The kitchen sponge can be a nightmare with all of the bacteria growing on it after numerous times of washing dirty dishes. CNET on YouTube shows how to clean a kitchen sponge in 2 minutes. There are 2 different ways to clean them: nuclear option or bleach and soak. I try to find ways to clean many things around the house so I don’t have to spend money unless it’s necessary. I’ve never thought about sanitizing a kitchen sponge, but it makes sense because of the build-up overtime when it is used. I do clean my sink and clean my sponge every time I wash the dishes, but this hack would be a deeper cleaning.
The nuclear option
Place the wet sponge into the microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Make sure the sponge is damp. Also, steamy sponges help soften dried food particles in the microwave, which makes it easier to clean and doubles the cleaning process.
The bleach and soak
Grab a bucket and fill with 1 part of bleach and 9 parts of water. After every use, toss the sponge into a shallow bowl and fill it with the bleach solution. Let it sit for about 10 to 30 seconds, then wring it out and rinse underwater. Pro-tip: the leftover solution can be used to clean sinks and faucets.
Overall, it’s good to clean your sponge and to learn how to keep the longevity out of them instead of going through sponges every other week. I love saving money, so this is a good cleaning hack to follow along with if you want to save the environment too. Also, sponges can get gross easily depending on the pots and pans you are washing when you’re finished cooking. I love to handwash my dishes thoroughly, so this is convenient for me to sanitize my sponge.
