The Surprising Kitchen Item That Habours the Most Bacteria
In the News
Did you know there is something people use regularly in the kitchen that can be dirtier than your toilet ?
It is your dishcloth , this really surprised me
In the summer the kitchen is where more bacteria grow, especially in the hot weather
As a comparison , according to the article “90% of UK dishcloths were heavily contaminated with bacteria compared with 20% of toilet flush handles or buttons
Here are some of the harmful bacteria a dishcloth can contain, E coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Bacillus subtilis
Some of these i have never heard of , never mind being able to spell ,
But each sounds nastier than the other
I would suggest either rinsing in very hot water now and again with disinfectant , or even microwaving for 30 seconds or more to kill the bacteria
Another thing i didnt know is that a dishcloth that is crumpled will retain more bacteria than one that is laid flat
Also you should keep them dry, a wet cloth will help bacteria breed faster especially if there are food particles in it
I don't know about you , but this has put me off dishcloths for life
What do you use to wipe in the kitchen ?
://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/doctor-says-never-use-kitchen-29123906
My dishcloths soak in a disinfectant solution or bleach daily as it’s a well known fact they harbour the nasties.
I have heard of this before and agree wholeheartedly. My sponge goes in the washing machine at least daily, although sometimes there can be 5 or 6 of them in there, it depends what I have been using them for and whether I consider them clean enough to use again.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. I never use a dishcloth but a sponge and regular change it. To be fair I don’t do much washing up as I have a dishwasher and a husband!
My dishcloths are changed daily as I already knew about them harbouring bacteria. I was taught about it in Home Ec and my pupils today are still taught about it. I can do a wash where it is just dishcloths and tea towels. I use a sponge for dishes, dishcloths to clean the kitchen and a separate tea towel for hands and dishes.
I started using bacterial wipes for kitchen surfaces some time ago and never looked back. Most of my washing up goes in the dishwasher, and anything that has to be hand washed is done with disposable sponges.
EmmaWright762 why use so much disposable stuff when it’s easy to disinfect your dish clothes and throw them in washing machine every evening. I used to do that but I try not to use so much 1 use products nowadays cos of effect on the environment. Yes I do use the odd disposable thing but I’m trying my best to be better
EmmaWright762 I havent got a dishwasher, but could you put a dirty sponge in there with the dishes E ?
telmel can you imagine the state of my dishwasher if the sponge breaks up? Lol will try it only if you volunteer to get every little bit out of the filter etc 
Don't use dish cloths because of the germ factors, I always knew they were nasty
martinlufc5637 Its a sponge for me M, i usually pour boileing water over it after making a cuppa
I put mine in the washing machine regularly. Usually every couple of days. I've washed mine for years and replace when unusable
Bacteria are everywhere, they are in the air you breathe, the water you drink and inside you. For every human cell in your body there are about 10 bacteria present and of your body weight 2-3 pounds are bacteria. The Mitochondria that enables all life to move and the power houses of each cell are re-purposed bacteria. If you make your existence too sterile you can compromise your immune system. It's all a delicate balance. I've never heard of anyone being killed by a dirty dishcloth. I think its more important to think about where the most dangerous bacteria exist and where they can multiply the most and that is typically food. The main thing that protects you from bacteria is your stomach acid it kills bacteria a lot more effectively than hot soapy water so its important your stomach ph is correct. I think I'm correct in saying that the temperature of water necessary to kill bacteria is more than our hands can handle so if you are washing dishes by hand it is unlikely the water is hot enough to kill them, you will likely have the water comfortable for your hands. You need water temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit or around 71 degrees Celsius to start to kill bacteria etc in water. However the detergent helps the bacteria and viruses slide off the dishes when you remove them from the water. However the water is still full of live bacteria and viruses.
BonzoBanana I dread to think the amount of pollutants and bacteria in tapwater itself B, never mind sponges and dishcloths
As you say being too sterile can be a negative but it is people with low immune systems or the very young that can be affected more by bacteria and possibly become ill
So it can be a fine balance for some , but probably not too much of a worry for others
telmel There are so many different sources of information nowadays with a lot of conflicting information. We are virus and bacteria colonies ourselves so we shouldn't think of them simply as enemies we need to think of which viruses and bacteria are beneficial and which are detrimental to our health. Also it is a numbers game. We may have consumed deadly bacteria in our food many times and not known it because the numbers were so small our bodies dealt with it successfully but if you consume the same deadly bacteria in large quantities I.e. undercooked chicken then your body's immune system may not be able to cope and you die. If you have a 1000 soldiers defending a castle and a single alien xenomorph attacks the castle then you will probably destroy the xenomorph even if you lose 40 soldiers doing so but if 1000 alien xenomorphs turn up you don't have a chance of winning.
I always have a clean dishcloth, tea towel and hand towel in the kitchen everyday.
Known this for years, which is why I don't possess either a dishcloth or a manky sponge, or even a dish brush.
This does surprise me. We used kitchen wipes. My husband used to have a cloth but I kept putting it in the washing machine. So he uses wipes too now.
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