How do you keep a sponge from getting infected?

Place the sponge in the top rack and run the machine through a heat-dry cycle to disinfect the sponge. The longest, hottest cycle is most effective, but any heat-dry dishwasher setting will kill the germs in your kitchen sponge. To maintain a healthy kitchen, it’s important to clean kitchen sponges once a week.

How do I make my sponge germ free?

Microwave damp sponges for one minute or put them in the dishwasher with a drying cycle. The UDSA found that this kills over 99\% of bacteria, yeasts and molds. Many of us keep sponges until they look dirty or smell bad. Some of us even wait until sponges fall apart before throwing them out.

How do you kill germs on a sponge?

1. Microwave. The microwave was one of the next most effective, zapping 99.9\% of germs. Do this by putting the sponge in the microwave, saturating it in water (we used 1/4 cup for scrub sponges and 1/2 cup for cellulose), then heating it on high for one minute (scrub) or two minutes (cellulose).

How do you keep a sponge from getting moldy?

Soak them in a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution overnight after rinsing + wringing them a few times. Do this on a regular basis, or as they start to smell. Washing out a sponge and wringing out as much water as you can after you are done using it will help inhibit odor causing bacteria/fungi from growing on it.

How do you disinfect a dish sponge?

1) Use a solution of one-quarter to one-half of a teaspoon of concentrated bleach (8.25 percent sodium hypochlorite) per quart of warm, not hot water. 2) Soak the sponge for one minute.

How do you disinfect a sponge with vinegar?

Submerge your sponges and brushes in a container filled with white vinegar. Soak your sponges and scrub brushes overnight. Squeeze them out in the morning, and they’ll be refreshed and ready for use.

How often should you change your kitchen sponge?

A good rule of thumb is to replace a kitchen sponge at least once a week. “I wouldn’t go longer than a week without replacing a sponge,” says Melissa Maker, host of a cleaning YouTube channel and founder of the house cleaning service, Clean My Space.

How often should you change sponges?

every two weeks
Throw them out before they smell. Wring sponges out after each use and clean them every other day. While those are great habits to get into, even a sponge sanitized this often could accumulate bacteria over time, so replace yours every two weeks—or even sooner if they develop an odor or fall apart.

Can you microwave sponges?

Microwave only sponges or plastic scrubbers that do not contain steel or other metals. Make sure the sponge or scrubber is wet, not dry. Two minutes should be enough to kill most disease-causing germs.

How do you freshen a sponge?

The most effective and easy way to clean your sponge is to douse it in bleach. You’ll want to soak it for at least five minutes in a solution of 3/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, then squeeze and rinse it out. You can also microwave a damp sponge for about a minute.