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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday July 20 2017, @11:44PM   Printer-friendly
from the hidden-nasties dept.

In a story appearing in Innovations Report, researchers reveal that your kitchen cleaning sponge can breed germs, and obvious cleaning techniques are ultimately ineffective:

The first comprehensive study of contamination in used kitchen sponges worldwide has just been published. The high concentration of bacteria found in these cleaning materials is partially cause for concern. Washing the sponge in hot water or putting it in the microwave is not a long-term solution, say the researchers.

[...] These are environmental and water bacteria, but also bacteria which are typical for the human skin. Particularly for people with a weak immune system such as patients and the elderly, bacteria such as Acinetobacter johnsonii, Moraxella osoloensis and Chryseobacterium hominis can lead to infections. The very commonly found Moraxella osloensis bacteria can also cause kitchen sponges to stink. Faecal bacteria and those which cause food poisoning or dysentery however, were scarcely detected.

However the real cause for concern is: in sponges which according to their users were regularly cleaned either in the microwave or through washing, showed considerably higher levels of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The scientists assume that the cleaning of the sponges can lead to a short-term decrease in the number of germs; obviously in the quickly regrowing communities however, the potentially pathogenic bacteria achieve an ever stronger domination, probably due to a higher stress tolerance.

"Sometimes the bacteria achieved a concentration of more than 5 times 10^10 cells per cubic centimetre," ... "Those are concentrations which one would normally only find in faecal samples.

Journal article: Microbiome analysis and confocal microscopy of used kitchen sponges reveal massive colonization by Acinetobacter, Moraxella and Chryseobacterium species.

[MythBusters covered this is in Season 7. - Ed]


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 21 2017, @12:44AM (7 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 21 2017, @12:44AM (#542117)

    Is there a recommended cleaning method that doesn't favor re-growth of the nasties? We run sponges through the dishwasher, with strong dishwasher soap, but this isn't every day.

    Or maybe a dish rag is a better choice than a sponge?

  • (Score: 1) by Virindi on Friday July 21 2017, @02:24AM (4 children)

    by Virindi (3484) on Friday July 21 2017, @02:24AM (#542150)

    I soak them in boiling water. Seems quite effective by the unscientific "sniff test".

    Maybe the real headline here is, people tend to use ineffective methods of killing bacteria? That they should be more realistic about what kills bacteria, hot water doesn't cut it?

    • (Score: 2) by sgleysti on Friday July 21 2017, @04:16AM (1 child)

      by sgleysti (56) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 21 2017, @04:16AM (#542175)

      Same here. I put the sponge in a pot of boiling water and smash it occasionally with a fork to circulate boiling water through the sponge.

      Similarly to Virindi, it always smells neutral after that, but I don't know if that kills other harmful bacteria.

      • (Score: 2) by riT-k0MA on Friday July 21 2017, @06:42AM

        by riT-k0MA (88) on Friday July 21 2017, @06:42AM (#542244)

        TFA shows that this leads to a buildup of harmful bacteria afterwards, as the non-harmful germs can't out-compete the harmful germs anymore [because they're dead].

        Not all germs are bad for you. Most germs present as "challenge germs". It's like gym for the immune system. Fewer challenge germs = weaker immune system = sick more often.

    • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Friday July 21 2017, @01:45PM (1 child)

      by Wootery (2341) on Friday July 21 2017, @01:45PM (#542344)

      But the summary already mentions microwaving (presumably whilst submerged in water?), which is presumably much the same as just submerging in boiling water.

      • (Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Friday July 21 2017, @05:15PM

        by Osamabobama (5842) on Friday July 21 2017, @05:15PM (#542466)

        I wouldn't assume submersion, but would expect the sponge to be significantly wet before microwaving.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 21 2017, @10:38AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 21 2017, @10:38AM (#542292)

    I was going to suggest soaking it in fresh blood, to let the immune cells sort them out, but then I realized that whatever doesn't kill them all only makes them stronger for the next round. I guess that the only way to not be beaten by an invincible and undying opponent such as pathogens is to not go forth and fight them until you absolutely have to. When there is a conflict, only effective weapon is a surprise weapon.
    Also, pushing someone else into dogfight with nasties is clever strategy, so I guess it is boil with degreaser (detergent), rinse well, microwave, cool, soak with probiotics slurry, rinse, and dry.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by richtopia on Friday July 21 2017, @12:25PM

    by richtopia (3160) on Friday July 21 2017, @12:25PM (#542320) Homepage Journal

    Perhaps steam in a pressure cooker? I think that is the most aggressive you can get with household items and not resorting to some serious chemicals.