Is the dish sponge dangerous? – Food Safety Experts Respond



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The dishwashing sponge can be a breeding ground for bacteria and should be used with caution. Although it can be disinfected or cleaned, it is not worth using for months, especially since it is a penny product. Food safety experts say the sink brush is a better option.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, more care must be taken in hygiene, including in the kitchen. And food safety experts summed up what to look for, how to wash dishes.

According to experts from the National Office for the Safety of the Food Chain (Nébih), the large, moist surface of the sponge for kitchen dishes provides a suitable environment for the survival and multiplication of pathogenic microbes, so it is important to wash the residues of food, dirt and squeeze the sponge after use. Sponge and dry well.

It is also important to change it more frequently and preferably use a sink brush as it is easier to clean. The dishwashing sponge should only be used for washing dishes. It’s also a good idea to soak them in a solution of bleach detergent and water for at least five minutes a week.

Nébih experts advise.

Cleaning is good or bad?

An online version of a US public service radio, Npr.org, also wrote in an article that studies show that dish sponges are full of bacteria, and many are trying to protect themselves by cleaning the sponges. However, there has been plenty of news citing an investigation claim that this point is making the situation worse. However, the 2017 study cited by many was not read carefully enough.

According to research published in Scientific Reports, 362 different bacterial species were found in dishwashing sponges and the density of bacteria reached 45 billion per square centimeter. This means that kitchen sponges can have a part where different bacteria are present in concentrations as high as in toilets. In addition, the study also found that two bacterial species were present in significantly higher proportions in sponges that were regularly disinfected than in those that were not cleaned.

However, this does not necessarily mean that sponges, for example, should not be disinfected on the mic. According to Jennifer Quinlan, a food microbiologist at Drexel University, we cook food, for example, to kill pathogens. According to him, the study does not lead to the conclusion that sponges really should not be disinfected. In any case, according to Quinlan, warm soapy water is not suitable for disinfecting sponges.

These are worth paying attention to

However, according to the expert, it is very important to follow certain precautions. One example is keeping sponges used for washing dishes away from raw meat and the presence of it leaking. It is also important that we change them frequently. Quinlan replaces hers every week, every two weeks.

And clean it every few days as recommended by the US Department of Agriculture, that is, put it in the dishwasher on a warmer, dry program or in the microwave after you’ve dampened the sponge a bit. Although micro-seeding does not mean complete disinfection, it significantly reduces the number of bacteria on the sponge, but Quinlan says that heat kills dangerous pathogens.

According to the expert, five types of bacteria are responsible for 90 percent of food poisoning that requires hospital treatment, but these bacteria are rarely found on sponges. For example, the original research team found no food-causing pathogenic bacteria in any of the 14 sponges they examined.

Stuffing thing

Although the dishwashing sponge can be disinfected or cleaned based on the above, it is not worth using for a long time. Ten pieces of sponges typically cost between 150 and 400 guilders, that is, they are relatively cheap products. Therefore, as Quinlan advises, they can often be replaced, even after 1-2 weeks, and resumed with kitchen work.



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