Microwave kills 99% of germs in sponges

[Corey123]

I really think that forgetting sponges altogether, using dish clothes, preferably those made of bamboo, putting them in the wash after a day's use, or less, is by far the best way. You can bleach them or the drying temperature should be high enough to kill the bacteria.

I USED to use dishcloths for the kitchen. But now, I can't seem to break the habit of using sponges to wipe up spils on the table and the dishwasher's wood look top, as well as for washing dishes by hand.

I mainly use the dishwasher when I cook big meals like for Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, etc..

 

[GB]

My dishwasher, on the other hand, raises the temp of the water to get an extra hot steamy 140-degree temp for washing and rinsing the loads. It takes care of the problem of not haveing water that's hot enough to get rid of grease, germs and bacteria, which will die in 140-degree water.

Actually Corey, 140 is still in the danger zone (40-140). You might want to crank that heat up a bit more.

 

[mozart]

Actually Corey, 140 is still in the danger zone (40-140). You might want to crank that heat up a bit more.

Sanitizing of dishes by heat takes water at 180 degrees F by law in a restaurant. I don't see how the bacteria would act any different in a home

 

[Corey123]

Yes. Bacteria IS killed at 140 degrees.

That is where the temp starts for killing germs.

 

[mozart]

Yes. Bacteria IS killed at 140 degrees.

That is where the temp starts for killing germs.

Scroll down to the Food temperature chart here Importance of Kitchen Thermometers - FAQs for Pressure Cooker Users

As you can see, 140 degrees stops the production of bacteria, but doesn't kill all bacteria. Even 165 degrees will not kill all spore forming bacteria like botulism.

The reason why your dishwasher is "safe" at 140 degrees is because bacteria die very quickly without moisture and most things put in a dishwasher are smooth and non-porous and therefore dry quickly.

 

[suzyQ3]

Hi Suzy,

Putting a sponge in the dishwasher is like putting it in an incubator. You are giving it the perfect conditions to grow bacteria; moisture, and heat.

The water in you dishwasher is not likely to be hot enough to kill bacteria, particularly those embedded in a sponge. Most home dishwashers only provide water as hot as the water that come out of your tap, 120-130 for most homes. The "heat dry" function is often turned off for fear of melting the "sponge" (which of course isn't really sponge) and even if it isn't, it may not get hot enough to kill all those germs you just bred in the sponge before.

Worse, as the water drips out of the sponge, you are spreading these germs to all your other dishes.

Bleach and water mix, or microwaving a wet sponge (which essentially amounts to putting it is boiling water) are the only to cost effective ways to sanitize a sponge I know of.

And because the microwave uses no chemicals that may cause other problems, that would be my way of choice.

Thanks so much. That makes sense. I'll stick to my weekly microwaving then. And I agree with you about the Lysol. The first thing that I thought when I read that suggestion was that I do NOT want more chemicals in my life, especially at the amount you'd need to saturated the sponge.

 

[Corey123]

Scroll down to the Food temperature chart here Importance of Kitchen Thermometers - FAQs for Pressure Cooker Users

As you can see, 140 degrees stops the production of bacteria, but doesn't kill all bacteria. Even 165 degrees will not kill all spore forming bacteria like botulism.

The reason why your dishwasher is "safe" at 140 degrees is because bacteria die very quickly without moisture and most things put in a dishwasher are smooth and non-porous and therefore dry quickly.

140 degrees will kill most bacteria, but put simply, it needs more time to do it more effectively - hence the longer-running final rinse cycle on my machine.

I once read where dishes rinsed in a temp of about 180 degrees needs only 3 minutes to destroy bacteria, and 140 degrees needs at least 20 to 30 minutes to destroy bacteria.

In the case of botulism, a boiling temp of at least 212 is needed to sterilize the clean jars and lids such as for canning for long-term food storage like veggies, fruits, soups and stews. Everything must be kept impeccably clean and tongs must be used to preclude contamination of the jars and lids - inside and out.

Your hands must ALSO be kept clean and germ-free.

 

[Caine]

Quit using the yellow sponges with green Scotchbrite on one side.
green Scotchbrite will scratch! Switch to the light blue sponges with dark blue Scotchbrite.

