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Winnipeg influencer Heather Barnes has become the subject of heated online debate after revealing that she washes her carrots in a washing machine.

The social media star, known as Our Barnes Yard on Instagram, has amassed around 300,000 followers with posts about home life and lifestyle. Barnes regularly shares home ideas, renovation tips and DIY projects with her audience.

However, it was her latest “cooking hack” that left followers baffled.

In a new video, Barnes herself described what she was doing as “a little crazy” but urged her followers to trust her. “I always wash the carrots I grow in my garden in the washing machine... I’ve been doing this for years,” she said.

The influencer poured a load of dirt-covered carrots from a plastic container into the washing machine drum, closed the door and selected a delicate cycle with cold water and no spin. “And then I just let them tumble around in there,” she added.

Midway through the cycle, Barnes filmed what was happening before returning to the washing machine once the program was complete. “Boom,” she declared as she showed off a handful of wet, freshly cleaned vegetables.

Barnes then removed the carrots and laid them out on the kitchen table. She also advised viewers to run the washing machine empty before using it for clothes again to make sure the drum was thoroughly rinsed.

At the end of the video, the influencer put her impressive harvest away for storage, adding a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer: “For legal purposes: only use your washing machine for its intended purpose. I am not responsible if anything goes wrong, haha.”

However, social media users were far from impressed by the unusual method of washing vegetables.

“What the hell did I just watch?” one commenter wrote.

“Stop this immediately!” another urged.

A third user joked: “You will never convince me those carrots don’t taste like Tide Pods.”

Following the flood of comments, Barnes addressed the controversy again in her Instagram Stories. “People on the internet are very concerned about the carrot video. I’m so sorry,” she said. “People are saying it’s rage bait and that I’m doing it just to provoke people. But this is simply my life. This is how I actually live in real life. I’m not intentionally trying to provoke people. But if you’re angry right now or you fell for the rage bait, it’s time to take a few deep breaths.”

Experts, however, strongly advise against washing food in a washing machine because of the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and hidden bacteria.

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