The loofah, sponge and vegetable melon cloth commonly used to brush tableware hide invisible bacteria and crises, and the degree of dirtiness is 200,000 times that of the toilet lid, and improper disinfection will breed bacteria. How to disinfect properly? Under what circumstances should I discard?
Seemingly clean vegetable melon cloth and sponge, in fact, the amount of bacteria is amazing. The Global Hygiene Council surveyed kitchen cleaning utensils in 180 households in 9 countries and found that 21% of sponges have a high bacterial content, with an average of up to 10 million bacteria per 3 square centimeters, which is 200,000 times that of toilet lids, and many of them are harmful to the human body.
Studies have shown that the amount of bacteria in kitchen sponges is 200,000 times that of toilet lids, and hides the pathogenic crisis
British microbiologist Hugh Pennington said kitchen sponges may be one of the dirtiest items in the home and may contain Aspergillus bacteria, bacteria that are already present in the environment and can cause paralysis when eaten. Another study, published in Scientific Reports, also found that such kitchen cleaning appliances have more than 10 billion bacteria per cubic centimeter.
Massimiliano Cardinale, a senior researcher in biotechnology and ecology at the University of Salento in Italy, collected 14 used kitchen sponges and analyzed them. He found that sponge bacteria include Moldella, E. coli and Acinetobacter bourée, which make clothes smelly, and "according to the amount and density of bacteria analyzed, it is likely to cause human illness." These bacteria can cause meningitis, diarrhea, urinary tract and skin infections. And in 2002, a Japanese study found that the number of E. coli in kitchen sponges was second only to the water storage bend under the sink.
The reason for the breeding of bacteria, because sponges, vegetable melon cloth and other cleaning items are full of holes, there may be food and oil residues in the holes after cleaning the dishes, and the humid and warm environment makes such utensils a hotbed for bacteria, and will contaminate food through both hands, which is also one of the common causes of food poisoning.
Sterilize with a microwave? Studies have found that the sterilization effect is limited, and the surviving ones will become more and more difficult to remove
Rumors circulate on the Internet that sponges can be sterilized in microwave ovens, but research disproves this claim. Cardinal performed "special cleanings" of used sponges, including heating them in a microwave and rinsing them with hot soapy water, and found that even with regular disinfection, the bacteria on them were not significantly reduced. Cardina further said that after specially cleaned sponges, the numbers of both Moraxella and Aeruginosa spp. have surged. "After these bacteria survive cleaning, they can begin to multiply rapidly to their previous numbers, similar to the bacteria that develop resistance."
Another study published in 2020, Microbiology, had the same results. Markus Egert, a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Hygiene at Furtwangen University in Germany, puts the water-soaked new sponge into the microwave oven and microwaves it for 1 minute with a power of 800 to 1200 watts, 2 to 3 times a week for 4 weeks, during which the subjects use sponges normally.
It was found that in addition to the sponge growing different bacteria, mold, and although most of the bacteria were killed, the remaining bacteria's cell walls became thicker, "which is the bacterial self-protection mechanism, and over time, it is more difficult to be destroyed," Eggert said.
Experts propose 5 disinfection methods When encountering these 6 situations, they should be discarded
As Carolyn Forte, head of the website Good Housekeeping Institute, says, these cleaning products can never be completely washed. So what to do? Chen Yingru, a family expert, suggested that there are 5 ways to make the vegetable melon cloth and loofah burn clean:
1. Wash with baking soda: Baking soda can be degreased, but rinse several times to avoid the powder getting stuck in holes and crevices.
2. Soak bleach: use the ratio of 1:100 to mix bleach to disinfect, soak for 5 to 10 minutes, once a week.
3. Soaked white vinegar: wash the dishes and plates that have been filled with seafood or food with strong taste, this kind of cleaning products will often stick to the taste in cleaning, and soaked white vinegar can remove the odor. Pour 1 spoon into a rice bowl with a large tablespoon of normal meals, add water until it can flood the items, it is recommended to soak for at least 10 minutes.
4. Do not throw the used vegetable melon cloth, sponge and loofah into the sink, and it is best to dry in a ventilated place.
5. Do not use a sponge to the end, wash dishes and clean the environment separately.
This type of cleaning item is a consumable, the most important thing is to replace it regularly, and both Eggert and Cardina recommend replacing it every 1 to 2 weeks, and old sponges can be used to wash cars or wipe iron windows.
In the following cases, even if it is new or used, it should be replaced:
1. The sponge changes from fluffy to dry flat
2. The smell is very heavy, even if it is soaked in white vinegar, it will not improve
3. Products where the sponge and the vegetable melon cloth are glued together, the upper and lower parts have been separated and should also be replaced
4. Vegetable melon cloth hairballs
5. Stuck food and dirt cannot be removed
6. Long black spots, moldy
Tip: Cut the sponge in a manner similar to cutting a mango grid, so that it can be cleaned to a deeper place when disinfecting, and can also be used to brush places with curvatures such as faucets, sinks, etc.