The germiest thing in your home is hiding in plain sight in your kitchen. Care to guess what it is? Yup, it’s your smelly kitchen sponge.

The Dirty Truth About Smelly Kitchen Sponges

Not to scare you or anything, but in this 2017 study, researchers found that kitchen sponges were “the biggest reservoirs of active bacteria in the whole house” with up 54 billion bacteria per cubic centimeter.

A 2011 NSF study found harmful bacteria (the worst being E. coli and salmonella) on more than 75% of kitchen dish sponges tested. Ewww!

But here’s the good news. Keeping your sponges as clean as possible will help to keep your kitchen cleaner and your family healthier.

DON’T make your sponge do double-duty. Use separate sponges or dish cloths – one for washing dishes and one for cleaning counters – to avoid spreading bacteria.

DON’T use a sponge to clean up raw meat or poultry juices. Use a paper towel or a dish cloth that you can toss in the washing machine.

DON’T keep using the same sponge for weeks on end. Researchers recommend replacing kitchen sponges every week or two. Buy in packs of 3 so you always have replacements on hand.

DO rinse your sponge after use. A wet sponge is a fertile breeding ground for bacteria, especially when bits of food and soap residue are still clinging to it. Rinse thoroughly after every use and squeeze dry.

DO sanitize your sponge daily. Microwave wet sponges on high for two minutes. Or toss it in the dishwasher with your dinner dishes and run the full wash-and-dry cycle. According to a USDA research report, these are the two most effective methods for sanitizing kitchen sponges.

DO replace a sponge that smells funky. If your sponge still smells bad after microwaving or dishwashing, it’s still loaded with bacteria. Trash it. Now.

All Sponges Are Not Created Equal

Any new kitchen sponge is a clean kitchen sponge. But as soon as you start wiping counters and washing dishes, you introduce bacteria to the sponge.

Our natural fiber kitchen sponges feature an exclusive antimicrobial additive that helps lock out bacteria. So your sponge stays fresher, longer. And you can sleep better knowing that you’re not cleaning your kitchen with germ-y sponges.