Millions of germs live in household kitchen sponges.
Sponges remove dirt and built up grime from kitchen surfaces. Anytime there is a spill, food or liquid, a sponge will remove it right away. Reusable sponges are cost-efficient and convenient. Occasionally, however, you find yourself throwing them out due to their filth or the smell they begin to produce.
Bacterial Growth
Out of all the surfaces in a household, the kitchen is the dirtiest. This is due to the transferring of bacteria across the surfaces by dirty sponges. Though the sponge is for cleaning, it actually spreads more bacteria than it cleans up. This increases the exposure of germs to countertops, stoves and anything that encounters the sponge during the normal cleaning process. Even areas that are not normally subject to such bacteria have a higher risk of being contaminated.
Cross Contamination
Sponges are only effective if dampened before use, and germs and bacteria grow in the moisture they retain. This is unavoidable due to the amount of time that drying a sponge can take. If not properly dried after each used, three days of using a sponge is enough time to produce millions of bacteria. This bacteria is easily spread through the water needed in order to efficiently clean the surfaces of the home each time it is used.
Food Poisoning
Most commonly, E. coli, staph and salmonella occur in household sponges. Salmonella is present in 1,800 different strands, and most of the strands will cause if it encounters food intended for ingestion. Almost 80 million Americans experience food poisoning yearly due to these bacterias. Many of these cases have symptoms that disappear over a few days, but quite a few have been fatal. Touching food after using a sponge is enough to cause contamination and subsequent sickness.
Sanitation
There are only certain methods that completely sanitize sponges. The most effective methods involve soaking them in antibacterial soap and lemon juice, and thoroughly washing the sponge out. They must then heat in the microwave for one to two minutes while remaining wet, otherwise they will start a fire. Only sponges without metal pieces on the scrubber can go in the microwave as well. If preferred, they can sanitize on the stovetop by boiling them or in the dishwasher. These methods kill 99.9 perfect of bacteria within the sponge. Use caution when trying these methods, as some sponges contain ingredients that can be toxic once heated and inhaled.
Prevention
Sponges need sanitation at least once per week or thrown out on a regular basis. To decide when your sponge needs replacement, check the appearance of them. If they contain shredding or discoloration, it is safe to assume it is time to replace them. Using different sponges for each task will also extend their use and limit the amount of bacterial exposure. Regardless of the sponge type, it is best to clean it in between replacements.
Tags: food poisoning, household kitchen, sponge enough, using sponge, using sponge enough