how often do you change your kitchen sponge?

[camflower]

i usually have one on the go for bits of hand washing-up, wiping etc and it occurred to me that perhaps i should change it a bit more frequently than i do (not saying how often that is because i don't really keep count .
just a quick straw poll ...

when the green bit is scruffy looking, but i do rinse it out in very hot water after i have used it ....mmm maybe i should change mine a bit more :(

Once a week it goes in the dishwasher and then after another week I bin mine. So all in two weeks MAX.

don't use a sponge - full of germs! I use the disposable blue cloth things and change it every few days

every couple of weeks and it's not full of germs as rinsed in hot water all the time

Oooh was thinking today about posting something similar about smelly dishcloths. I have a green scoury thing that I use for pans, but a dishcloth that I use for wiping down surfaces. I boil mine every few days (in an old pan on the Aga with soap flakes) but is there a good way to stop them getting so smelly?

When it looks manky or smells. I feel a bit inadequate now; I haven't got a system for little green sponges

Microwave it damp for a couple of minutes. (4) That kills any bacteria.

Once or twice a day, but I wash rather than chuck.

I like germs, so no boiling or microwaving here. We have a green dishwashing sponge which we rinse every use and chuck when the rough side is tatty (a month?). We wipe surfaces with cloths which are washed in 40 wash with everything else. We use tea tree and soda mixed in spray bottle to clean everything. Never had food poisoning yet, but then no meat in house probably helps avoid a lot of that.

I change it when it begins to fall apart. Could be after a few days, could be every month.

Don't do sponges.

Dishcloths that either get left overnight in the bowl in a weak bleach solution, or get chucked in the washing machine.

For scrubbing have a dishbrush thing - same as.

A week or so, no more.

Seems I am pretty foul

I don't used sponges - I use J cloths for general wiping these get binned afyer a day or so, or demoted to bin/door cleaning duty.

I use one of those sponge scourers on a stick to wash the dishes, this gets changed once a week. Mind you iw ash dishes in lava hot running water anyway so don't imagine germs live long.

Sponges are not full of germs if they are cleaned daily and changed regularly.

I soak mine in boiling water and disinfectant every evening and then put through the wash once a week. Once the green bit goes it is binned.

It's like with teatowels and hand towels and j cloths, as long as they are kept clean and changed regularly they will be fine.

greentigr tell me more about this tea tree and soda mix you use?

water, soda crystals and tea tree. I'm sure it started with a recipe but now involves throwing in just enough soda to remove grease, and enough tea tree to make it smell like it will kill germs (20 in 500ml bottle?) We add other oils in addition for a different smell. I'm sure its mostly psychological and hot soapy water would do the same job.

I use two dishbrushes (one for potentially 'contaminated' things, like raw eggs, meat, etc.) other one for other things. Both go in the dishwasher (sterilisation cycle) every day. Also use one or two, sometimes more, dishclothes a day and go in washing machine at end of day with towels, tea towels, etc., 60 degrees but with oxy vanish added to powder. Still always worry about germs though ... I once had terrible food poisoning, never found out what it was from but it was absolutely awful, will never forget it.

wow i'm impressed with all this boilwashing and dishwashing and homemade mixes. i used to bleach j cloths but no matter how careful i was i would splash it on my nice iroko worktop

I buy the very cheap ones from the pound shop, they last a week or two at max. Also microwave them, but tend to forget to take them out, so DH assumes I've thrown them away and gets a new one out so we sometimes end up with several on the go at once.

Pan-scrubbers go out when the green bit (pale or dark for non-stick and regular) goes rubbish.

Dishcloths/j-cloths get thrown in the wash every week or bleached in hot water. Chucked out after 2-3 weeks.

Ooh I didn't know you could microwave them without disaster ensuing. I'll try that. Mind you, the microwave hosts its own little microbial forest I imagine. Ugh.

I only microwave them for 20s whilst wet, they get boiling hot. That's why they get left in the microwave too hot to pick up straight away