how do you stop a smelly sponge?

Question

I do not have a dishwasher, so I wash dishes with a sponge. It seems that no matter how well I rinse, or dry it out, it smells HORIBLE within a week. Is there a trick to keeping it from smelling rancid (other than buying a new one every week)

Answer 1

Get yourself a spray bottle at the dollar store.
Put a 1/4 cup bleach with 1 1/2 cups of cold water into the bottle.
Spritz your sponge with this after doing the dishes.Also good for cleaning and sanitizing your sink daily.Let the spnonge sit for a minute or two and then use it to clean the bleach you've sprayed into your sink.
Your sponge will stay fresh and clean.

Answer 2

That's strange. Make sure your rinse off excess food and grime from the dishes before washing with the sponge and dishwashing liquid so that food doesn't stick inside the sponge. Rinse out well. Microwave it on high in a plastic container once a day or as frequently as possible. Bleaching it is also a good way of killing off germs and getting rid of odour.

Answer 3

Ha! you took the words out of my mouth! was going to say throw out the smelly sponges and buy new every time! The smell that's there is bacteria you smell and it is full of germs!

i, too was washing them in my machine along with my other clothes, and started using an additive, "Tsp" with my regular detergent, then let the sponges air dry instead of machine dry when finished in the wash cycle. i still by new but save and recycle my old ones for bathroom and general cleaning!

Answer 4

Microwave the sponge for 10-15 seconds to kill the germs. Someone advised me to do this a few years ago. Also, rinse them really well with soap and water and get as much water out as you can so mildew and bacteria have nothing to grow on. The microwave will help get the water out, too.

Answer 5

Try rinsing it out with vineager or a mild bleach solution. It should at least reduce the smell to a tollerable level and when you replace it, it'll keep it fresh smelling for longer.

the bleach solution should be about a cap full of bleach in just enough water to cover the sponge.

With vineagar, you can use it straight from the bottle (white vineagar works best.

Both are safe for things used on dishes and arround food.

Answer 6

sponges are bacteria best friend You should only use a sponge 2 or 3 wweks or less. You can put in micrwave for a few {seconds only} to kill the bact.. I say you go to 99cent store and buy a package of 4-6 for 99 cents and toss when they get used too much You spread bact when you just wash them out.............

Answer 7

I quit using sponges for normal dishwashing. Try a dish cloth instead. Much more sanitary.

Answer 8

Just a little bleach and warm water... let it soak for 15-30 seconds.

Sponges are terrible for bacteria --- If you use them on a regular basis you really need to soak them with bleach on a regular basis.

Answer 9

strange as mine never smells. I leave it very soapy and will let it dry, getting all the water out by squeezing it and hanging it in a basket over the dishwasher.
When/if it smells rancid I'd chuck it out and get a new one but I usually wear them out instead.

Answer 10

They're only .50, throw it away.Afterall, the smell is coming from rotting food that you are about to wash your dishes with.