What a nasty little germ-breeding tool the kitchen sponge can become. Using it to clean up the mess after handling raw meat tends to spread the bacteria from the meat over every surface. Using plain kitchen dish soap cleans the sponge superficially, but the bacteria will live on.
To kill the bacteria try placing the sponge in a shallow bowl. Pour hydrogen peroxide (3% grade) over the sponge, just enough to saturate it. Let it sit for about 5 or 10 minutes or so (watch it foam). Wash it out and repeat a couple of times. You’ll notice that the foaming will diminish. Once it stops foaming profusely, the germs and bacteria have been defeated.
Try disinfecting nightly, or right after using the sponge to clean the remnants of raw meat. Using hydrogen peroxide is a much cheaper option than disinfectant wipes. A large 32 oz. bottle of hydrogen peroxide costs about 90 cents in Wal-Mart. A canister of 35 disinfectant wipes may cost anywhere from $2.50 and up.
There are many other BLULOW uses for hydrogen peroxide. Stay tuned, I will post them in the near future.
6/18/2012 Update: Another way to disinfect the kitchen sponge is to place it in boiling water for a few minutes. I’ve tried it and it works.
Also, consider alternatives to the kitchen sponge. Recently I took an old towel and cut it into equal squares. The squares are small/large enough to conveniently navigate though kitchen cups, glasses and small bowels. When the wash cloth gets too dirty (aka yucky), I throw it in the wash with the rest of the towels and soon it’s ready to get back to work.
These reusable pieces of cloth save me from purchasing new sponges every so often. We even used permanent marker to write the word “DOG” on the dog’s cloth. I don’t know, call me strange, but I don’t like using the same cloth for cleaning the dog bowl as I use for washing my coffee cup.
About the author: 
Recent Comments