can you use the same sponge?

[leebee]

We hand-wash all pots and pans, cooking utensils, paring knives, travel mugs, cutting boards, etc., as well as my great grandmother's fiesta ware soup/salad plates. The sponge gets squeezed out and propped up to dry. We wipe down the counters and stove area with a degreaser spray or windex. The sponges are Scotch-brite, so they have a scrubber side as well as a sponge side. When they get old, we replace them and DH takes the old ones for cleaning in his workshop or upstairs to use when he cleans the bathrooms. I'm not sure we've ever put sponges in either the dishwasher or the microwave, and it's not anything I've ever worried about. Bacteria can't live very long on a nonporous surface that has no food/water supply, so I'm not worried about anything growing on pots and pans (especially as they are also subjected to high heat before being exposed to food). No problems here in 35 years.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, using sponges and/or cloths that dry fairly quickly and do not hold water and moisture long enough to harbor germs are key.
Wow, judging by this thread, we are a society of germophobes!!!

I also never use all of those sprays, unless necessary for occasional heavier cleaning.
There are not too many things that I don't get sparkling clean with a little dawn and bleach.
I don't like all the toxic fumes and chemicals and residues.
Those have way more of a 'yuck' factor to me.

Bacteria can't live very long on a nonporous surface that has no food/water supply, so I'm not worried about anything growing on pots and pans (especially as they are also subjected to high heat before being exposed to food). No problems here in 35 years.

I could have posted very similar words myself...
People have commented on how I always seem to keep a clean house.

I just LOVE my William's Sonoma Calphalon Elite cookware that is non-stick inside and. Seriously like comes squeaky clean with a quick swipe of soapy water and a rinse. SO easy.

 

[NewRVLady]

I prefer those throw away wipes for countertops & stovetop

I now have granite and it needs a different cleaner-AND they make wipes for it also

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I'm going in to wash the dishes. We'll get the counters on phase 2.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I wouldn't clean anything else with a sponge or cloth used to wash dishes.

 

[Hikergirl]

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 do the microwave trick, it hasn't set on fire......yet. I do it for about 1 minute, I've never gone as long as 2.

 

[anniemae]

I do the microwave trick, it hasn't set on fire......yet. I do it for about 1 minute, I've never gone as long as 2.

LOL! I will try it for 1 min.

 

[Hikergirl]

LOL! I will try it for 1 min.

Be careful, its hot when it comes out. It gets real sudsy too, even if you think you've rinsed it well.

 

[aquabone1109]

Thats just Nasty. We have one sponge for just the pots and pans that we replace once a week (all dishes, cups and silver wear go in the dishwasher). The knives get cleaned separate. We use one dish towel a day and have enough for about 2 weeks. We use paper towels and a disinfectant Windex for the counter tops (quartz)

 

[bethy]

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.

I have dish towels of all colors and I wash them with a little bleach each time and have no problems with discoloration. At least not before they get worn out anyway.

I too wash bathroom towels separately.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

One can have a reasonable respect for germs without being a germophobe.

 

[bethy]

One can have a reasonable respect for germs without being a germophobe.

My aunt is a world renowned microbiologist and I follow her lead when it comes to good hygiene and safe food practices! Also, I am terribly grateful when restaurants follow stringent food safety practices!

 

[Christine]

One can have a reasonable respect for germs without being a germophobe.

Agreed. People don't just make this stuff up about "dual usage" sponges. I've seen the recommendation plenty of times in magazines, literature on food safety, and other similar bulletins. The biggest worry is salmonella and e-coli.

You handle poultry or beef and it gets on your countertops, you wipe it up with a sponge and bleach, but then use the sponge on your dishes--not a good idea.

 

[Micca]

I think, generally, that the world is too germaphobic and is way too easily skeeved out. That said, sponges are just nasty. Maybe I'm becoming a convert

 

[aprilgail]

Yuck, my dad used to do this. We use paper towels on the countertops and table (well, I do, because no one else will do this chore).

I bought the bounty paper towels with dawn in them- they are really strong and can clean the counters with them and rinse/wipe off the dishes with them before putting them in the dish washer!

 

[TeresaBelle]

I tried to find a shorter clip, but couldn't. This thread reminds me of a Home Improvement episode.

Skip to 7:19...

 

[ronandannette]

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

Except for then you'd need to do it all yourself, right? Personally I'm willing to risk the potential bio-hazard rather than go that far... I live in a world where DH and DS indiscriminately use my good cloth napkins as dish rags and I'm pretty sure the only thing they scrub counters with is the soapy water out of the sink of dishes they're washing. We must have watching over us to have survived this long...

 

[threeboysmom]

Wowza. After reading this thread, I feel dirty, lol. I use the same kitchen sponge to wash dishes AND wipe down counters/island. I probably replace maybe once every couple of weeks or so (when it looks noticeably dirty). I have never microwaved it or thrown it into the dishwasher, and never will.

My dish towel gets washed maybe once a week if that - I use it to dry my clean hands so don't understand why people are washing theirs every day.

My kitchen LOOKS spotless, but apparently it's crawling with germs according to most of you. Oh well. I haven't died yet. And I also haven't been sick in YEARS - at least 12-15 years at that!

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I'm anal about sponges. I have a cleaning sponge for pots and pans, wiping off dishes etc. Then because I can't imagine using a sponge to clean raw chicken off of a cutting board and then using the same one to clean a pot I have a different one I use on those cutting board and knives but I rinse those and spray wit bleach before I clean them. I use a microfiber cloth on my counters with just soap and water if it's needed otherwise just damp.

My nasty raw meat sponge goes in the microwave every time I use it and the other sponge gets tossed in the dishwasher before I run it. I change out sponges once a week.

 

[MomofKatie]

Wowza. After reading this thread, I feel dirty, lol. I use the same kitchen sponge to wash dishes AND wipe down counters/island. I probably replace maybe once every couple of weeks or so (when it looks noticeably dirty). I have never microwaved it or thrown it into the dishwasher, and never will.

My dish towel gets washed maybe once a week if that - I use it to dry my clean hands so don't understand why people are washing theirs every day.

My kitchen LOOKS spotless, but apparently it's crawling with germs according to most of you. Oh well. I haven't died yet. And I also haven't been sick in YEARS - at least 12-15 years at that!

Same here! Mostly, I use paper towels or wipes for counters/table, but my sponges don't get microwaved or dishwashered often. I only switch them out when they start to lose the scrubby side- about once every 3 months. So far, never had any food poisoning, illnesses, or anything else because of less than pristine sponges, lol!!