Dish sponges can be one of the most contaminated tools in your kitchen, depending on how you use them, how you care for them and how often you replace them.
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you → depend → them
Sponges can trap food particles, and then if they sit warm and moist for hours, it may make them a reservoir of bacteria that can be transferred to your hands, dishes, countertops and other surfaces, research suggests.
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research → trap → hands
When sponges aren’t properly cared for, they can be a source of harmful bacteria, including E. coli and staph, says Don Schaffner, chair of the department of food science at Rutgers University.
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Schaffner → care → University
Certain strains of E. coli and staph can lead to infections and food poisoning in some cases.
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strains → lead → cases
The risk for foodborne illness is why the World Health Organization advises against using sponges to clean plates and utensils.
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Organization → advise → plates
Knowing how to use sponges properly can help make them more sanitary.
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them → know → sponges
We asked food safety experts what they use in their own kitchens and how they reduce the risk of bacterial contamination.
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they → ask → contamination
Here’s what they told us.
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they → ’ → us
Use a brush for dishes
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Use → use → dishes
No cleaning tool is maintenance-free, but dish brushes have been shown in studies to be more hygienic than sponges.
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brushes → show → sponges
That’s because bristles dry faster than sponges, meaning the bacteria die off more quickly.
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bacteria → ’ → sponges
The bristles, which may be plastic or made of natural materials such as bamboo or beechwood, also make it easier to see grime.
“They tend to have a more open matrix, which makes it harder to trap food particles, and that also makes it much more readily amenable to sitting somewhere and draining and drying,” Schaffner says.
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Schaffner → make → particles
In a 2021 study, brushes were found to have no residual water four and a half hours after being immersed in water, resulting in fewer bacteria compared with sponges.
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brushes → find → sponges
One type of sponge that was tested still held up to a teaspoon of water 24 hours after immersion.
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that → test → immersion
This created a humid environment for bacteria that can make you sick, such as salmonella and campylobacter, to grow.
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you → create → salmonella
As with any cleaning tool, brushes must be regularly cleaned and sanitised or replaced, says Jason Bolton, a food safety expert and associate dean at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
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Bolton → clean → Extension
Wash dish brushes often – ideally, daily – with hot, soapy water and then set them in a place where they can drip-dry – bristles down, Bolton says.
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Bolton → wash → place
Often, plastic brushes can be placed in a dishwasher, but follow the manufacturer instructions.
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brushes → place → instructions
Bacteria can still hide in the crevices where the bristles come out of the handle, so brushes or replaceable brush heads should be disposed of once they start to appear stained or soiled, says Bolton, who uses a dish brush in his kitchen.
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who → hide → kitchen
That being said, brushes aren’t ideal for cleaning surfaces because the bristles don’t make as much contact with countertops or may scratch certain materials, such as some nonstick cookware.
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bristles → say → cookware
That’s where the dish cloth comes in.
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cloth → ’ → ?
Use a cloth or towel for washing and drying
Dishcloths, which may be made of materials such as cotton, linen or even plant cellulose, can be useful both for washing and drying.
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which → use → washing
When kept clean and dry, they can be more sanitary than sponges.
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they → keep → sponges
The key is to have a set of dishcloths and, ideally, use a fresh one each day.
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key → have → one
“Using a dish towel that goes through a proper laundry cycle and high-temperature drying cycle, there’s a lower risk,” compared with sponges or towels that are not properly cleaned, sanitised and dried, says Bolton, who uses dishcloths as well.
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who → use → dishcloths
Dishcloths are easier to launder and more likely to be laundered, often making them a safer choice than sponges, Bolton says.
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Bolton → launder → sponges
Also, they tend to dry out faster, reducing the risk of bacterial growth.
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they → tend → growth
That said, dishcloths that are balled up or allowed to stay moist can harbor bacteria in much the same way as dish sponges, research shows.
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research → say → sponges
Cotton and biodegradable dishcloths made of materials such as plant cellulose usually can be washed in a dishwasher or washing machine, and go through a heated drying cycle.
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Cotton → make → cycle
Synthetic materials can work, too, as long as they can be dried at high heat, Bolton says.
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Bolton → work → heat
With any material, follow the manufacturer instructions as they may not be designed to go through a washing and drying cycle, he says.
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he → follow → cycle
Another option: single-use paper towels pose less risk from a food-safety standpoint because you’re not reusing them and potentially spreading bacteria, but they’re not as environmentally friendly.
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they → pose → bacteria
Schaffner says his used paper towels go into the compost, “but if you’re not composting, then that goes to a landfill”.
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that → say → landfill
If you prefer to keep your sponges, you should ideally sanitise them daily, assuming you use them frequently, Bolton says.
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Bolton → prefer → them
Here are three ways to do that:
- Run your sponges through the dishwasher.
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Run → do → dishwasher
If you have a sanitiser cycle, that can help both clean and sanitise them, Schaffner says.
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Schaffner → have → them
Never microwave a sponge that’s dry because it can catch fire, he says.
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he → microwave → fire
Once cool, wring them out and set them someplace where they can dry completely, he says.
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he → wring → them
Again, once cool enough to touch, wring out the excess water and let them dry, he says.
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he → touch → water
For best results when microwaving or boiling sponges, use a digital meat thermometer to make sure the water reaches at least 71 degrees, Schaffner says.
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Schaffner → microwave → degrees
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
