Why do sponges smell so bad

Go bificate. The process that turns corpses to rot is not ultraviolet irradiation… Decomposition is a biological process carried out by bacteria. Soaking your smelly sponge in the sunlight is not decomposition. I guess you have never lived in a place where sun is the only thing used to dry clothes…. The works as bleach. I grew up being told that if you have something white that is getting yellow, you should put it in the sun get it back to its original color.

I used to do the same with cloth diapers and if I were to use a dryer the smell would stay, but not with the sun drying…. Using names to call people on things you are not even knowledgeable about of is definitely a great skill you have….

The sponge makersust love this modern problem. I put my 2 dogs beds out in the sun when its hot out, they can pretty stinky. Im for the whole sun disinfecting thing:. Use a small plastic container that is close to the same size as the sponge. Keep that by the sink. The Borax will last for 2 months. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral and is found in dry lake beds. Ponds that have a high concentration of this mineral do not have much bacterial life.

The use of Borax is an interesting approach that I will try. However, I have a concern about the use of a plastic container for this process.

If the plastic surface has any leaching from the Borax, which I would expect, it will likely release chemicals from plastic into the solution, and these chemicals are definitely harmful to humans. So I think a glass or ceramic container would be a better option. I agree that the microwave disinfects the sponge. I found 60 to 90 seconds would work, but be sure to check the time.

My microwave caught fire once and I had to buy a new one and I think it was because I hit the zero too many times and accidentally set it for 9 minutes instead of 90 seconds! Totally my fault! If the sponge starts to smell a little funky I just squirt some hand sanitizer or sanitizing soap on it and the odor goes away instantly because the anti- bacterial sanitizer kills the germs.

I also make my own sanitizing foaming soap from a recipe off the internet. Of course it only cost a few cents instead of 2 to 3 dollars for the referral. I found a natural solution to that smelly germ ridden sponge! It was created out of the gulf oil spill to literally reject water and pick up oil. Check it out here… Puranaturalusa. I have had the same problem. Place sponge In a small dish with a few drops of liquid dish soap add water and a teaspoon of bleach.

Keep sponge in the mix when not in use and no more stench! I use it to clean my granite countertops. But, it is an awesome disinfectant.

I spray my dish brush heavily with it, then take my dry sponge and spray it heavily. I squeeze it a bit to distribute itm then spray some more. I cook a lot and wash a lot of dishes. The best way to avoid the smelly sponge is to keep it from getting smelly. There are 2 things I do to accomplish this. I store mine standing up under the sink on a rack between uses. I use a sponge that has no scouring side. I have tried all of these suggestions and none of them do the trick. The microwave has been noted to kill some of the dangerous bacteria, like salmonella and E.

Coli, but in my extensive testing the reek remained. The vinegar and baking soda trick works for about half a day, but bizarrely the smell comes back. I have been "testing" this method for the last year, willing it to work better every time. No luck. It's is a sponge tease.

The New Solution I read an article in a women's magazine about the bleaching power of the sun for dealing with fabric stains. The article suggested that after soap, bleach, and stain removers failed, putting a clothing item out in the sun for a few days could remove the stain especially in lighter colored fabrics and whites.

Shortly after reading this, I was faced with the dreaded stinky sponge again and decided to try the sun. After a week outside on my porch, I brought the shriveled up sponge back into the kitchen, wet it, and leaned in for a tentative sniff. It was odor free! But I'd been fooled before, so I used it for a week, and each day checked again to see if the smell came back. Why This Works In researching the power of the sun's rays, I have hypothesized the following: the radiation and UV rays emanating from the glowing orb in the sky have disinfectant properties.

Think of the UV wands and disinfectant lights used by hospitals and doctors. Those UV rays attack the bacteria in the sponge. Equally powerful: the sponge completely dries out. Instead, bacteria growing on the sponge becomes immune to the disinfectant properties in the soap. Therefore, bacteria thrive regardless of the fact soap is almost constantly in contact with the sponge.

Bacillus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus… what are these foreign sounding names belonging to the creatures crawling on your sponge? While some of the bacteria on your sponge are more friendly than freaky, there are some bad boys on the dish sponge block like E. Coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Streptococcus : A highly contagious bacteria commonly associated with strep throat, but also known to cause scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, impetigo, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, tonsillitis, and several respiratory infections.

There are different strains of streptococcus and only some can make you super sick. Campylobacter : Known to cause over 1. It is commonly found in guts, feces, and raw poultry, as well as kitchen sponges. Bacillus : Commonly found in soil and water, bacillus species can form dormant spores that remain active for a long time despite exposure to heat, sunlight, and chemicals. This makes them nearly impossible to get rid of.

Even if you microwave your sponge, bacillus is there to stay insert creepy music. Some forms of bacillus are harmful to humans and can cause food poisoning. Pseudomonas : These bacteria are found throughout the environment, largely in soil, water and plants. Yeast : Yeast belongs to the Kingdom Fungi family. Unlike bacteria cells, yeast cells contain a nucleus.

For the most part, your immune system knows how to handle yeast but if you have a weakened immune system it could make you sick. Citation please. And "recent findings" don't really mean a lot unless there is enough hard evidence to back it up. Robert Harvey Robert Harvey 2 2 bronze badges.

You have to be careful when microwaving artificial sponges, as they have the potential to melt. That's why I recommended only enough time to superheat the sponges. This works for me, once or twice a week, I microwave the sponge for 30 seconds, I can hear it steaming when I open the microwave door. Keeps it from smelling bad, and I haven't had a problem with melting sponges. After I take it out, I let it cool for a few minutes, then wring it out with plain water. It doesn't seem to dry appreciably while waiting for it to cool — Johnny.

Snix Snix 21 1 1 bronze badge. For years, we've only used Seventh Generation dish soap and our sponges never stank. Recently, a house guest left a bottle of Dawn dish soap and within a couple weeks, the sponge smelled horrible. Orbmanelson Orbmanelson 91 2 2 bronze badges. Mooseman Mooseman Jason Hutchinson Jason Hutchinson 1, 6 6 silver badges 13 13 bronze badges. When I go in the kitchen, if I see a sponge, I look at it, and if I know it's three or four days old I throw in the trash. It's too hard to remember to clean the sponge.

I use paper towels to clean counter tops and throw away, and a brush for dishes with plastic bristles. The best way to solve smelly sponges is to thow away. Are you suggesting that trying to save a couple of pennies a day is worth gambling with our health by smearing a bacterial bouquet repeatedly on the utensils we use to prepare our food and put into our mouths?

What a wacky world. Craig Constantine Craig Constantine 5 5 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. At the end of the day, wring it out, place it into a plastic bag and store it in the freezer.

Willeke 2, 1 1 gold badge 8 8 silver badges 22 22 bronze badges. I find it's enough to pour some boiling water over it every now and then. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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