Even if you don’t give much thought to germs at home, there’s one room you should keep germ-free: the kitchen. Being the place where you handle food, cleanliness is key.
However, it’s harder to deal with invisible dangers, and the kitchen sponge might be full of germs—even when it seems spotless. If you want to avoid disease and make the most out of this little square before buying a new one, you should disinfect the sponge every few days.
Learn here the best methods to disinfect a kitchen sponge.
Why would you need to disinfect your sponge?
Your kitchen sponge gets quite the mileage when you do the dishes, so it’s a given that it’ll catch lots of food residue. The number of microbes that survive in your sponge can be alarming.
This germ problem gets bigger whenever you leave wet or even damp sponges overnight—if there’s something bacteria love, it’s moisture. The microbes will multiplicate and might affect you in a few nasty ways, from skin infections to harmful diseases.
What kind of diseases can your sponge cause?
In the kitchen, two of the biggest threats to your health are Salmonella and E. coli. The risk of contracting these diseases is higher when you mishandle raw food and use the same sponge to wash everything, from the cutting board to the plates.
However, you don’t need to worry; keeping your kitchen sponge disinfected will reduce health risks.
How to disinfect a kitchen sponge
Your best bet is to keep germs off your kitchen sponge to avoid infection. Here are four ways you can disinfect your sponge.
Method #1: Kill germs with bleach
Bleach is the go-to disinfectant when you want the most potent agent to kill germs. However, it’s a harsh chemical, so remember to handle bleach with care and ventilate the room.
To disinfect your sponge with a bleach solution:
- Mix 3/4 cup bleach and 1 gallon of water in a container.
- Let the sponge soak for five minutes.
- Rinse the sponge with water and wring it out.
Method #2: Soak the sponge in white vinegar
Perhaps you don’t want to deal with bleach, and fortunately, white vinegar is a cost-effective, natural alternative. Vinegar gets rid of germs and even traps odors. Besides, it’s easier to manage than bleach—you can use it straight without water.
To disinfect your kitchen sponge, let it soak in undiluted white vinegar for five minutes, then rinse it in warm water to wash the vinegar off.
Note: Much like with bleach, disinfect your sponge with vinegar in a well-ventilated place to dissipate the strong odor from these cleaners.
Method #3: Boil the sponge
Heat is also a very effective way to remove bacteria from your sponge, and it doesn’t take long to do! Boil two cups of water and let the sponge in it for five minutes. Let the water cool before taking the sponge out and wringing it well; now it’s ready to use!
Method #4: Microwave the sponge
This unusual method surprisingly works! However, you must proceed with caution since we’re dealing with express heating, and the sponge might catch on fire if you heat it without water.
Don’t worry; it’s easy to do this right. Put the wet sponge in a microwave-safe container, heat it for five minutes, and let it cool down for another fifteen minutes; wring it well, and you’re done.
Keep the rest of your home tidy and germ-free
Imagine all the things at home that need a good cleaning. If you are too busy to tackle these chores, why not hire the pros at BG011 Cleaning Services? We are proud to deliver top-quality cleaning services in West Palm Beach!
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