Anonymous wrote:Some of the answers here are
I use them for a few weeks, which is longer than I should - but I do try to remember to microwave the sponge every day though I often forget.
I can't stand to use a sponge that is encrusted with food bits and other filth - cleaning tools are meant to be kept clean between uses.
Microbiologists caution against using kitchen sponges at all, but I consider it a challenge to keep my immune system exercised.
Haha. I know a few microbiologists and they use sponges! I switched to non plastic sponges, and they are fine. They last 3-4 weeks and I feel better about throwing them out because they are biodegradable.
I think people spend way too much headspace worrying about disinfecting counters, contaminated sponges, disinfecting everything. There are no cases in medical literature that I can find that can be attributed to a dirty sponge. Sure, maybe it has happened, but it’s not a big enough problem that anyone has bothered to document it. Dirty sponges, yes, but not actually getting sick. And that’s because there are only a handful bacteria that cause food borne illnesses, and they aren’t the ones found in sponges.