can you use the same sponge?

[QueenIsabella]

I prefer a microfiber cloth for my countertops, etc. I have ones that are plastic mesh on one side for scrubbing. I'll rinse it out while I'm using it, but when I'm done, I put it in the wash. Sponges are only used for quick spills (like a few drops of milk on the counter) and dishes. Dh does the dishes, and he prefers a sponge.

I was in Walmart this morning, and they had Scrub Daddy Sponges in different colors for different jobs. Something like that might help. But it sounds like the real issue might be different idea on clean, generally. Your Dh seems to subscribe to the theory that if it "looks" clean, that's good enough.

 

[MIGrandma]

I think sponges are nasty, I don't use one. They harbor germs. I use dish cloths to clean my dishes and wipe down my counters, but never the same one for both, and I wash them in hot water after each use.

And dish cloths don't harbor germs?

I used to use dish cloths but even after washing them in hot soapy water after washing dishes, they smelled musty after they dried so I switched to sponges. I throw them in the dishwasher so they get cleaned and disinfected, and toss them in the trash after a few uses and then get a new one out of the package. For countertops I like Clorox wipes.

 

[bethy]

I use dish cloths only once and then into laundry they go to be washed with bleach. For stubborn scrubbing I use the scotch brite pads but only once and then run them through the dishwasher. I do not own sponges. For the counters and sinks I use paper towels and strong bleach based cleaner.

I do use dish towels for drying hands (unlike my MIL who will only use paper towels). But I change them out about 2x times each day to wash with bleach. We are a larger busy family who is home a lot and we cook 3 meals per day.

 

[anniemae]

Thank you!! The thing is my husband will get mad if I say something to him, I might try the half sponge approach and maybe he won't take it as me trying to correct him. I don't understand why he always needs to spray a cleaner on everything when good ole fashion hot water and soap will do. I use paper towels alot myself, and I use white vinegar for almost everything, unplugging toilets to mopping floors to cleaning coffee maker. I am not crazy about sponges, I do put the sponge in the dishwasher every few days. My husband leaves butter on the counter for weeks He also will just rinse a glass out and put it back in the cupboard without really washing, or he will do this with a frying pan or something and you take it out and it will be all greasy yuck!!

I think you need to ban DH from all cleaning duties! LOL!!!!

 

[anniemae]

I use clorox wipes for the counters (i usually buy the walmart or target store brand, much cheaper), or paper towels and cleaning spray. Sponge for dishes only.

I have heard about throwing the sponge in the dishwasher to clean/disinfect it, and I have also heard you can put a wet sponge in the microwave for 1 to 2 mins to kill germs. I have not tried the microwave trick because it seems like it would catch on fire! Has anyone tried it? Curious

 

[mom2rtk]

No dishcloths or sponges here. Just a long handled brush for dishes that gets put in the dishwasher along with those dishes. Counter is wiped with a hand towel that gets put with the dirty laundry. One cleanish towel hangs on the fridge handle exclusively for drying hands.

 

[georgina]

I don't put anything germy directly on my countertops, so yes, I do use the same soapy dishcloth to wipe the counters after I wash dishes (which we don't do that often either). The countertop is just wet, with a few dry crumbs. My MIL crochets us nice cotton dish cloths every year for Christmas, they are washed (and bleached) frequently and consigned to the rag bag when they get too worn. If I am just cleaning the countertops apart form dishes, I use a paper towel and granite cleaner.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

And dish cloths don't harbor germs?

I used to use dish cloths but even after washing them in hot soapy water after washing dishes, they smelled musty after they dried so I switched to sponges. I throw them in the dishwasher so they get cleaned and disinfected, and toss them in the trash after a few uses and then get a new one out of the package. For countertops I like Clorox wipes.

They don't harbor germs if you launder them. As in, put in the washing machine with bleach and hot water.

 

[MIGrandma]

They don't harbor germs if you launder them. As in, put in the washing machine with bleach and hot water.

Sponges don't harbor germs either if you put them in the dishwasher after using.

 

[Christine]

I use clorox wipes for the counters (i usually buy the walmart or target store brand, much cheaper), or paper towels and cleaning spray. Sponge for dishes only.

