Where would we be without our trusty washing-up sponge? We use it to clean pretty much everything in our kitchen. Despite it being an item we use nearly every day, most of us aren’t changing our sponges as often as we should.
Think about it, when was the last time you swapped your sponge out for a new one? A few weeks ago? Two months ago? Well, I’m sure you’ll run to the shops and get a new one after realising how much bacteria is found in your favourite kitchen item.
A study found that one single sponge could hold up to more bacteria than the number of people living on this planet. Just let that sink in (pardon the pun).
“The sponge is humid and accumulates food residues which are also food for bacteria, leading to rapid growth of bacteria,” Trond Mretr, a research scientist at Nofima, a Norwegian food research institute said.
Though most of the bacteria found are not harmful, others like salmonella can spread from the sponge to kitchen surfaces, our hands and kitchen equipment which could lead to a potential illness.
What was most shocking to the researchers involved in the study was that the number of times the sponge was cleaned did not affect the level of growth of bacteria.
“The way the consumers used their sponges did not matter much regarding growth of bacteria. It is very difficult for consumers to avoid bacterial growth in the sponges as long as the sponges are not replaced daily,” Mretr explains.
Another study published in Scientific Reports in Germany found that different methods of cleaning sponges such as microwaving or cleaning them with boiling water did not actually get rid of all the bacteria found on the sponge.
Experts suggest using a kitchen brush instead of a sponge, as they found that harmful bacteria has a higher chance of survival in sponges than in brushes.
If you do want to keep using your trusty sponge, make sure they’re replaced at least once a week. Happy cleaning.