On sponges

I’ve heard sponges are a hotbed for bacteria. I only replace my sponges when they get tattered but now I’m thinking this isn’t often enough. Should I be throwing out my sponges every week?

I sometimes think that the filthiest thing in the world is a bar of soap. But despite contacting every bit of filth, the soap molecules that bind to the filth end up getting washed away, so the soap bar itself remains fairly clean.

Does the same logic apply to your sponge? Kind of. Insofar as a sponge is wet, room temperature, and covered in food debris then it will host bacteria growth. You can avoid this by thoughtfully washing your sponge with soap and hot water after you’re done doing dishes. Then wring it out and store it somewhere where it will dry. 

But this just prevents continued bacteria growth on your sponge. 

How do you reset the bacteria-counter to zero? You can run your sponge through the dishwasher where the heat exposure will sanitize it. But I don’t have a dishwasher, so here’s what I do: I wring out the sponge, lay it in the sink and dump boiling water on it until it’s soaked through (about 1 cup). This will instantly kill all of the bacteria that has accumulated, sanitizing your sponge.

Now that you know how to eliminate sponge-risk there’s no need to unwrap a new one every week. You can use the same sponge until wears out.