sciencenews.org — "After 10 minutes, a medium-sized board emerged bone dry--and free of live microbes both on and below the surface. Wetting the board speeded the killing, suggesting that the microbes probably boiled to death.
Sep 5, 2005 View in Crawl 4
zoltanSep 5, 2005
ill be sure to microwave little sparky next time he gets dirty
giganerdSep 6, 2005
Actually, if you read the article, they microwave cutting boards, not sponges. Also, you might try capitalizing now and then.
Closed AccountSep 6, 2005
Well, giga, if you had read one paragraph further, you would have gotten to the part about microwaving sponges.
gamabuntaSep 6, 2005
I did a science project on this. It really seemed to kil Salmonella and E.Coli after u nuked a sponge for 20-30 sec. I usually do it for 40 now, just to be safe.
Closed AccountSep 6, 2005
Won't someone PLEASE think of the bacteria??
himthatwasSep 6, 2005
I've done this when cleaning my microwave. It's a nasty smell. I tend to buy cheap sponges and don't really need to burn them.
tobeySep 6, 2005
Nah, I just throw my toothbrush in the dishwasher once in a while. Good as new.
riffst3rSep 6, 2005
Would this work on semen? It'd be great for reusable condoms.
ottoSep 6, 2005
Using a dishwater will kill nearly all bacteria, with or without detergent. Dishwaters have their own heating elements in them, and the water gets hot enough to heat up everything, sterilizing the items.If you lack a dishwasher, use an antibacterial soap on your dishes.But for the most part, don't go insane. Living in a sterile environment is a good way to lower your immune response. Those critters provide a workout for your normal body defenses. Admittedly, don't be a slob, but simple precautions are more than enough to keep you safe. The idea is to be clean, not necessarily sterile.As for the kitchen being worse than the bathroom, this is true mainly because you do a lot more with your hands in the kitchen. The hands are the dirtiest part of the human body, they touch everything and pick up germs from everywhere. Then they transfer to the items in your kitchen. Wash your hands as appropriate and you eliminate like 85% of the contamination vector.So use that dishwasher. Throw the sponge in there with the other dishes if you have a sponge. Or just use a washcloth like I do, then wash the cloth with your laundry like everything else.
nuxxSep 6, 2005
useful knowledge, s**te site.
ddonahueSep 7, 2005
Um, as useful as this information is, this is a little dated. It was Published on September 14, 1996. Normally I prefer the lag between reporting and notification to be a few days vs. 9 years.(Please see numerous Slashdot posts for a wealth of snide comments and sarcastic "Notification: Significantly event in ancient history just happened!" notices).
steel_blueNov 1, 2005
my mom does that... it's also good for making the caked on stuff inside the microwave easier to come off.