Are your dishes dirtier after washing?

You’re a neat and tidy person. Or at least you like eating and drinking from clean plates and glasses. Therefore, every night after dinner, you wash your dishes. Sometimes by hand, sometimes with the dishwasher.  

The problem is that if you wash by hand only, your kitchen sink sponge could spread more germs than it is cleaning away.  

A study published on the Scientific Reports website in 2017 found that your kitchen sink sponge could have more bacteria than your toilet. Yuck.  

Although some questioned the study’s extreme claims, it is clear that if you don’t clean your kitchen sink sponge frequently, it contains bacteria you don’t want around.  

So, how do you wipe out the bacteria?  

According to NPR, Eatright.org, Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, a few simple steps can prevent your kitchen sink sponge from becoming the most disgusting thing in your home.  

Option 1 is to microwave your sponge for one minute on high. The key is to make sure your sponge is wet when you put it in the microwave to help prevent it from catching on file. Also, if the sponge has metallic scrub pads, it cannot go into the microwave as it will cause big problems. It is like putting aluminum foil or silverware in the microwave. You can’t do it. If you microwave your sponge, MSU recommends letting it cool before taking it out, as it will be hot.  

Option 2 is to place your sponge in your dishwasher and run it on a long cycle with heated dry. Per a study on the USDA Agricultural Research Service website, this method eliminated 99.9998% of germs during a test. 

Regardless of the method, it is clear that we all need to clean sponges frequently. Suggestions in studies ranged from cleaning them daily to weekly. Most research also recommended replacing sponges every couple of weeks.  

Another tip is never to use a sponge to clean up juice from raw meat. If you have meat on your counter, wipe it with a paper towel and disinfect it immediately.