Sponge-Worthy

Get wet!

Today's Public Service Announcement:


How to rid bacteria from household sponges has been a hot topic.

TV, radio, and print news outlets have all offered the tip that your sponge can be germ-free after a quick zap in the microwave.

Beware the quick fix!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Two minutes in a microwave oven can sterilize most household sponges, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida found that two minutes of microwaving on full power killed or inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge.

"People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher, but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean them, they should use the microwave," said Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering who led the study.

Writing in the Journal of Environmental Health, Bitton and colleagues said they soaked sponges and scrubbing pads in raw wastewater containing fecal bacteria such as E. coli, viruses, protozoan parasites and bacterial spores.

Then they used a common household microwave oven to heat up the sponges. It took four to 10 minutes to kill all the spores but everything else was killed after two, they said.

"The microwave is a very powerful and an inexpensive tool for sterilization," Bitton said.

What a breakthrough!

Something as simple as microwaving sponges can help people avoid illnesses caused by food borne microbes.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that millions become ill from these germs every year, and thousands die.

If microwaving a sponge can cut down on such illness and death, it sounds like a practice that should become routine.

It seems easy enough. Just toss the sponge in the microwave and voilà -- a sterile sponge that would satisfy even Martha Stewart.

However, a disturbing trend has emerged since the sponge microwave method made the rounds starting about two days ago.

Reports of sponge mishaps are coming into newsrooms.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Reports about a study that found microwave ovens can be used to sterilize kitchen sponges sent people hurrying to test the idea this week -- with sometimes disastrous results.

A team at the University of Florida found that two minutes in the microwave at full power could kill a range of bacteria, viruses and parasites on kitchen sponges.

..."Just wanted you to know that your article on microwaving sponges and scrubbers aroused my interest. However, when I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off," one correspondent wrote in an e-mail to Reuters.

"First, the sponge is worthless afterwards so you have to throw it out instead of using it. And second your entire house stinks like a burning tire for several hours, even with windows/doors open," complained another.

Aaron Hoover, a press officer at the University of Florida, said several other news organizations received similar complaints, although no one had complained directly to the university.

"We figured, 'wow, we better let people know right away that the sponge should be wet,'" Hoover said in a telephone interview.

Wow, that would be a good idea to fully explain how to properly use the sponge method.

THE SPONGE MUST BE WET.

That's a little detail that many of the microwaved sponge articles that I pulled up on the Internet failed to specify.

The university issued the following advisory: "To guard against the risk of fire, people who wish to sterilize their sponges at home must ensure the sponge is completely wet. Two minutes of microwaving is sufficient for most sterilization. Sponges should also have no metallic content. Last, people should be careful when removing the sponge from the microwave as it will be hot."

In addition to the advisory, I'm surprised the university didn't issue a disclaimer:

"Not responsible for flaming sponges, destroyed microwaves, and noxious odors in homes. Microwave sponges at your own risk."