I just found out microwaving your dirty sponges would sanitize them. I’ve been doing it for years! I would pop the sponge in the microwave after using it for about a week and it smelled fresh. I thought my sponge was clean because it smelled clean. Scientists may beg to differ. After doing some research I learned that we SHOULD NOT microwave our sponges.
According to Scientific Report contrary to popular belief, the kitchen was the biggest source of active bacteria in the home after the drain traps. Yuck! Mainly because of our DIRTY DISH SPONGES! It appears that microwaving only kills some of the bacteria and leave the harder to kill bacteria behind in room to multiply. A sponge can harbor Also using the sponge in different areas of the kitchen can spread that bacteria and cause cross-contamination from one thing to another!
Here are a couple of bacteria strains one sponge can host.
Campylobacter spp., Enterobacter cloacae Escherichia coli Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp. Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus spp.
So just toss your sponge after a couple days to make sure to keep the bacteria at a minimum!
Find the Scientifc Report study here. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-06055-9