This item in your kitchen contains more bacteria than your toilet seat

Your kitchen may seem clean, especially if you vigorously wipe the counter with a cloth or sponge after every meal. But that cleaning agent, the kitchen sponge, often turns out to be a breeding ground for bacteria. According to experts, there is even more bacterial activity on a dirty sponge than on an average toilet seat.

“A dirty sponge spreads bacteria instead of removing it,” food safety expert Darin Detwiler tells Huffpost. “That’s how cleaning unknowingly turns into cross-contamination.”

According to Detwiler, the sponge is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow: warm, moist and often full of food particles. “Ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply.” And they multiply quickly: some types of bacteria can double in just 30 to 60 minutes.

Microbiologist Jason Tetro explains that a sponge, because of its porous structure, has a huge surface area for bacteria to attach to. “They even grow in layers on top of each other.” Research shows that a single cubic centimeter of sponge can contain billions of bacteria.

This also includes fecal bacteria, says microbiologist Charles Gerba. These come along, for example, when you wipe surfaces with a sponge that have had raw meat on them, or simply when you don't wash your hands properly.

Not all bacteria make you sick, but some do. Think of salmonella, E. coli and listeria. These are culprits that can cause intestinal complaints, dehydration and, in severe cases, even life-threatening complications. This mainly concerns young children, the elderly and people with a weakened immune system.

And what makes it worse, those bacteria don’t stay on the sponge. Every time you rinse a dish or clean your countertop, they can spread to your hands, your food, or your utensils.

According to cleaning expert Becky Rapinchuk, you should clean your sponge every day, such as by putting it in the top of the dishwasher and wringing it out well and letting it dry in the morning.

Another method is to soak the sponge in a mixture of 1 liter of water and three tablespoons of bleach for five minutes, then rinse and let it dry. Note: wash your hands well afterwards.

Replacement is also necessary. According to the American Cleaning Institute, it is best to throw away a kitchen sponge every two to three weeks. Or even sooner, if it starts to smell or becomes damaged.

According to Detwiler, you can also switch to alternatives: dishwashing brushes can go in the dishwasher and dry faster, as do washable kitchen towels that you can wash on hot. Research shows that brushes contain significantly fewer bacteria than sponges in any case.

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