I have heard about throwing the sponge in the dishwasher to clean/disinfect it, and I have also heard you can put a wet sponge in the microwave for 1 to 2 mins to kill germs. I have not tried the microwave trick because it seems like it would catch on fire! Has anyone tried it? Curious

Yes, I do it often. I've heard sometimes the dishwasher doesn't get hot enough to kill germs in a sponge.

As long as the sponge is very wet, there's no problem. You don't want to put an almost dry sponge in the microwave.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes you can put your sponges in the microwave...
But 2 minutes... way to long! I wouldn't want them to melt!
In a high power microwave 30 seconds might do the trick.

If it is steaming and too hot to really touch... voila.

Also, I do use a dish cloth. as mentioned earlier...
I wring it out good, and hang it up... sometimes just over the faucet.
It is def. NOT germy or musty. Believe me, I know fresh, and if they were actually musty, I would not like that.
I tried the so called better and more expensive dish cloths... They were thicker and did hold moisture and water and were harder to keep fresh.
Thinner ones work really great. No problem.
The kicker is making sure that your cloths and sponges do not hold moisture and stay wet and yucky.
I occasionally use a little clorox in my dishwater for washing dishes and cleaning.
That also does the trick.

It is the dish towels that hold enough water and moisture and germs to not stay fresh and dry that get musty.
I have some white ones that I can wash with some fresh scent clorox bleach.
And any colored ones I can use the heat/disinfect cycle on my washer, or I can just soak for a few minutes in pot of boiling hot water before throwing them in the washer on my usual quick-wash.
That is kind of a pain though. So I mostly use my white ones.

 

[scrapquitler]

Sponges are a huge feeding ground for bacteria, and I don't use them. I use microfiber cloths for cleaning, and I use a dish brush for the dishes, which I wash in the dishwasher ever night and replace about once a month.

 

[low-key]

do you mean like lady type sponges

 

[Cantw8]

do you mean like lady type sponges

what the hell is a lady sponge?

 

[Mickeypooh99]

I use clorox wipes for the counters (i usually buy the walmart or target store brand, much cheaper), or paper towels and cleaning spray. Sponge for dishes only.

I have heard about throwing the sponge in the dishwasher to clean/disinfect it, and I have also heard you can put a wet sponge in the microwave for 1 to 2 mins to kill germs. I have not tried the microwave trick because it seems like it would catch on fire! Has anyone tried it? Curious

I wash my sponges in the dishwasher AND when it's done I microwave them for 2 minutes. I do this every time I run the dishwasher usually 1 or 2 times per day. I've never melted one yet.

 

[low-key]

what the hell is a lady sponge?

isnt that like some kind of birth control thing

 

[scrapquitler]

do you mean like lady type sponges

My dishes are not sponge-worthy.

 

[MataHari22]

I wash my sponges in the dishwasher AND when it's done I microwave them for 2 minutes. I do this every time I run the dishwasher usually 1 or 2 times per day. I've never melted one yet.

This is what I do. I have a thing about dirty sponges. I cannot handle it when I go to someone's house and see (or God forbid, smell) an icky sponge. In food safety class, you're taught not to use the same one for counters and dishes. I even wash kitchen towels separate from any towels use in the bathrooms (same as we did in my restaurant). Majority of the time, I use the Clorox wipes that I keep on the counter, but I do have a seperate sponge with a smooth side and a scratchy side for rare times I have anything stubborn stuck on the counter or stove top.

 

[Disney Doll]

Dishes go in the dishwasher. I have a handled sponge with the soap in the handle for a dish that might need a swipe before going in the dishwasher. When the sponge starts to look yucky, i put a new one on.

Counters are wiped with paper towels which then get discarded.

Dish towels get used for a day or so then into the wash. I have a lot of dish towels. Old dish towels get turned into rags. I've read that hint about buying white dish towels that can be bleached, which actually sounds like a good idea. I may slowly morph my morph towels over to white as they wear out.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I use a sponge but I buy lots and replace often. I also throw them in the dishwasher and/or the microwave, and make sure they get rinsed well and squeezed out after each use (nothing worse than picking up a sopping wet, mildewy sponge ) and set to dry in a well-ventilated area of the dish drainer so they dry quickly and completely. If there's a hint of a smell, it gets discarded, but I generally replace them every week or two anyway. I throw the dish drainer itself in the dishwasher every now and then, and I use Lysol wipes on countertops and handles, to wipe down fridge shelves, etc. Lots of germs around kitchens.