This article was co-authored by Jon Gholian. Jon Gholian is a Cleaning Specialist and the Founder of Cleany, a home and office cleaning concierge service based in New York City, New Jersey & Miami. Cleany specializes in providing quality cleaning and handyman services to all their customers. All Cleany employees are insured, bonded, and professionally trained. Cleany has been featured in the New York Times, Bravo & Redfin.
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Nobody likes the idea of cleaning with a dirty sponge. Fortunately, you can clean, deodorize, and sanitize your household sponges using an ordinary microwave. By simply soaking your sponge in either plain water or water with lemon juice, microwaving the sponge, and allowing it to cool you can have a germ-free sponge in a matter of minutes.
Steps
Cleansing with Water
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1Fill a dish with clean water. Before you microwave your dish sponge, you need to saturate the sponge with clean, warm water. Fill a dish with 1/4-1/2 cup (59 - 118 ml) of clean water.[1]
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2Remove any food scraps with water. Rinse your sponge in warm water and ensure that any food scraps are removed. Then, place your sponge in the dish of water. Let the sponge sit for 5-10 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.[2]Advertisement
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3Place the sponge on a paper towel. Once your sponge has absorbed the water, place the sponge onto a clean paper towel.[3]
Deodorizing with Lemon
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1Squeeze some lemon juice into a bowl. If you'd like to eradicate any funky smells from your sponge (along with germs) you may prefer to use the lemon-water disinfectant method. Begin by squeezing the juice from half a lemon into a clean, microwave-safe bowl.[4]
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2Fill the bowl with water. Next, fill your clean, microwave safe bowl with fresh water. You want the total amount of liquid in the bowl to be just enough to cover the sponge.[5]
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3Soak the sponge in the lemon-water. Rinse your sponge in warm water and ensure that any food scraps are removed. Then place your sponge in the bowl of lemon-water. Wait for at least 10 minutes, allowing the sponge to absorb the liquid, prior to microwaving.[6]
Microwaving the Sponge
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1Place the sponge in the microwave. Whether you've chosen to use lemon-water or plain water, the remaining steps are the same. Simply place your sponge wet sponge inside your microwave and close the door.[7]
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3Let the sponge cool before using. When your sponge comes out of the microwave, both the sponge and the liquid inside of it will be very hot. Allow the sponge to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before you handle it.[11]
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4Use your sponge. After the sponge has cooled, simply wring it out and it is ready to use. There is no need to rinse it. Repeat this method approximately once a month, or any time you feel your sponge needs disinfecting.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you sanitize a sponge?
Jon GholianJon Gholian is a Cleaning Specialist and the Founder of Cleany, a home and office cleaning concierge service based in New York City, New Jersey & Miami. Cleany specializes in providing quality cleaning and handyman services to all their customers. All Cleany employees are insured, bonded, and professionally trained. Cleany has been featured in the New York Times, Bravo & Redfin.
Cleaning SpecialistSanitizing a sponge is simple and quick! Wet your sponge and place it in the microwave. Set the microwave on 1 minute, but keep an eye on it during that time, since sponges can burn. Let 10-15 minutes pass so the sponge can cool completely, then remove it from the microwave.
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References
- ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a18731/how-to-clean-a-sponge/
- ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a18731/how-to-clean-a-sponge/
- ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/a18731/how-to-clean-a-sponge/
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/how-to-clean-and-deodorize-a-sponge_n_1897114.html
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/how-to-clean-and-deodorize-a-sponge_n_1897114.html
- ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/how-to-clean-and-deodorize-a-sponge_n_1897114.html
- ↑ Jon Gholian. Cleaning Specialist. Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.
- ↑ Jon Gholian. Cleaning Specialist. Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.
- ↑ https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=207115
About This Article
To clean a sponge in the microwave, first fill a bowl with ½ cup (120 mL) of warm water and place the sponge in it. Add the juice from half a lemon if you’d like to deodorize your sponge too. Wait 5-10 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed, then place the sponge on a paper towel in the microwave. Microwave the sponge on high for 1-2 minutes. Finally, let the sponge cool for at least 5 minutes before you use it. Keep reading the article if you want to learn what to do if you can't change your microwave settings!
