How to clean and reuse sponges....

needturbo6 · 06-02-2005, 08:26 PM

This is what my mum does!! I think its pretty unhygenic and stupid.

Well she(

) puts them in the dishwasher!! WITH all the dirty dishes/utensils....

She puts them through once or twice and wont put them through if they have been used on the floor.

What are your thoughts on this? i hope theres a chef/kitchenhand.etc. that will know coz it seems like its a really extreme way of trying to save $1 a month at the expense of a possible health risk...

XplosiveR6 · 06-02-2005, 08:31 PM

i dont see the problem with it as you use the sponge to wash the dishes manually anyway.

FordFan86 · 06-02-2005, 08:38 PM

I'm with EF dave here, there is really no problem as the dishes and sponges would be getting santized by the soap suds and stuff :p

**Peuty** · 06-02-2005, 08:38 PM

Meh, if I were your mum (which I'm not) I would buy one of those huge assed rolls of Chux wipes, and throw each one out as they get dirty.

Casper · 06-02-2005, 08:50 PM

if in doubt wet it and 2 minutes in the microwave. NOTHING will live through that. Oh, and dont just grab it out unless you want major burns....this I know.

b2tf · 06-02-2005, 09:08 PM

Exactly - nuke it. (2 characters short of 20 character minimum dammit!)

**Full Noise** · 06-02-2005, 09:19 PM

The main thing that kills bacteria is heat and the extreme heat of the water inside the dishwasher will certainly do this, although it’s not the method that I’d use. Try rinsing them in Pine O Clean and letting them dry on the dish rack.

Cheers, Danny

chief · 06-02-2005, 11:39 PM

Do you guys obey the three second rule. Where if the food has not been on the floor for more than 3 seconds it is still good to eat??

Psycho Chicken · 06-02-2005, 11:45 PM

3 second rule? As long as I can still tell what it is it's good enough!

LuvinmyEB · 06-02-2005, 11:58 PM

My grandma soaks them in a bit of bleach and water for a couple of hours. I just buy new ones. The dishwasher would do a good job of cleaning them though, especially through the drying cycle.

bindi · 07-02-2005, 09:50 AM

Ok soaking them in bicarb soda and boiling water is good too, but nuking is better.

It's great that your mum is trying to reuse the sponges, cos it's better for the environment.

Also the dishwasher is FINE! It gets very very hot in there.

masters24 · 07-02-2005, 10:03 AM

I work in a kitchen and we run the clothes through the dishwasher every night then put them out for the house keepers to put through the washing machine and then to sit outside and dry in direct sunlight... i think there could be no possible way af bacteria surviving that... lol...

07-02-2005, 06:31 PM

3 second rule,,,,, as long as the rice isn't moving a minute in the microwave makes it ok to eat....

tickford2001 · 07-02-2005, 07:49 PM

What sorta sponges are you guys buying anyways?
I find top quality stuff can be preserved and reused over and over again...no sorry, only if the other half dosen't get his paws on them! then they last

MotherNatureVer2 · 07-02-2005, 10:48 PM

I seem to clean most my benches & stuff with cloudy ammonia ..... cleans everyting in sight once you get used to not breathing for minutes at a time :p

My sponges seem to wear out before I have to clean them ............. maybe its the 'smelly yuckky stuff' as my kids call it ;)

Kryton · 07-02-2005, 10:51 PM

meh - pay a house maid.

bindi · 08-02-2005, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotherNature

I seem to clean most my benches & stuff with cloudy ammonia ..... cleans everyting in sight once you get used to not breathing for minutes at a time :p

No offence Lisa but the problem with that is a thin layer of any cleaning product is left on the benchtops (invisible to the naked eye), you put your food on it and great! You're ingesting cloudy ammonia, ugh!

I use a mixture of tea tree, lemon tea tree and sweet orange essential oils in a water spray bottle. I'd rather ingest those :hihi:

Davway, if I could afford a cleaner I'd get one. As with most women (and maybe even some men, somewhere, I am sure, perhaps on a more equal planet in a different universe) they perform a DAMN LOT of unpaid work... and because most of us only work part time we can't afford to pay a kidsitter AND a cleaner goddammmmmmmmmmmmmmit! ARGH!

MotherNatureVer2 · 08-02-2005, 10:37 AM

LOL No offence taken bindi ;)

I use cutting boards for preparing food anyway ...... so my food doesnt touch the bench tops ;)

I spose if the kids dont they will have clean insides too

Angry Beaver · 10-02-2005, 04:39 PM

Actually guys the dishwasher is the best place. Due to the temperature of the water. The only other thing is throwing them out. secondly casper if i catch you nuking my sponges i will nuke you. microwaving is usless, unless you want to nuke it in water and make sure the water boils for at least 5minutes. Bacteria is a very fickle thing but it can survive some bleaches especially if they are not correctly use. ie. it has to be a 10% solution of chloring based bleach and good quality. the only other thing that we used in the labs ( microbiology labs) is a 70% alcohol solution. the other thing is that the caustic washing powder in dishwashers raises the ph levels to a level that bacteria dont like. so in combination of the hot water and powder you dont have a problem. its only when as you say wiping the floor with them and then rinsing them out and then using them. that would scare me. alot......

Angry Beaver · 10-02-2005, 04:40 PM

woops i should have said makes the ph levels more acidic. so actually lowers the levels.

tickford2001 · 10-02-2005, 04:51 PM

well when i was a bachelor i found the best way to look after the dish cloth was to use plastic plates, and throw them out when you are finished...i was also known to be involved in a drunken expedition with a few mates to car lovers to wash some plates and pots that had been sitting for so long we couldnt get the stuff off them... :hihi:

these days thats all changed - not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing though! ahhh memories!

: