Easy Ways To Clean and Disinfect Sponges

_{If you’re not regularly cleaning your kitchen sponge, you could spread bacteria. Learn how to disinfect a sponge using vinegar, bleach, and more.}

Easy ways to disinfect sponges - pictured hand with pink rubber glove holding sponge

Easy Ways To Clean and Disinfect Sponges

Sponges are a necessary piece of equipment for your kitchen. Most everyone uses one daily for washing dishes, wiping down countertops, and cleaning the microwave. We rely on them for so much.

We use our sponges a lot to clean, but have you given much thought to cleaning the sponge?

Cleaning your sponges - pictured hand in rubber glove holding yellow kitchen sponge

Why you should be cleaning your sponges?

A dirty sponge can spread harmful bacteria around your kitchen that may cause you or your family to get sick. In fact, using a dirty sponge is not cleaning at all. According to a 2017 study by Scientific Reports, kitchen sponges are a hotbed for germs and bacteria.

To keep your sponges in clean and tip-top shape, aim to disinfect the sponge once a week. Here are some simple ways to clean your sponge, so you can use it without the worry of spreading germs!

What Are The Best Kitchen Sponges?

1. Scrub Daddy Sponge Daddy

Scratch-free and temperature-controlled, Scrub Daddy’s Sponge Daddy is not only safe to use on a variety of surfaces, but it makes cleaning easier. Can not be cleaned in the Microwave.

2. Mr. Siga Non-scratch Cellulose Scrub Sponge

This offering from Mr. Siga comes with a scrubbing layer and a scratch-free cellulose sponge layer.

3. Scrub It Multi-purpose Scrub Sponges

This cleaning powerhouse combines the softness of a dishcloth and the roughness of a scrubber to make cleaning and storage that much easier.

Here are five ways to clean a kitchen sponge, including high heat, natural ingredients, and more.

Your kitchen sponge has a dirty secret: It may be one of the filthiest spots in your home.

The good news is that sponges are so easy to sanitize. You don’t need to make a day out of it. You just need a few extra minutes out of your day.

How to Clean a Sponge with Bleach

Bleach and water are regarded as the best way to clean your kitchen sponge. It is another great option for cleaning kitchen sponges. It kills viruses, mold, and mildew, in addition to bacteria.

What you will need:

Warm Water
Bleach

STEP ONE: Simply put a gallon of water in a bucket with ¾ cup of bleach.

STEP TWO: Soak your sponge in this mixture for five minutes, then rinse it thoroughly and allow it to air dry.

This cleaning process should be done once a week for the life of your sponge. When your sponge starts breaking into pieces or looking scummy, it is time for a new one. The bleach solution method kills 99.9% of sponge bacteria.

Bleach is not the only way that you can clean your sponge, if you are looking for alternative methods keep reading below.

Using Vinegar to Sanitize Sponges

If you don’t want to use harsh chemicals like bleach for cleaning, you can use a natural cleaning solution like vinegar instead. Vinegar is antiviral, antibacterial, and antimicrobial, which makes it perfect for cleaning your kitchen sponge.

What you will need:

Water
Vinegar

STEP ONE: To use vinegar for cleaning your kitchen sponge, simply soak the sponge in vinegar for five minutes.

STEP TWO: After the time is up, rinse your sponge with water, and you are ready to use it for your dishes, countertops, and more!

Disinfect the Sponge in the Microwave

Bleach and vinegar are not the only ways to clean your kitchen sponges. In addition, to reheating last night’s dinner for lunch, your microwave is a handy dandy helper.

What you will need:

Water
Microwave

STEP ONE: Soak the kitchen sponge in water first because a dry sponge can start a fire. Place it in a shallow microwave-safe container. Microwave the damp kitchen sponge for 1 – 2 minutes on high.

STEP TWO: Allow the sponge to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the microwave.

Does microwaving a sponge kill germs?

Yes, this method kills 99.9% of bacteria in your sponge. According to researchers at the USDA, a zap in the microwave is the most effective method for killing up to 99.9999 percent of bacteria.

When you remove the sponge from the microwave after it is cool, it is a good time to clean it too. The steam from the wet sponge makes the stuck-on messes in the microwave wipe right off.

Clean Sponges in The Dishwasher

You can also use your dishwasher to clean your kitchen sponges.

What you will need:

Dishwasher

STEP ONE: Simply add your sponges to a regular dishwasher load of dishes and use the heated dry setting at the end.

Researchers at the USDA state this method of cleaning your sponges also kills up to 99.9% of bacteria microbes.

How Often Should You Be Disinfecting Sponges?

Remember that your kitchen sponges need to be cleaned at least once a week, and replace them when they start falling apart or looking particularly grungy. Keeping your sponges clean is an easy way to reduce the risk of illness to your family.

These sponge-cleaning techniques will work for cellulose or non-cellulose sponges.

However, if you have a scrubbing type of sponge, be certain that it does not contain any metal in it. If it does, you can use all the cleaning methods above, EXCEPT, for the microwave method.