Germs thrive in warm, wet environment, which means our kitchen sponges, dishcloth and cleaning rags are just where their breeding grounds are. More than one billion germs can grow in a sponge used to wipe off raw meat.
Rapid growth is just the start of the germs multiplication cycle.
When the same sponge is use again tomorrow, it accumulates even more germs. A group of researchers from Arizona tested sponges and dishcloths collected from 1000 kitchens. At least two out of the three sponges tested contained some form of bacteria that could make a person ill. The five major food-borne bacteria are Salmonella, E.coli, Campylobacter, Clostridium Perfringerns and Staphylococcus. The Scotch-Brite TM Fun Design scrub sponges kill germs in the sponges through hundreds of uses.