Ripe watermelons are heavier than unripe ones, which indicates more juice and sweetness. If you give a ripe melon a sharp tap with your hand, you’ll hear a hollow sound.

If a watermelon is ripe, the discolored spot where the melon rested on the ground should be light yellow or cream-colored, not white (underripe) or dark yellow (overripe).

You can use the said telltale signs to pick the ripest melon if you're going to eat it right away. If you need to lug your melon a ways, pick a less ripe one that won't get mushy.

Watermelon rinds often harbor dirt and pathogens, so washing them is crucial. Simply run cool water over your watermelon and scrub it with a produce brush if necessary.

Or, put it in a sink filled with cool water, add ½ cup of 5% distilled white vinegar for every 20 cups of water, and scrub it. It’s best to avoid using soap or a produce wash.

Store your fresh watermelon at room temperature for as long as possible. Refrigeration can reduce its shelf life and make its flesh more grainy and its juice more runny.

Cooling also reduces the amount of lycopene (an antioxidant that helps you fight free radicals and prevent disease) in the fruit. However, a few hours of cooling won’t cause harm.

Always keep watermelons out of the sunlight and choose a storage location that’s dark or has ambient light only. That’s because sunlight speeds up the breakdown of matter.

Although the sun can be a great sweetener and ripening agent in the field, it makes watermelon flesh dry and fibrous and reduces the melon’s shelf life once you get the fruit home.

Once your watermelon starts getting old, keep it from getting mushy and extend the melon’s shelf life by two to three more weeks by refrigerating it uncovered.

If you aren't sure when to put your melon in the fridge, then use the guideline of seven to 10 days as your max. If possible, keep your fridge’s temperature a bit warmer.