Heads up: Your sponge can burn, so make sure to keep an eye on it, and let it cool completely before use. I'm talking E. coli and salmonella, two super common foodborne illnesses, but also Campylobacter, which causes an estimated 1.3 million illnesses each year in the U.S. and is the leading cause of bacterial diarrhea. (Betcha didn't know that!) Okay, I'm convinced. How do I clean my kitchen sponge? This, however, isn’t an excuse to lean into your food delivery habit (again, sorry). Instead, lean into #adulting by learning how to clean your sponge properly, with these tips from experts. Like rolls of toilet paper, tubes of mascara, and pairs of running sneaks, you’ll go through many sponges in your lifetime. So accept now that each will be just a temporary part of your kitchen. The kitchen sink is the dirtiest spot in our home—a dirty sponge doesn’t have to contribute," she says. You'll also want to rotate between different sponges to let each dry out completely between uses, Rapinchuk suggests. This will help them stay cleaner, longer, but that still doesn’t excuse you from following strict sponge hygiene all day, every day. When do I need to just throw a sponge away?

Abbey 10 White Magic Eraser Sponge for Cleaning – Cleaning

Allow it to soak for a good five minutes before rinsing and squeezing. Pro tip: Wear gloves for this, since the extra acid in your vinegar-soaked sponge can sometimes irritate skin. (Also, this vinegar should explicitly used for cleaning, not eating. It's unsafe to digest—and probably tastes terrible, anyway.) The biggest issue here—and where a lot of the bacteria comes from, tbh—is that your sponges are responsible for doing multiple jobs and cross-contamination is a huge risk. Trust that your nose will know when it’s time to throw out a sponge. If it starts to smell, shows noticeable wear, or just isn’t working anymore, it’s time for it to GTFO. And for you to move on to a bigger, better, and cleaner sponge. But before you pop in it like your favorite bag of popcorn, rinse the sponge out and get rid of as many crumbs and other food debris as possible. Soak it with enough water that it’s saturated but not dripping, and then zap it on high for about a minute. Below, you'll find the best step-by-step method for cleaning a sponge. But no matter how diligent you are about cleaning, your kitchen sponges won't last forever. You need to clean them weekly, and toss shabby ones every two to three weeks, depending on use.No one likes the idea of cleaning dishes with a germy sponge, which is why we all know we should be cleaning ours on the regular. But which method is best? The Good Housekeeping Institute worked with EMSL Analytical Testing Lab in Westmont, New Jersey to find out if using the dishwasher, microwave, washing machine, bleach or vinegar removed the most bacteria — and bleach won. The Best Way to Clean a Sponge

How to Clean a Sponge - Tips for Sanitizing Kitchen Sponge How to Clean a Sponge - Tips for Sanitizing Kitchen Sponge

First, remove any solid particles and give the sponge a good rinse and squeeze before dropping it into a container filled with enough vinegar that the sponge is completely submerged. Cleaning sponges are not "one size fits all." In fact, there is a surprisingly large array of sponges available for cleaning jobs, and each kind has its own particular strengths.With their help, you can actually keep your dishes as clean as they were the day they came out of their box. Hold up: My kitchen sponges are always in soap and water. Why do I need to clean them?

Types of Cleaning Sponges and Where They Work Best - The Spruce 5 Types of Cleaning Sponges and Where They Work Best - The Spruce

Doing the dishes might be one of the most hated household chores in the country (at least, according to a survey by the American Cleaning Institute), and I get it. I’m also about to make that seemingly endless task even worse (sorry—don't shoot the messenger!). Because even when you've finally emptied you r kitchen sink of every last mug, fork, and pot that’s been "soaking" there for days, there’s one major germ source still lurking in your kitchen: your sponge. Dishwasher: The dishwasher also killed 99.9% of germs. To use, add your sponge to a regular dishwasher load, using the "heated dry" setting.Getting into the habit of cleaning your sponges and brushes once a week will help keep them in tip-top shape.