This trick for dish sponges is easy as pie and yet it is very useful. Find out.
Many of us use dishwashing sponges for much longer than would be recommended. Indeed, microbiologists recommend replacing your sponge every week. It is essential to change a dish sponge regularly because it accumulates bacteria and microbes from food residues and dirt. Over time, even by rinsing it, the sponge becomes a nest for germs that can contaminate your surfaces and your dishes.
If you’re hoping that boiling it or heating it frequently in a microwave will keep it clean enough, don’t. According to a study, it can initially reduce bacteria by about 60%, but it will not sterilize the sponge. Even sponges that were regularly cleaned in this way were found to be just as full of bacteria as those that weren’t cleaned.
If you can’t change your sponge every week, you should at least do it once a month if you wash the dishes every day. And in this case, it is not necessarily mandatory to throw away your old kitchen sponge. Why not try a clever reuse trick?
When the sponge reaches the point where it’s obviously too worn out to clean your countertops and dishes, cut a corner. This cut corner serves to identify this sponge as being intended for something other than washing up. It goes without saying that you should cut the corner wide enough to notice that it has been cut.
Keep this sponge away from your new sponges that are still clean and use it to scrub dirty things, like your trash can, toilet, shoes or even your tires. At some point, she will be truly ready to be thrown away. Until then, you can rest easy knowing you’ve used it as much as possible. And you will be sure not to use a dirty sponge to clean the dishes!
Dishwashing sponges are usually made from synthetic materials like polyurethane, a petroleum derivative. They may contain antimicrobial agents to reduce the growth of bacteria. These sponges are not biodegradable and may release microplastics as they degrade. In addition, their production has a carbon impact. All the more reason to use them as long as possible!