Here's something interesting: the best way to kill the germs in the kitchen sponges

by Diane Duane

Microwave them.

A team of University of Florida Engineering researchers have come to the conclusion that microwaving plastic scrubbers and kitchen sponges on full power can destroy practically 100% of the bacteria and viruses, parasites or spores collected on them. …[Gabriel] Bitton, leader of the study, … remarked that if people really wanted to sanitize their sponges and scrubbers they should use the microwave rather than the dishwasher which only cleans them.

…Sponges and scrub pads were ‘cooked’ in an ordinary domestic microwave oven for varying lengths of time. They were wrung out and the microbial load of the water was determined for each test. The findings were compared with water from control sponges and pads not placed in the microwave.The results were telling. Every contaminant but the spores were killed after two minutes. The spores took a little longer, between four to ten minutes to be exterminated as they are difficult to kill, being resistant to radiation, heat and lethal chemical substances.

…I might want to test my sponges first to make sure they won’t melt. But this sounds like it’s worth a try!

[tags]bacteria, spores, kill, clean, sterilize, microwave, sponge, scrub, kill the bugs[/tags]

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1 comment

P J Evans January 25, 2007 - 7:49 pm

Today there’s a followup to make certain that people only do this with thoroughly wet sponges, and that they remember the sponges will be hot when they come out of the microwave.

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