It’s a commonly used kitchen item, but it might be time to ditch this accessory if you want to keep your health in check.
Dr Daniel Pompa, a wellness expert based out of Utah, warns that the humble kitchen sponge is a magnet for harmful bacteria that can cause ‘sickness and gut problems.’
Peppered with hundreds of tiny ‘nooks and crannies,’ Dr Pompa says the absorbent squares are almost impossible to clean.
Even if you try putting them in the dishwasher to sterilize them, the food safety specialist says it will not work as the germs get ‘protected’ in these tiny holes.
The USDA also suggests microwaving or boiling kitchen sponges to ‘reduce some of the bacterial load,’ but Dr Pompa remains unconvinced.
Dr Daniel Pompa, a wellness expert based out of Utah , warns that the humble kitchen sponge is a magnet for harmful bacteria
Instead, he recommends swapping them out ‘every one to two days.’
But with the cost of buying new sponges quickly adding up, he suggests investing in a silicone scrub pad instead.
In an Instagram clip, which has garnered more than 20,000 likes, the medic says of these cleaning pads: ‘They scrub better anyway, they don’t hold the bacteria and if you put them in the dishwasher it actually gets rid of the bacteria.’
The video quickly attracted dozens of comments, with viewers sharing their own sponge cleaning methods and debating which is best.
One commenter said in response to Dr Pompa’s advice: ‘Please stop this nonsense! People you don’t have to throw away your dish washing sponge.
‘Do this instead; after washing dishes with the sponge put in in a bowl/container with a mixture of water (boiling water is better), salt and vinegar.
‘If you do this after washing you dishes the sponge can last as long as you want it to.’
However, another commenter agreed with Dr Pompa, writing: ‘I always thought these sponges were so gross.
In a 2017 study, German researchers found that one kitchen sponge contained a staggering 54 billion bacterial cells in a 1cm square area
‘We use a brush that goes into the dishwasher daily and is cleaned with antibacterial soap.’
In a 2017 study, German researchers found that one kitchen sponge contained a staggering 54 billion bacterial cells in a 1cm square area.
After analyzing DNA samples from 14 different sponges, researchers discovered they were dominated by a class of bacteria called Gammaproteobacteria – which include a number of human pathogens including bacteria that cause typhoid fever, the plague, cholera and food poisoning.
The study found that kitchen sponges, due to their porous nature and water-soaking capacity, have ‘the capability to collect and spread bacteria with a probable pathogenic potential.’
Off the back of that, researchers demonstrated that kitchen environments host more microbes than toilets.
‘This was mainly due to the contribution of kitchen sponges, which were proven to represent the biggest reservoirs of active bacteria in the whole house,’ they explained.
The researchers also said that ‘kitchen sponges not only act as a reservoir of microorganisms, but also as disseminators over domestic surfaces, which can lead to cross-contamination of hands and food, which is considered a main cause if food-borne disease outbreaks.’
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