Q.
I’m a little grossed out -- I saw this commercial that suggested that if you wipe your counters with a sponge, you might as well be cleaning up with a piece of raw chicken! Is it true?
A.
Yeah, we saw that one, too. Unfortunately, it’s not much of an exaggeration: Sponges do carry tons of bacteria. We’ve read buzz on the message boards about zapping a wet sponge in the microwave for a minute every day to kill the germs that have been festering (and yes, it works). We also consulted the The Soap and Detergent Association (and if they don’t know, who would?), which recommends drying sponges and dishcloths between uses and throwing them frequently into the wash with liquid bleach to kill germs.
-- The Nest Editors
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