How To Clean a Sponge in the Microwave

Think of everything you clean with your kitchen sponge--dishes, counters, sticky little hands, spills in the fridge and drips on the floor. You might think running that sponge through the dishwasher will do the trick, but hot water and soap suds do little to kill the bacteria and parasites living in all the tiny holes of your sponge. In fact, the warm moist environment you're creating is a breeding ground for germs--you're just spreading it around from one surface to another. For a truly clean kitchen, try sterilizing your kitchen sponge in the microwave. This will also eliminate the sponge's moldy odor.

You should sterilize your sponge in the microwave every couple of days. Switch to a new sponge every 2 weeks.