# OK, I Sterlizied My Sink Sponge-How Long Till It's a Bacteria Farm? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266 "2012-06-25T17:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/21 "2012-06-26T08:20:27Z")
I seldom sterilize my sponge because they seem to disappear. Either my wife replaces them or they’re eaten by carcinogenic sponge bacteria. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/22 "2012-06-26T11:38:59Z")
Seriously, what’s up with the [mysophobia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysophobia) here recently? ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/23 "2012-06-26T12:53:59Z")
I put my sink sponge in the dishwasher once in a while, because it looks dirty. Eventually it starts to leave sponge scat so I throw it away and start a new one. I don’t care if it is bacterial or not, since I don’t eat off it, and I don’t eat off the surfaces I clean with it. The few dishes I wash by hand get washed with a dishcloth in scalding soapy water and then rinsed in scalding plain water. ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/24 "2012-06-26T13:19:25Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > I’ve never really thought of my sponge as dirty - doesn’t soap kill most bacteria? I squeeze it as dry as I can every night though. Also, **is boiling water effective at sterilization?** I was wondering the same. Does pouring boiling water on a sponge, scrubpad, or washcloth have the same effect as microwaving? ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/25 "2012-06-26T14:28:17Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Seriously, what’s up with the [mysophobia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysophobia) here recently? This is getting more and more common. I’m convinced (with zero evidence) that this phenomena is behind all the body shaving (i.e. brazilians, chest waxing for dudes, etc) that’s so popular. People think hair harbours germs and they want a nice clean ‘surface’. I find it creepy and depressing. It seems like we’re afraid of everything - kidnappers, juvenile deliquents, germs, etc. And we’re all safer and healthier than we’ve ever been. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/26 "2012-06-26T14:30:45Z")
> [@LynnM](#): > > I was wondering the same. > > Does pouring boiling water on a sponge, scrubpad, or washcloth have the same effect as microwaving? Boiling water kills bacteria, but they may need to be exposed to those high temperatures for a few minutes. Pouring boiling water on a sponge will kill a lot of the bacteria, but may not kill them all. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/27 "2012-06-26T18:33:55Z")
Is this an urban legend? people used to think that deep pile carpets were bad 9they harbored dirt and bacteria). I just read something that implied that these carpets are good-they trap a lot of dust and germs that we would otherwise inhale. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/28 "2012-06-26T18:50:42Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is this an urban legend? people used to think that deep pile carpets were bad 9they harbored dirt and bacteria). > I just read something that implied that these carpets are good-they trap a lot of dust and germs that we would otherwise inhale. Nope: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DeBzHOYlazY/maxresdefault.jpg "What's the dirtiest thing in your house?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeBzHOYlazY) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/29 "2012-06-26T19:31:40Z")
> [@Dereknocue67](#): > > I seldom sterilize my sponge because they seem to disappear. Either my wife replaces them or they’re eaten by carcinogenic sponge bacteria. Same here, it seems to be a self-correcting attribute of the sponge itself to ensure propogation. After a couple of weeks of use, a new sponge appears on the sink in its place. Wikipedia [explains the mechanism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budding). Amazing creatures, those sponges. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/30 "2012-06-27T01:43:07Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Seriously, what’s up with the [mysophobia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysophobia) here recently? I don’t think that preventing a sponge from getting stinky amounts to a phobia. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/31 "2012-06-27T13:03:53Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I don’t think that preventing a sponge from getting stinky amounts to a phobia. As you can see, **ralph124c** wasn’t asking about stinky sponges, but about Dangerous Sponges. > [@ralph124c](#): > > If to take the sponge and microwave it (till all the bugs are killed), then put it back in the sink-how long till the sponge is dangerous again? Worrying about whether your sponge is dangerous right after you sterilize it could probably be considered phobic. IMO, worrying about Dangerous Sponges at all is phobic, but it’s a manufactured phobia brought to you by the makers of cleaning products. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/32 "2012-06-27T13:17:33Z")
I use my sponge for cleaning dishes only. When done, I ring it out and leave it on my dry counter behind the faucet. I use the same sponge a good 6 weeks or more. For counters, I spray a diluted bleach mixture, then dry with paper towels. Normal germs are good and necessary. There have been some great NPR podcasts lately about the evolutionary relationship of humans and bacteria. I’ll see about finding some links. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/33 "2012-06-27T13:32:14Z")
I use a sponge with a nylon jacket to scrub stuck-on food from dishes before popping them in the dishwasher. The same sponge is used to get stuck-on messes off the counter and stove. I follow up with a washcloth. I’ll use the sponge till the jacket falls apart, and while I’ve never microwaved or boiled it, I will occasionally work up a good lather with dish detergent or soft scrub and use it to clean the sink. I wash my hands often when handling food but I don’t go crazy about germs - it’s just not an issue for me. The whole anti-bacterial movement is, IMHO, overreaction, plain and simple. There are situations where extreme sanitation is critical, but my kitchen in every day life ain’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/34 "2012-06-27T14:00:41Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I use a sponge with a nylon jacket to scrub stuck-on food from dishes before popping them in the dishwasher. Sounds like a [Dobie](http://www.shop3m.com/70071357910.html). I washed dishes with one of these when I was a tyke and had to stand on a chair to reach the sink, and I still keep a stash of them under the sink because I’m afraid they’ll stop making them. (Gives a whole new meaning to “spongeworthy.”) I run it through the dishwasher occasionally too, but only because I’ve used it to scrub out a particularly greasy, dirty pan. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266/35 "2012-06-27T14:11:42Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > I use my sponge for cleaning dishes only. When done, I ring it out It may be a very euphonious sponge, but it’ll be a drier sponge if you **wring** it out instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-sterlizied-my-sink-sponge-how-long-till-its-a-bacteria-farm/626266.md?page=1)