time around I knew it didn’t live up to the hype.
In April of this year, I bought and used a similar produce cleaner called PurePod.
First thing you need to know is that PodBloom is being sold for an expensive price. This exact produce cleaner is sold on Amazon for $24 instead of the $59 on podbloomstore.com & get-podbloom.com (which they claim is a 70% discount price).
Table of Contents
What is PodBloom?
PodBloom is a Produce Cleaner designed in a compact and rechargeable device. It’s said to help remove dirt, debris, pesticides, and residue from fruits, vegetables, seafood, and even meat using OH-ion purification technology.
The idea behind this invention is simple; save yourself the stress of soaking your produce in vinegar or scrubbing endlessly under running water. With PodBloom, you simply place the device into a bowl or sink of water, let it run through its cleaning cycle, and then rinse your produce afterward.
The most convincing part of the advertising is usually what happens afterwards. The water changes colour, sometimes becoming yellow or cloudy, making it look as though all sorts of disgusting things have been pulled from the produce.
This was exactly the reason why I found myself placing an order for this device few months ago. As a stay at home mom of three toddlers, I needed something that helps cut down my meal preparation time.
My experience using this fruit and vegetable cleaner
The first thing I cleaned with it was strawberries because if you have kids, you already know strawberries somehow vanish the second they enter the house. I filled a bowl with water, added the strawberries, placed the devie inside, and let it run.
After some minutes, the device started bubbling away, and before long, the water began changing colour. This is the part that looks very impressive in the advertisements.
But when I took the strawberries out and actually looked at them, I honestly could not see any dramatic difference. They looked pretty much like strawberries that had been sitting in water. There was no obvious dirt floating around.
But then I decided to do one more test. This time, I filled the bowl with clean water and turned on the PodBloom without putting any strawberries, tomatoes, or any other produce inside.
And this was where the whole thing fell apart for me.
The device still bubbled. The water still changed colour. It produced a reaction that looked very similar to what I had just seen when the strawberries and tomatoes were inside.
So I had to ask myself a very simple question: If the water can turn brown without any produce in it, then what exactly am I supposed to believe the brown water proves?
Is PodBloom better than PurePod?
In my opinion, PodBloom appears to be essentially the same product previously marketed as PurePod.
The design, the electrolysis concept and the way the product is advertised are remarkably similar. PurePod also relied heavily on videos showing water changing colour and suggesting that the device was removing dirt, pesticides and other contaminants from produce.
However, PurePod attracted a number of negative customer complaints, including people questioning whether it actually worked and whether it really removed the grime and contaminants shown in the advertisements.
Now we have PodBloom, which appears to be the same type of device with a different name and fresh marketing.
I cannot say with certainty, without direct company records, that PodBloom is legally the same company as PurePod. But as a consumer, the similarities are difficult to ignore.
And considering my own test results, changing the name does not make the product any more convincing.
Better Alternatives
Instead of falling for the gimmicks of these devices that don’t actually clean produces as claimed, get this liquid mineral based fruit and veggie cleaner on Amazon for $19.
It’s called ‘Originally Yellow’, a natural non-toxic produce cleaner made in USA. This is what I and my family have been using this past few weeks. It is an extra protection from pesticides & everyone’s grubby fingers touching your future food in the store. It uses minerals to clean your fruit & vegetables.
It does need to sit on/soak your food for about 15 minutes, so I like to just wash everything when I bring it home from the store instead of mixing this up every time I want a snack. It does not leave a taste on my food, which was my biggest worry. It does seem to make fruits last longer. To maintain their freshness.
Pros
There are a few things I liked about PodBloom.
- It is small and easy to use.
- It is rechargeable.
- You do not need to keep buying cleaning solutions or replacement cartridges.
Cons
- I did not find any convincing proof that it actually removed dirt from my strawberries
- The water changed colour even when I tested it without any produce.
- It is expensive for what is essentially a small electrolysis gadget.
- The advertising relies heavily on a visual effect that I personally found misleading after testing it.
- I would still wash my fruits and vegetables normally afterwards, which makes me question why I need the device in the first place.
Does PodBloom really work?
In simple terms, it does not work as advertised, and I would personally call it a scam.
That is my honest opinion after testing it.
The entire appeal of PodBloom seems to revolve around watching your clean water turn cloudy and believing that you have just removed a horrifying amount of dirt, pesticides and contaminants from your food.
But when I ran the same device in a bowl of water without strawberries, tomatoes or any other produce, and still got a similar reaction, I simply could not take that demonstration seriously anymore.
Maybe there are legitimate chemical reactions taking place in the water.
Maybe electrolysis has useful applications.
But does watching the water turn brown yellow that PodBloom has removed all sorts of contaminants from your fruits and vegetables?
Is PodBloom worth it?
For me personally, no.
It may look like a clever little gadget for your kitchen, but based on my experience, I think it is an overpriced device that actually does nothing.
So, if you are thinking of buying one because you have seen those shocking videos of brown water supposedly full of dirt and contaminants from fruit and vegetables, my advice is to be very careful.
Do not let cloudy water alone convince you that something has been cleaned.
My rating: 1.5 out of 5. I would not buy it again, and I do not recommend it.