The Kitchen Appliance That Can Disinfect & Extend The Life Of Your Sponge

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Your kitchen sponge is a breeding ground for bacteria. For one, it sits for hours in a warm, wet environment. Frequently used sponges grow yeast and mold and develop an unpleasant odor. A dirty sponge won't clean your dishes or surfaces properly, and the smell it leaves behind isn't welcome either. In fact, the humble kitchen sponge could be one of the dirtiest items in your kitchen. With all this microbial growth, a sponge can be difficult to keep clean. Rather than throwing it out or buying a new one, there are some ways to keep your kitchen sponges clean. Believe it or not, your dishwasher is an extremely helpful appliance for disinfecting and extending the life of a kitchen sponge.

A helpful tip for cleaning a kitchen sponge includes sanitizing it to kill bacteria and keep it from getting stinky with mold. It's also necessary to clean your sponge so that it can clean surfaces efficiently. The pores in your sponge hold onto water and soap suds, which is fine, but they also trap dirt, bits of food, and other yucky debris. In the short amount of time it takes to wipe down a countertop, you could spread harmful bacteria across the surface. The best, easiest, and fastest way to kill over 99% of those germs, according to the USDA, is to put your sponge in the dishwasher.

When deciding to preserve or trash your kitchen sponge, consider how long it sits unused. A sponge is not something you want to leave wet overnight. You should be cleaning it daily — and here's where your dishwasher comes in handy. Put your kitchen sponge on the top rack and add a good quality dishwasher cleaner to the machine, such as Cascade Platinum Plus Dishwasher Pods. The dishwasher pods are best for cleaning dishes. (However, if you're running a shorter cycle or lowering the water temperature, use liquid or powder detergent instead. The pod may not dissolve well in these instances.) Run the hottest and lengthiest cleaning cycle possible with the sponge inside. Use the dry cycle to get all the water out of the sponge.

There should be a noticeable difference in the look and smell of your sponge if you wash it in your dishwasher daily. Despite this, you should still replace the sponge every couple of weeks. Replace it even sooner if you notice that the material is breaking down or it has developed a not-so-nice scent. Even if you think it can last longer because your kitchen sponge looks clean and smells fine, you're still safer replacing it. Bacteria too small to see with the naked eye will multiply on the sponge regardless.