Three of them. Yup. I have three sponges in my kitchen. One for meat, one for dairy, and one for the counters. Ah, the pleasures of keeping kosher. Do you know how hard it is to find THREE different colored sponges to use?

That’s really just a small part of the problem. Like- how often should you change your sponges? And, does it really make a difference if I buy Joe Schmo’s sponges and not 3M’s? I mean, is there really a great sponge? Does any sponge not smell or harbor bacteria?

Our sponges are made of polyurethane or cellulosics- and they are engineered to absorb fluids well. That’s the problem, because those little pockets that hold water also let the microbes thrive, too.

(Yes, I know that 3M wants me to buy their “Stay Clean” sponge that they swear won’t get full of junk as I use it. And, Scrub Daddy wants me to buy their “smiley sponge” because it stays clean and doesn’t harbor microbes. Sorry, I don’t buy it without seeing some real scientific data.)

It’s a real problem for me, since I rarely have enough dishes to run my dishwasher. (No, I can’t mix dairy and meat dishes.) So, I need to wash four or five dishes after each meal. Except when my guests arrive for Shabat dinner, which means I have a full dishwasher load for the next day. Of course, I still need to wash the pots, pans, and wine glasses for which there is no room in the washer.

And, it’s clearly not just me. Because America seems to spend $ 1/2 billion on sponges every year. That’s not chicken feed. Especially for 3M, since they own 3/4 of that market- with the number 2 firm soaking up about 1/50 of the market. (Now, that’s market domination for you!)

There have been a plethora of articles and research that has proven that the sponge contains the highest levels of microbes among articles in one’s home (with the exception of our guts- the intestinal flora of our bodies). Our sponges and dishcloths have about a million bugs- or more. Which certainly means we need to do something- or we’ll just be spreading microbes on our plates- the ones we use for our meals.

Which doesn’t mean squeezing out the sponge- that may get rid of the water, but not the microbes. And, it’s not clear that putting the sponge through a dishwasher cycle will be enough (since it needs a disinfectant, too.) And, since I typically run one load a week- either meat or dairy- I won’t be washing both sponges every week, either.

Those sponges that claim they have antimicrobial properties don’t cut it either. Because they don’t maintain that level of antimicrobial activity for very long.

Of course, we could wet the sponge and put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. That will keep the microbial levels low. (Microwaves have been used for disinfection for decades.) Of course, if you don’t wet the sponge well enough, you could scorch the sponge- or burn it to a crisp.

So, I guess you and I have no choice.  We need to maintain that $ 1/2 billion business- by buying new sponges at least once a month, if not more frequently. That’s why some 1 billion sponges are bought each year. For our health, as we line the pockets of 3M.

Share this: