Replace sponges every few weeks. Keep raw meat, poultry and fish and their juices away from other food. For instance, wash your hands, cutting board and knife in hot soapy water after cutting up the chicken and before dicing salad ingredients. Use plastic cutting boards rather than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves and rough surfaces. Thaw food in the microwave or refrigerator, NOT on the kitchen counter.
Bacteria can grow in the outer layers of the food before the inside thaws.
Marinate in the refrigerator too. It takes thorough cooking to kill harmful bacteria, so you're taking chances when you eat meat, poultry, fish or eggs that are raw or only partly cooked. Plus, hamburger that is red in the middle, rare and medium-rare steak and roast beef are also undercooked from the safety standpoint. To check visually, red meat is done when it's brown or grey inside. Poultry juices run clear.