Your home should be a safe and clean place for your health, where you prioritize cleanliness and health. Whether it’s maintaining fresh air or cooking in a hygienic environment, you make a lot of effort. But a common cleaning tool, the kitchen sponge could be a serious threat to your health, and you don’t even realize it. This small sponge can become a hotbed of dangerous bacteria that can affect the whole family.
Studies have shown that kitchen sponges contain more bacteria than a toilet seat, there are things with even more bacteria with some having as many as 200,000 times more bacteria than your toilet seat. A sponge can have about 54 billion bacteria per cubic centimeter, which infects any surface it touches. These include bacteria that cause food poisoning. For example, contact of raw meat, such as chicken, with a sponge increases the risk of transmitting Salmonella.
Kitchen Sponge: A Hidden Danger
Research has shown that kitchen sponges harbor more bacteria than toilet seats, making them one of the dirtiest items in the house. A small sponge harbors millions of bacteria that can infect surfaces it touches. Especially when it comes in contact with raw meat, such as chicken, dangerous bacteria like salmonella can grow in it.
According to Scientists at Duke University report that the moist and porous structure of sponges creates an ideal environment for microbes. The amount of bacteria in a sponge can even be higher than the amount of agar plates used to grow bacteria in the lab. Sponges can cause diseases such as stomach problems, pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections.
Health Effects
Bacteria spread by dirty sponges can sometimes cause stomach upset to more serious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections. Some of the major harmful bacteria found in it are:
1. Campylobacter – causes diarrhea and fever
2. E. coli – stomach pain, diarrhea, and kidney damage in severe cases
3. Salmonella – infections associated with contaminated food
4. Staphylococcus – skin to deep infections
5. Klebsiella, Proteus, Acinetobacter – many types of infections
6. Enterobacter Cloacae And Moraxella – especially dangerous for those with weak immunity
How To Keep Sponges Safe?
According to a 2007 study, heating a sponge in a microwave can kill 99.9% of bacteria, provided the time and power are right. Boiling the sponge is also a method, but is less effective than the microwave.
What Are Better Alternatives?
If you prefer safer alternatives to sponges, consider:
1. Use a scrub brush, silicone brush, or metal scrubber
2. Wash dish rags in warm soapy water or clean them in a washing machine
3. Use a dishwasher, which is effective at sanitizing cleaning tools
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