Sponge Saver

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Sponge Saver

Submitted by: Beth, WV 06/26/2009 11:02 AM

I love to use sponges when cleaning my few dishes in the sink. I use my dishwasher all the time, but every now and then I have to wash out big pot or bowl or a stray glass.

Any way you know as well as I do they get smelly and it's not good to keep them around and it's just not economical to buy them if you have to keep throwing them away.

So one day I thought why not put them in my dishwasher and see how that does. Wow, it was great. Now I just pop them in there, when they aren't as fresh as I would like, and I have brand, spanking like new sponges to wash with. They are as fresh as the day I bought them.

Homepage photo credit: aaron13251

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Comments:

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Great idea Beth. I don't have a dishwasher, but I rinse them well in water with a bit of vinegar. Then I pop them in the microwave for a couple minutes. Kills bacteria in the sponge and deodorizes the room at the same time.

Posted by Maddie on June 28, 2009 12:01 PM

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Make sure if you microwave the sponge you only do it for 30 seconds and it needs to be WET! Otherwise it will burn.

Posted by Miss Kat on July 06, 2009 11:38 AM

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I put mine in the washing machine with my dirty kitchen & cleaning cloths/towels on the sanitizing cycle. My sponges last a really long time this way!!! :o)

Posted by anonymous on July 07, 2009 2:47 PM

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It may not save any money but it makes easier work to run combs & tooth brushes thru the dishwasher.

The water is so hot that it surely disinfects while it cleans.
- Ann Onymous

Posted by tenchickens on July 10, 2009 1:37 PM

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HUGE pet peeve! I cannot stand to touch a sponge unless it's new or at my house, they are just so gross after a day!!! Sponges are one of the germiest items in a home. I have enough for a week because I only use them to clean up for one meal, then rinse and let them dry. Then weekly I boil them all for 10 minutes on the stove top, rinse, and put in a basket to dry. The good ones will last a year this way and I always know they are sanitary. Microwaves work, but I can smell the hot rubbery and that grossed me out, too. I also have them coded--bathroom blue, kitchen yellow, laundry room pink, etc. and of course they get boiled separately. Putting them in the dishwasher is sanitary, but sometimes they'd get food pieces on them and wouldn't smell fresh enough.

Posted by lazy cheap gardener on November 07, 2009 11:06 PM

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