Your dish sponges may look clean, but they are the perfect breeding place for bacteria. It is moist, and the way we clean it is just by rinsing it with water. In House Cleaning, a dish sponge is equally almost as dirty as the toilet.
So, how do you clean a dish sponge, and what are the usual House Cleaning practices we know that we think are good enough when it is not. This House Cleaning list from Sacramento guide will come in handy in familiarizing the do’s and don’ts of cleaning dish sponges so you’ll be sparing your family from foodborne pathogens.
Do rinse thoroughly.
Anything that you use in House Cleaning is dirty. Thus, cleaning it is a must. After every use, do rinse your dish sponge thoroughly until there is no visible food debris. The less food debris there is, the fewer bacteria there are to breed.
Do dry completely.
After rinsing, wring as much water as you can. It has always been a House Cleaning logic that dampness can attract bacteria. Leaving it moist creates a germ-filled environment for pathogens to thrive. They can survive in dish sponges for as long as 16 days.
Do store it in a dry location.
Leaving it soaking wet on the sink is not good. Storing it in an enclosed container is even worse. If you insist on using your dish sponge holder, House Cleaning Sacramento suggests hanging it outside where it gets air and sun-dried, then store it. If you use it often, hanging it outside may not be ideal; buying a sponge holder that hangs it or a container with drip holes is also good.
Do change dish sponges every week.
Though this is the ideal replacement frequency, it still depends on how often you use it. Dirty dish sponges are health hazards. It is recommended that we replace them with new ones at least once a week. No matter how diligent you are in House Cleaning, it just won’t stay clean for so long.
Don’t use dish rags as an alternative to dish sponges.
If you think dish sponges are gross, dish rags or dishcloths are no different. Most significantly, if this dishcloth is the same cloth you use to wipe your knives, forks, and plates – ugh! They are as nasty as toilet handles. One wring and dish sponges release water to almost none. Now, try wringing a dishcloth, and you are left with the same dishcloth, except that it has less dripping.
Don’t use dish sponges as a kitchen cloth.
Paper towels were made for a reason, dish sponges too. Use it for its sole purpose, washing dishes. Using it as a multi-purpose cleaning rag increases the number of bacteria you are acquiring. In House Cleaning, color-coding rags are a must.
Now that you know the House Cleaning tips in dealing with dish sponges, you may now be your family’s first defense against hazardous bacteria.