 

[Corey123]

I don't use either of those.

 

[Treklady]

I do microwave my sponge, but it definitely has to be the sponge that DOES NOT have that scrubber on the back side.

And in knowing that it kills that much stuff, that is why rarely if ever microwave my food. Not that I was a super huge microwaver, I have just gotten to the point that I just don't feel the need to microwave my food.

It has been a difficult transition, but I am liking how I feel about not doing this to my food.

 

[Jeekinz]

Why would you put a sponge in the dishwasher? Did you ever see the water from a load of dishes? Leave a cup upside down on the top rack and you'll see what I mean. That cloudy, murky water will be absorbed INSIDE the sponge............and Lysol? Why would you spray Lysol on it?

I buy packs of 3 or so sponges, when the Scotch Brite side wears out, it gets used on anything else besides dishes and a new one comes out.

There is a point where your spending more to clean a sponge than it costs for a new one.

 

[Fincher]

there might be something wrong with your dishwasher if your getting cloudy murky water. I get nothing of the sort with mine.

but I certainly agree with you on putting it in the dishwasher. what if you have ecoli or some sort of toxin in your sponge? if your water temp in the dishwasher isn't hot enough your just going to contaminate every dish in there. You basicly have just installed a time release pathogen dispenser.

I've been using the microwave techniqe along with bleach. (in fact I just ruined my brand new shirt from Christmas the very day I got it doing so )
but I've been only doing it for like 45 seconds, perhaps I should increase the time!

Thanks for the post.

 

[Jeekinz]

there might be something wrong with your dishwasher if your getting cloudy murky water. I get nothing of the sort with mine.

I'm not saying it looks like water from the East River, but there's bits of food and crud. It's not like a dish where it gets rinsed off and dried. That crud is still in there.

 

[Alix]

Jeekins, I'm with you. I use a dishcloth to clean in my kitchen and it gets replaced daily. I'm doing laundry anyway so its no biggie. Sponges just don't do the job IMO. And I'm with you on the dishwasher thing. BLECH! (although, if you run a cycle with vinegar you would be amazed at the breakdown of the crud factor)

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I used dishcloths, too. I have a huge basket under my work table filled with them and I use them with abandon. They get washed the next day and it's great. I do use the little green scrubbing pads for stuff I've burned really badly but after a few heavy uses, they seem to kind of disentigrate and get tossed. Does anyone know if they can be safely microwaved?

 

[Corey123]

Why would you put a sponge in the dishwasher? Did you ever see the water from a load of dishes? Leave a cup upside down on the top rack and you'll see what I mean. That cloudy, murky water will be absorbed INSIDE the sponge............and Lysol? Why would you spray Lysol on it?

I buy packs of 3 or so sponges, when the Scotch Brite side wears out, it gets used on anything else besides dishes and a new one comes out.

There is a point where your spending more to clean a sponge than it costs for a new one.

Lysol Kitchen Spray is made especially for use in the kitchen for countertops
and cutting boards, so why not use it for the sponge also?

Clorox Anywhere is also a germ fighter. I sometimes soak the sponge in some bleah and water for a few minutes. I even put some bleach into the dish water.

 

[Alix]

Fishers Mom, don't bother trying to save those green scrubbies. Just buy a pack at the dollar store and cut them in half to double their efficiency.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Yep, I get mine at Sam's in a big pack and then cut them in half. I was just wondering after reading this thread if I should be microwave sanitizing them. Really, I've never worried too much about all this until I joined DC. We've never had food poisoning but then again, I didn't do a lot of cooking from scratch before.

I'm not a neat freak but I've always been conscious that germs are everywhere so I use bleach regularly in the kitchen and the bathroom and make the kids wash their hands and then don't worry about pet hair or dust or any of the other things that float around my house.

 

[Alix]

There is such a thing as being TOO clean. Its important to get rid of things that could cause food poisoning, but really the rest of it you can just leave. They've done various studies that show folks who DON'T clean with bleach and antibacterial stuff have tougher immune systems. YAY for the messy housewives!

 

[Jeekinz]

Is cleaning a sponge kinda like eating tongue?