Dish sponges are often the dirtiest pieces in a kitchen. They often live next to the sink, the germiest place in the kitchen, and hold onto those germs and dirt creating a real health hazard. Sponges need to be sanitized at last every other day, and replaced every week or two for best protection against germs. Here is an easy way to sanitize your sponge and give it the longest life possible.
Table of Contents:
What You Will Need:
- Anti-bacterial dish detergent
- Hot water
- Microwave
- Bleach (optional)
- Tongs or oven mitts
The Cleaning Process:
- Begin by adding a few drops of anti-bacterial dish detergent to the hot water.
- Wash the sponge thoroughly by working the water through the sponge. This can be accomplished by squeezing the water through continually along with agitating it in the water.
- Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
- You can place your sponge in a bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach with 1 gallon of water) as well. This step is optional as the next step will also sanitize the sponge.
- Place the WET sponge in the microwave. You can place it in a dish of water, but it may not necessary.
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Monitor it carefully to watch for any signs of burning. If it appears to be burning the sponge, turn the microwave off immediately.
- When it is finished sterilizing in the microwave, let it set for a few minutes to cool off. It will be HOT!
- Remove it with a pair of tongs or oven mitts to protect your hands from burning.
- It is recommended that even with sterilizing, you should only use your sponge for a week or two before replacing.
Additional Tips and Ideas
- Keep two sponges in your kitchen at all times, one for the counters and one for the dishes.
- Sterilize your sponges after using them to clean up any dishes or work areas that contained raw meat.
- Do not place any metal sponges or scrubbers in the microwave. Simply use the bleach solution to sanitize.
- If odor is a problem, try spraying some vinegar on the sponge before microwaving.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Sponges need attention……frequently!
I keep a bottle of clorox clean up under my sink and after each time I wash dishes, I clean the sink, dishrag and sponge with clorox clean up. Works like a charm and keeps odor away.
My husband, a scientist, reminds me that those green scrubbers are what are often used in a lab to grow cultures. They are very perfect places for bacteria to grow and flourish.
I get my supply at the dollar store so throwing them away doesn’t feel “wasteful.”
How about putting them in the dishwasher on the top rack.
Or you can just throw it in the dishwasher. The superheated water will kill off all the gross bacteria. It’s the heat that kills it, not soap or bleach.
How to clean a dish sponge: I have a much quicker and easier way: I simply place my dish sponge and dish brushes in the top tray of the dishwasher every time that I wash a load of dishes. The hot water combined with the bleach of the dishwashing soap are powerful disinfectants, making sponges freshand safe.
My wife washes the sponges in in dishwasher. It also seems to sanitize well. Of course they have to be squeezed out but otherwise, it works quite well.
I put my sponges in the dishwasher every time I run it. They come out clean and smell a whole lot better.
I throw mine in the dishwasher with the dishes or the washing machine with the towels.
After microwaving, any old food splatters in the microwave will be very soft and easy to wipe off. Two birds with one stone!
Can you also soak it in lemon juice? I thought I read someplace that the acid in the lemon juice will sterilize it, and also make it smell good.
Do most people replace their sponges every WEEK? Wow — I never knew that before! I usually use them for a few MONTHS before I change them for new ones!
I wash my sponges weekly in laundry detergent and bleach. I usually wash 3-4 of them in my clothes washer by themselves. Seems to work great on odor and germs.
At 15p for a pack of 5, it’s no big deal to just replace these household petri dishes.
I just fill the small half of the sink with water, dish soap and clorox, put all the dishrags, scrubbers and brushes in it, plus the drain screens, and leave them overnight. In the morning I pull the drain plug and that cleans out the disposall, too.
I don’t buy sponges, I use dish cloths and wash them with my towles and dish rags.
I put a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract on the sponge and let is soak in soapy water- the stuff is so powerful, it will kill all the bad bacteria without all the trouble of microwaving or dishwashing.
pour some hydrogen peroxide and watch it bubble bacteria away.
for the person who said “I get my supply at the dollar store so throwing them away doesn’t feel “wasteful.””
what wasteful are you talking about, not the impact thousands of sponges have a day in landfills from people that throw them away cause there cheap or dirty. WHY NOT USE WARM WATER (95% of Germs are killed but it) save your money on dish soap, stop polluting are decreasing water supply. and also use dish towels, you dont have to throw them out every F-ing week. people please think about what your doing. you can save your wallet and the planet at the same time. what could be better. thank you for your time if this changes at least one person, and has them use water and dish towels it will be good. cause i know how stubborn and stupid people are so im not expecting a majority turnaround. oh and did you know that germs are good for you they help your body get stronger. research it it will blow your mind. everyone is becoming weaker from this germiphobe culture. thank you once again for your time
Germs
This message is addressed mosty to wow. I agree that we need to be much more conservative with our resources. Properly cared for, sponges can and do last a long time (soap ‘em, rinse ‘em and boil every 3 days for 30 seconds), I prefer the good old dishcloth and just wash them with my towels. A capful (About 1/2 tsp.)of Eucalyptus Oil in the wash works just as well as bleach, isn’t as hard on the environment and doesn’t damage colors.
Some germs are good for us, we have thousands of little creatures living on our skin that actually protect us, the 99% germ killing hand sanitizers are a big problem as they do not discriminate between the good and the bad bacteria. HOWEVER the bacteria that tend to grow in sponges ie. E. Coli, Salmonella, and Staphycocculus among others can be very dangerous. In a healthy person you may just get a good bout of diahrea but to an elderly or very young person or someone with a compromised immune sysytem these bacteria can be very dangerous, even deadly. I agree that many are on the germaphobe kick generated by the media and advertising but I also agree with using sanitary measures in my kitchen and bathroom. I try to do so in a way that has the least impact on the environment—lots of baking soda, lemon juice, salt, vinager, supplies that are cheap to purchase and give great results without the toxic fumes of most commercial cleaners. AND using dishcloths and dish towels, taking good care of my sponges so that they last no matter how little I paid for them, etc.
Take care of our Earth it’s the only one we have!
Funny… we replace our sponges every 6 months, never sanitize them, and I only rinse my hands (not wash off all the germs) and yet I never get sick. It’s not the germs that get you sick, your body has an immune system to kill off any foreign invaders and it needs practice. Focus on upping your immune system and you can live your life w/o Lysol or hand sanitizers and get sick less. E
Wow
I cannot believe the level of wastefulness I am reading in these posts. “I wash my dish sponges by themselves in the washer every week” etc. This is insane. What a huge waste of natural resources. Just drop the damn thing wet into the bucket of powder laundry detergent, whatever sticks is enough, squeeze it a few times, rinse, and it’s clean. Stop burning fossil fuels over a dish sponge.