How Safe Is Your Kitchen Sponge?
The kitchen is where we spend so much of our family time together, with meals, homework, etc. Would you believe that the kitchen is the dirtiest room in our home? This is true according to Phillip Tierno, PhD, director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at the New York University Langone Medical Center and author of The Secret Life of Germs. “That’s because we deal with dead animal carcasses on our countertops and in the sink.” He goes on to say that the kitchen sponge is “the single dirtiest thing in your kitchen, along with a dishrag.”
Our daily use of sponges and dishrags put us in danger of harmful viruses and bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella if not used properly. A seemingly clean sponge can be spreading germs around as we clean with it. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the following:
Clean and disinfect counters and other surfaces before, during, and after preparing food (especially meat and poultry).
When cleaning surfaces, don’t let germs hang around on cleaning cloths or towels! Instead use:
- If using a sponge to clean up, microwave it each evening for 30 seconds or place it in the dishwasher
- Consider using paper towels (that can be thrown away) to clean up kitchen surfaces
- Cloth towels that are later washed in the hot cycle of your washing machine
- Disposable sanitizing wipes that both clean and disinfect
Dr. Phillip Tierno cleans his sponges using a mixture of one ounce of Clorox in about a quart of water. This is also a good solution for cleaning and disinfecting your cutting boards, countertops and utensils.
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