Are your kitchen sponges unusable way too fast? Do they start to deteriorate and begin to smell funny? Perhaps you don’t think about it much and just let the sponge soak in between washes, not knowing you’re cutting their lifespan short.
What seems to be a relatively cheap buy can add up to an unnecessary expense. Not to mention the potential health issues because of all the bacteria a wet, badly-kept sponge can produce and spread across your plating. Those bacteria can end up in your body when eating!
You don’t need to toss the sponge in the bin so quickly! With some simple tips and tricks, you can keep germs at bay and make your sponge last longer.
Find out how to disinfect a kitchen sponge and take care of it!
Microwave your sponge? Yes!
It may seem like a joke, but your microwave can help with having a clean sponge for further use. However, you should do this properly and, under no circumstances, try to microwave a sponge with metallic padding.
These are the steps:
- Wet the sponge so it won’t set on fire inside the microwave.
- Microwave the sponge for 1 minute only on a high-temperature setting.
- The sponge will be hot, so be careful! Let it cool off for 10-15 minutes, and then take the sponge out of the microwave.
Your dishwasher can do it!
This one is very easy; just put it in your dishwasher at the highest and longest setting. Then, hit the drying cycle.
How about a machine-less method?
You could also let the sponge soak inside a DIY cleaning solution. It could be as effective as the previous methods! Here’s how to do it:
- Mix one-quarter to one-half of a teaspoon of bleach per quart of warm water.
- Soak the sponge for 1 minute.
What happens next?
After restoring your kitchen sponge, you might wonder what else you can do so they last longer. Here are three tips for sponge care.
1. Avoid cross-contamination
Depending on your dishes, some stuff left on your plates won’t mix well in the cleaning process. Having more than one kitchen sponge is a great idea, but if you cross those sponges, you’ll probably stink them up in no time.
Set a separate sponge for germy food like raw meat juices!
2. Don’t leave them soaking
If you leave your kitchen sponge floating in its container after washing, it’ll just attract bacteria. The same applies if you disinfected the sponge and didn’t let it dry well. Set a spot for the sponge to dry and keep it at reach for action.
3. At some point, you do need to replace your sponge
Your kitchen sponge won’t last forever, so be conscious of the smell or wear and tear on the sponge. Buy a new one knowing that the old kitchen sponge served you well until the end.
That is just one of the many things you can do for your kitchen and home. If you want to do more and get an unbelievable top to bottom cleaning, you can always book with Happy Home Cleaning Services. It won’t take you more than a few minutes, so you can relax and let a highly-trained maid take care of your cleaning.
