Disinfection of kitchen sponges has been a topic of research in the past, with the goal of determining the most effective disinfection method, types of pathogens, and how to prevent the spread of these pathogens that can cause illness. Kitchen sponges provide an ideal environment for bacterial growth. They come into contact with food, are porous, and hold moisture well, therefore are known to contain large amounts of diverse bacteria that can lead to foodborne illnesses. Knowing how to properly eliminate the number of bacteria can help prevent the spread of foodborne pathogens. A group of researchers published a study in 2017 found that “Nearly half (45%) of the homes tested positive for a foodborne pathogen, and 12% had multiple pathogens present in the kitchen.” (Borrusso & Quinlan, 2017) Due to the large number of pathogens found in the kitchen, it is imperative to study the most effective disinfection method of the common kitchen sponge.

            Another study focusing on using microwaves as a disinfection method found that “microwave treatment is an effective and simple method to drastically reduce the bacterial load of kitchen sponges by five to seven log-scales.” (Jacksch et al., 2020) With the microwave being partially effective in eliminating bacterial loads in kitchen sponges, it is important to continue research to find a simple method that can be easily adopted by households that eliminates bacteria in kitchen sponges. Research conducted by Dr. Annie Pryor found that bleach was the most effective method of disinfecting kitchen sponges, but the strong odor of the bleach may be a deterrent for some. (Dr. Annie’s Experiments - Sponge Disinfection Experiments, n.d.)

            This study will expand upon previous research with the objective of finding the most effective method for disinfection, as well as the highest likelihood the method will be used in the kitchen. To begin it must be asked, what disinfection technique most effectively eliminates bacteria on kitchen sponges? It is believed small amounts of bacteria will be found on the new kitchen sponges. It is also believed that after cleaning dirty dishes, all sponges will show an increase in bacteria levels. It is believed that the sponge treated with a 10 percent bleach solution will be the most effective at eliminating bacteria, with only a small number of CFUs (colony-forming units) after the incubation period. The sponge treated by one minute in the microwave will be only slightly effective and still have a large number of CFUs. Finally, the sponge left to air dry will have an increase in CFUs compared to CFUs after cleaning and before treatment. 

References

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Borrusso, P. A., & Quinlan, J. J. (2017). Prevalence of pathogens and indicator organisms in home kitchens and correlation with unsafe food handling practices and conditions. Journal of Food Protection, 80(4), 590–597. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-354

Cardinale, M., Kaiser, D., Lueders, T., Schnell, S., & Egert, M. (2017). Microbiome analysis and confocal microscopy of used kitchen sponges reveal massive colonization by Acinetobacter, Moraxella and Chryseobacterium species. Scientific Reports, 7, 5791. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06055-9

Doucleff, M. (2017, September 11). So your kitchen sponge is a bacteria hotbed. Here’s what to do. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/11/548926054/can-you-really-not-clean-your-kitchen-sponge

Dr. Annie’s experiments—Sponge disinfection experiments. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from https://www.dranniesexperiments.com/sponge-disinfection-experiments

Jacksch, S., Thota, J., Shetty, S., Smidt, H., Schnell, S., & Egert, M. (2020). Metagenomic analysis of regularly microwave-treated and untreated domestic kitchen sponges. Microorganisms, 8(5), 736. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8050736

Knoll, S. (2019). The Microbial Community of Kitchen Sponges: Experimental  The Microbial Community of Kitchen Sponges: Experimental  Study Investigating Bacterial Number, Resistance and Transfer  Study Investigating Bacterial Number, Resistance and Transfer [Assumption College]. https://digitalcommons.assumption.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=honorstheses

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