How harmful is it to hand wash dishes using a sponge that literally sits at the sink day after day, being used to also wipe down kitchen counters and the stove? This sponge also has a scrubber side to it to scrub pans. Even if you rinse this sponge with hot water, does that make it safe to use on dishes?
I am having a debate with my mother about this issue. I prefer to use the automatic dishwasher and she prefers to wash dishes by hand. She feels that she can wash them better than the dishwasher. Since we are all eating off these dishes, I would appreciate your wisdom in this matter. When I do wash dishes by hand I use a clean dish cloth and then throw it in the laundry afterwards. Does this also sound ok? I can't even get her to do this! I appreciate your help in this matter!
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Sponges vs. dish cloths
I agree with using separate items and with microwaving the wet sponge (or boiling it on the stove) to kill microbes. However, we only use sponges to clean counters (with 7Gen kitchen cleaner, of course)and sink, microwaving daily after evening meal. We change out our sponges weekly, running them through the laundry and then disinfecting.
For dishwashing we use dishwasher (air dry, 7Gen powder)or dishcloths for handwashing. For best sanitary results, change out dishcloths daily. After my 86-year old Mom had pneumonia 10 years ago, her doctor told her never to use the same sponge/cloth for both kitchen surfaces and dishes. She switched to the routine we use now with great results.
Separate
I have 2 sponges.
1 is for wasing a dish here and there.
The other is for wiping up counters.
What about the energy used to run a whole dishwasher? I only do the wash and not the hi-temp wash or heat dry. Air dry works just as well.
I find that its fun yapping with my partner when he washes and I dry.
Microwave it!
Try getting Mom to microwave the sponge for 2 minutes every other day. Put the moist sponge (not too dry or it will catch fire) into the microwave and the steam generated will kill anything it might be harboring. I do this after I wipe down my counters/stove/appliances, plus it's an easy way to clean the microwave at the same time (just wipe off any ickies loosened by the steam).
I still use my dishwasher for actually washing dishes as I believe it uses less water (I use a Water Miser cycle with air dry). But if someone insists on hand-washing then at least this will solve the germ issues.
A Few Reasons to Use the Dishwasher
Here's a useful article about germs in the kitchen:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/germs-in-kitchen
"Kitchen sponges are the No. 1 source of germs in the whole house. Why? The moist, micro-crevices that make a sponge such an effective cleaning device also make it a cozy home for germs and more difficult to disinfect. Wiping your counters or dishes with a dirty sponge will only transfer the bacteria from one item to another."
"Your dish rags are really no better than your sponges. And like sponges, using a dirty dish rag to clean a kitchen countertop will only spread germs. Your best bet is to replace rags about once a week."
And here's another reason to use the dishwasher:
http://www.grist.org/news/daily/2006/07/18/5/
"A study by U.K. nonprofit Waterwise found that the average dishwasher uses between 3 and 4.5 gallons of water per load, while hand dishwashing can use over 16 gallons."