Cleaning Sponges

Keep your kitchen sponges clean, bacteria-free, and smelling like nothing at all with this handy trick. Once you're done cleaning with the sponge, wring it out and set it in a window. The sunlight will dry the sponge out and kill most of the smell-inducing bacteria. I prop my sponges up so that only one small edge is touching and all the large sides are exposed to air. This method works much better than chemical or microwave-based approaches. I have literally used a sponge until it shredded and it never smelled bad.

Comments

[kkarn]

I put my sponge in the dishwasher about every other time I run a load of dishes. I figure that cleans and disinfects it.

[Eutychus82]

put the sponge in a bowl of soapy water in the microwave, then put under cold water, ring it out, and let it dry

[awang8]

My soldering sponge stinks though... Wouldn't be using that to wash dishes! (IT's got lots of lead solder on it too!)

[Plasmana]

That is a clever idea! I am going to try this... Will it also kill algae?

[chriskarr]

Of course it will kill algae - they have to be in water to survive (or at least common varieties do).

[aliceownsj00]

lol nice. Though I've heard popping a sponge in a microwave can cause a fire? lol so not so good.

[canida]

Microwaving sponges is only likely to cause a fire if they're dry - you have to make sure they're wet enough. Wet sponges, however, have their own problems in a microwave: they get very hot, and I've actually cracked one of those tempered-glass turntables microwaving sponges. Now that we've got decent sunlight, I prefer to let natural UV do the work.

[aliceownsj00]

Ah see I knew there was something to that. Oh wow, lol well I'm just not going to bother putting one in there haha

[engineerable]

Ya, I try to air/sun dry my sponges, but housemates tend to leave them in the sink no matter what. So 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave refreshes them much quicker when they are left dirty in the sink. Maybe the better solution in my case should be; don't have dirty housemates!

[canida]

Well, it does suck less than many of the other options, and kills lots of bacteria. If you don't have a sunny window I'd recommend the microwave trick - just use a crappy plate/bowl you don't care about, and let the sponge sit/cool before you try to handle it.

[SFHandyman]

I have a habit of washing each dish as I dirty it. I don't let them pile up and wash as a group. I also keep the sink dry, and I haven't had to scrub it in 5 years. It still looks new. I'll do the Never Clean Your Sink Instructable one day.

I never get a smelly sponge, even though they basically stay wet most of the time. Since I don't scrub the sink, the harshest detergent or soap my sponges get exposed to is dish soap, so it isn't getting sterilized from cleansers.

This is what I do:
Leave soap in it

That's it. When you are done washing. Rinse the sponge out. Put some clean soap on it and squish it in. Then leave it like that.

It doesn't waste. You use the soap next time you use the sponge, and I guess the bugs don't like being in soap, cause I never get any smell.

I just went and checked to make sure I wasn't imagining this. hahaha I smelled my sponge. Nothing. I could kind of smell the soap but nothing else. It has already lost a chunk from one edge because I've been using it so long.

[ewilhelm]

That's a good trick!

[kill-a-watt]

I stick mine in the freezer. Seems to work for food, so.. Hot water thaws them out quick.

[SFHandyman]

I have a sponge on a handle that holds dish washing detergent. I realized the sponge on it never smelled, so I tried it with other sponges. It's been working for me.

[meddler]

I wonder if i could put up a string outside in a out of the way but sunny spot, and attach the corner of a sponge to it with one of those black office paper clamps.

[gmjhowe]

Agreed, i love simple ideas that make life more efficient.

[freakinslop]

neat! I will have to try this! My sponges always have that wet dog kind opf smell...

[freakinslop]

of not opf

[Lithium Rain]

What a good idea!