How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

[Arlen Holder]

How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

I don't use a dishwasher (for a variety of unrelated reasons).
What I use is:
- Warm water (simply becuase it feels better on hands)
- Costco dish detergent concentrate (whatever was on sale, Dawn or Palmolive)
- Costco curvy yellow/green scotchbrite sponges (in the multi-pack)

Each morning or evening (whenever I remember), I do the following:
a. I gently squeeze the sponge (if it's soaking wet)
b. I put it in the freezer drawer panel
c. I replace with a dry sponge (from a basket under the kitchen sink)
d. I put the old freezer sponge under the kitchen sink (in a basket)
e. Over time (as needed), I throw away & rotate with a new sponge

The concept is to let three things lessen the number of bacteria:
1. Time spent wet is never longer than a day
2. Freezer is simply one inhibitant to bacterial growth
3. Drying is just another inhibitant to bacterial growth

In the past, I tried boiling, soaking in alcohol, vinegar, and even bleach,
but most of that made the sponges fall apart, whereas freezing and drying
doesn't seem to damage the sponge in the least.

How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

[Bill Gill]

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?
I don't use a dishwasher (for a variety of unrelated reasons).
- Warm water (simply becuase it feels better on hands)
- Costco dish detergent concentrate (whatever was on sale, Dawn or Palmolive)
- Costco curvy yellow/green scotchbrite sponges (in the multi-pack)
a. I gently squeeze the sponge (if it's soaking wet)
b. I put it in the freezer drawer panel
c. I replace with a dry sponge (from a basket under the kitchen sink)
d. I put the old freezer sponge under the kitchen sink (in a basket)
e. Over time (as needed), I throw away & rotate with a new sponge
1. Time spent wet is never longer than a day
2. Freezer is simply one inhibitant to bacterial growth
3. Drying is just another inhibitant to bacterial growth
In the past, I tried boiling, soaking in alcohol, vinegar, and even bleach,
but most of that made the sponges fall apart, whereas freezing and drying
doesn't seem to damage the sponge in the least.
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

Very simple. I don't use sponges. I use wash rags. I use them
once and then they go to the laundry. Much more hygienic.

Bill

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Bill Gill
I don't use sponges. I use wash rags. I use them
once and then they go to the laundry. Much more hygienic.

That's a good idea, where the washing and drying presumably kills the
bacteria (in addition to cleaning out food debris).

How do you scotch brite though?

[Meanie]

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?
I don't use a dishwasher (for a variety of unrelated reasons).
- Warm water (simply becuase it feels better on hands)
- Costco dish detergent concentrate (whatever was on sale, Dawn or Palmolive)
- Costco curvy yellow/green scotchbrite sponges (in the multi-pack)
a. I gently squeeze the sponge (if it's soaking wet)
b. I put it in the freezer drawer panel
c. I replace with a dry sponge (from a basket under the kitchen sink)
d. I put the old freezer sponge under the kitchen sink (in a basket)
e. Over time (as needed), I throw away & rotate with a new sponge
1. Time spent wet is never longer than a day
2. Freezer is simply one inhibitant to bacterial growth
3. Drying is just another inhibitant to bacterial growth
In the past, I tried boiling, soaking in alcohol, vinegar, and even bleach,
but most of that made the sponges fall apart, whereas freezing and drying
doesn't seem to damage the sponge in the least.
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

Very simple.  I don't use sponges.  I use wash rags.  I use them
once and then they go to the laundry.  Much more hygienic.
Bill

This.

[Arlen Holder]

Try taking the sponge, rinsing/squeezing it in plain water a couple of
times. Then place the soaked sponge on a disk and place in microwave.
Heat until the soaked sponge starts to boil off water. Remove
plate/sponge and let cool.

The microwave seems like a good idea, if it doesn't destroy the sponge.

[Frank]

Post by Arlen Holder

Try taking the sponge, rinsing/squeezing it in plain water a couple of
times. Then place the soaked sponge on a disk and place in microwave.
Heat until the soaked sponge starts to boil off water. Remove
plate/sponge and let cool.

The microwave seems like a good idea, if it doesn't destroy the sponge.

You have to be judicious as to what you put in the microwave:

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2018/10/05/florida-store-owner-stop-warming-urine-my-microwave/1535027002/

[Randal Oulton]

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?
I don't use a dishwasher (for a variety of unrelated reasons).
- Warm water (simply becuase it feels better on hands)
- Costco dish detergent concentrate (whatever was on sale, Dawn or Palmolive)
- Costco curvy yellow/green scotchbrite sponges (in the multi-pack)
a. I gently squeeze the sponge (if it's soaking wet)
b. I put it in the freezer drawer panel
c. I replace with a dry sponge (from a basket under the kitchen sink)
d. I put the old freezer sponge under the kitchen sink (in a basket)
e. Over time (as needed), I throw away & rotate with a new sponge
1. Time spent wet is never longer than a day
2. Freezer is simply one inhibitant to bacterial growth
3. Drying is just another inhibitant to bacterial growth
In the past, I tried boiling, soaking in alcohol, vinegar, and even bleach,
but most of that made the sponges fall apart, whereas freezing and drying
doesn't seem to damage the sponge in the least.
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

One will of course never keep anything in the kitchen free from bacteria. All we can aim to do is keep the bacteria down to acceptable minimal levels.

Many people make a mistake of using bleach too strong, and that would destroy sponges, as well as wash rags, etc. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says a ratio of 1 to 5 does the trick. "A fresh solution of 1 part unscented liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to 5 parts clean water" https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/identify_handle_spoiled_canned_food.html

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Thu, 4 Oct 2018 12:44:52 -0000 (UTC), Arlen

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

I don't. I have a contract with the NIH and Cedars-Sinai research
hosppital to raise bacteria cultures typical of the mid-Atlantic region.

They use these to design anti-biotics against sponge-born diseases.

Every 3 months I package my used sponges in ziploc bags with imitation
ice and ship them to one or the other location, alternating, and they
have already shipped me a new set of color coded sponges.

They only pay my shipping expenses and the free sponges. I do this as
my contribution to society.

[Joy Beeson]

On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 12:44:52 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

I simply bear in mind that a sponge is filthy no matter what.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 05 Oct 2018 07:09:33p, Joy Beeson told us...

Post by Joy Beeson
On Thu, 4 Oct 2018 12:44:52 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder

Post by Arlen Holder
How do you keep your kitchen sponges free of bacteria?

I simply bear in mind that a sponge is filthy no matter what.

I don't use sponges.

[Arlen Holder]

Post by Joy Beeson
I simply bear in mind that a sponge is filthy no matter what.

While that's true, it's a punt to say that because you can't keep a sponge
wet for more than a short while before the bacterial count doubles,
doubles, doubles, and doubles.

As you're aware, if you double a penny for a month, you end up with over
five million dollars.

Bacteria are no different.

Hence the goal is to
a. Not throw out the sponge every day
b. But also keep the bacteria in check
c. Without brutalizing the sponge to pieces