“What Gets a Sponge Really Clean?”

Dear Readers,

Read an interesting magazine article about how to clean a sponge.  If you use a sponge in your kitchen, this article is very enlightening.  I’m going to quote it verbatim.

“What Gets a Sponge Really Clean?

We worked with EMSL analytical testing lab in Westmont, NJ, to find out.  Consumers used sponges for a week in their kitchens, and the lab tainted others with three common pathogens:  salmonella, E. coli, and pseudomonas.  We tested six cleaning methods – the dishwasher, microwave, and washing machine: bleach, ammonia, and vinegar soaks – to see which removed the most bacteria.

And The Best Germ Killer Is… The bleach solution killed 99.9 percent of the three bacteria strains from all our test sponges (scrub and regular cellulose), a benchmark based on the EPA’s requirement for sanitization of non-food-contact surfaces.  Mix 3/4 cup of bleach in one gallon of water, and soak the sponge for five minutes.  The microwave and the dishwasher were the next most effective, zapping 99.9 percent of germs from the home-used sponges and from the lab-treated sponges.  However, on the lab-treated cellulose sponges, microwaving  just missed the mark for E. coli (99.83 pecent reduced), and the dishwasher didn’t quite get all the salmonella or E. coli (99.88 and 99.86 percent reduced, respectively).  Put a sponge into a regular dishwasher load, using the “heated dry” setting.  In the microwave, saturate the sponge (we used 1/4 cup of water for scrub sponges and 1/2 cup for cellulose); heat on High for one minute (scrub) or two minutes (cellulose).  Keep an  eye on it.  Clean sponges weekly, and toss shabby ones.

How Did the Others Do?  A five minute soak in full-strength vinegar averaged 99.6 percent bacteria elimination; in full-strength ammonia, 97.0 percent.  The washing machine proved least effective, killing on average 93.0 percent of bacteria.”

I think this article came from a Good Housekeeping magazine.  I cut it out and forget to label it.  Hope you find it informative.

Keep smilin’!

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