Here’s how to completely remove bacteria from dirty dish sponges. You need an ingredient and a device.
The ultimate remedy to avoid always throwing away the dishwashing sponge. This way, you will completely disinfect it and be able to reuse it.
Dish sponges, a receptacle for bacteria
In our homes, we focus a lot on cleaning certain areas, such as the bathroom or kitchen, precisely the places where more dirt or bacteria can accumulate. However, there are some utensils that we use to clean that contain a high concentration of germs, such as the sponge with which we wash dishes, glasses and cutlery after eating.
Several studies indicate the above, but how to keep them clean? Or do we have to change them from time to time to prevent bacteria from concentrating in our kitchen?
In 2019, a study by researchers at the New York Institute of Technology Bacteriophages on kitchen sponges indicated that sponges are affected by viruses that are even resistant to antibiotics. Another study by the German Center for Environmental Health Research confirmed that in the kitchen, sponges can accumulate up to 12.9 billion bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. In other words, the sponge collects more microbes than, say, the bath.
In general, however, if you are advised to change your kitchen sponges at least once a week, you should know that, during this period, it is also possible to wash and disinfect them to bring them back to life.
How to disinfect them with this ingredient
There are several ways to disinfect dishwashing sponges: by putting them in the dishwasher, in the washing machine, and even with bleach, although bleach can end up deteriorating them more quickly. Of course, there are at-home methods that are just as effective, if not more so, as the microwave.
This trick involves easily cleaning the kitchen sponge to remove any food residue that has settled on its surface, then putting it in the microwave and wringing it out for about three minutes. Once the time is up, you need to be careful, as the sponge will be hot and you can burn yourself, so it’s best to wait a bit before picking it up again until it cools down.
However, before putting it in the microwave, we recommend that you submerge it in a microwave-safe container, where you will have previously poured a little vinegar. This ingredient has great disinfectant capabilities, which will kill the bacteria on the sponge.
In addition, thanks to its evaporation, you will also clean the microwave, cleaning two things at once. We’re not saying you shouldn’t change your sponge once a week. It’s simply that you can kill millions of bacteria in just three minutes a day, keeping your family safe.
We recommend that you repeat this procedure once a day to kill sponge viruses. We remind you that this is a simple procedure and that it will not waste your time. Because the microwave will do it all on its own while you can take care of others.
All you have to do is wait for it to cool, take it out, and rinse it off.
