According to a TikTok video, the dish sponge needs to be changed "every week" since it "is the most contaminated thing in the kitchen." But is it actually the case? How should sponges be preserved, and when should they be thrown away?
How frequently are dish sponges supposed to be replaced?
The frequency at which you should replace your dish sponge is not specified. Ana Luísa Fernando, a food safety expert and professor at Universidade Nova de Lisboa's Faculty of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT), clarifies for Viral that "replacing the non-disposable sponge" depends on how often it is used and how it is preserved.
According to the researcher from NOVA FCT's Centre for Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability, it is crucial that "the user" replaces the sponges "before they show signs of damage and bad odours." A new sponge should be handled and stored with care from the first time it is used.This is because "sponges can accumulate food residues, dirt, and, if they remain damp, microorganisms can develop," according to Ana Luísa Fernando.
In this situation, sponges "may contaminate utensils, surfaces, and crockery," a phenomenon known as "cross-contamination". The researcher cautions that this pollution "may have adverse effects and give rise to toxic infections."According to a Portuguese Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Association (AHRESP) document on good food safety standards, "many bacteria, including Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and Escherichia coli, can spoil food, causing the aforementioned toxin infections."
The Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE) notes in the text that bacteria are microorganisms that multiply rapidly when they find "favourable nutrients, temperature, pH, humidity, and oxygen concentration."
Ana Luísa Fernando emphasises that "non-disposable cloths and sponges must be properly sanitised, disinfected (for example, with water and bleach), wrung out, and kept dry after use in order to reduce the risk associated with their use.""Reducing the amount of water in these sponges will limit the growth of the microorganisms present," he says, adding that disinfection "will reduce the microbial load on the sponges." "The occurrence of cross-contamination will be more limited" in this manner.
There are two commonly utilised disinfection techniques that have been supported by scientific research in addition to the one the doctor described.
A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's principal internal research agency, ARS, claims that putting dish sponges in the "microwave for 1 minute on full power" or "in a dishwasher dishes" during a full cycle of washing and drying can also help get rid of "foodborne pathogens."The efficacy of these techniques was also validated by a more recent study. As per the authors, "the most effective treatments to significantly reduce microbial loads are the microwave and dishwasher, which reach high temperatures."
Are sponges the only option?
According to Ana Luísa Fernando, using "disposable cloths and sponges" is "the ideal" in terms of food safety. By avoiding the majority of instances that arise from cross-contamination, this enables us to "guarantee access to safe food."
Brushes are an alternative if purchasing fresh sponges is not the goal. The International Journal of Food Microbiology presented a study that implies "brushes are more hygienic than sponges." Four reasons are listed by the researchers for "using brushes instead of sponges when washing dishes."
First, they claim that compared to sponges, "brushes dry faster and there is a lower risk of growth/survival" of bacteria like Salmonella on brushes.Additionally, they add that "bare hands will not be in contact with the water, which allows for higher temperatures and therefore a better cleaning effect" because the brushes have handles.
Hands "will not be contaminated when using a brush, as pathogens will not be transferred from the brush to unprotected hands," in this sense. This is a clear danger "when using sponges." Lastly, they say that "using a dishwasher to keep brushes clean is easy."
Comments