Microwaving your kitchen sponges used to be a simple solution to get rid of bacteria and other unwanted substances growing in it, but a new study has shown otherwise.
According to research published in the Scientific Report, sponges are, "microbiological hot spots" that have 'the capability to collect and spread bacteria with a probable pathogenic potential."
Nuking your sponges can get rid of weaker strains and bacteria but the more dangerous and resilient pathogenic varieties multiply and increase in strength.
It gets worse, however. According to a report in The New York Times, researchers have found that 82 billion bacteria reside in a cubic inch of sponge space and that's a lot even compared to the amount of bacteria found in human stool samples.
According to reports, it is recommended that you change your sponges daily. But, if that seems wasteful, you can wash these sponges in a washing machine or dish washer with hot bleach and use them in other places in the house where the germ count would be less, like a bathroom or garage.