Your Kitchen Sponge Is Dirtier Than You May Think — Here's What You Should Use Instead

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You don't generally want to think about it, but there are all sorts of things in your kitchen that are probably dirtier than you assume. That handy kitchen towel hanging over the oven is likely disgusting, and most folks fail to clean their kitchen light switches as often as they should. It's not that people are purposely neglecting to keep their galleys spic-and-span — there are just some items and areas that are more prone to harboring bacteria. Unfortunately, one of those is the sponge you use to clean your dishes.

Researchers have found that kitchen sponges can sometimes house roughly the same amount of germs found on a toilet. In fact, due to the way they are constructed, they serve as better environments for bacteria to thrive than a petri dish. It's great for microbiologists, as it presents a unique method of researching bacteria in a lab, but not so great for your countertops.

All those little depressions that help you scrub away grime are a perfect habitat for various strains of bacteria, and when that sponge doesn't get dried out thoroughly after use, moisture is also helping them survive. Kitchen brushes tend to retain less germs than a sponge, making them a much better alternative for cleaning brand-new dishes or the same ones you've been familiar with for years. Given the amount of bacteria that can accumulate on a sponge, even a simple cotton dishcloth is better for washing things in your kitchen.

You might think that if you soap up your kitchen sponge and give it a proper cleaning after each use, you will kill any bacteria lingering on it, but not so fast. There is some debate surrounding whether or not sanitizing a sponge will effectively eliminate bacteria that so enjoy that environment. While some researchers believe a good, solid wash will do the trick, others are skeptical and recommend tossing it in the trash every week or two just to be safe. I don't know about you, but buying kitchen sponges that regularly isn't a concept that screams "economical" to me.

A brush like this Dish Brush with Soap Dispenser should last much longer than a couple of weeks with proper care. If you don't necessarily need a whole lot of scrubbing power, any old cotton dishcloth would work and comes with the advantage of being machine washable, meaning you won't need to replace it anytime soon. However, if you do need some extra oomph for stuck-on grime, a Swedish dishcloth like these HOMEXCEL Swedish Dishcloths has better scrubbing capability than a cotton dishcloth and can also be reused after tossing it in the washing machine. Anything other than an item that allows bacteria to grow better than a petri dish is a preferable alternative if you want things in your kitchen to be as clean as possible.