Some people may think that microwaving a sponge kills its tiny residents, but they are only partly right. It may nuke the weak ones, but the strongest, smelliest and potentially pathogenic bacteria will survive.
Then, they will reproduce and occupy the vacant real estate of the dead. And your sponge will just be stinkier and nastier and you may come to regret having not just tossed it.
Other cleaning methods (running it through the dishwasher or washing machine, dunking it in vinegar or other cleansing solutions, even cooking it in a pot) also don’t work. It’s not just that they don’t work, they make matters worse.
#LearnSomethingEveryDay
Fanatic Cook 
So what do you use instead of sponges? Just curious.
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Paper towels?
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What I’ve decided to do, because I don’t like the expense or waste-creation of changing sponges every week, is to clean a sponge after a week or so (hot soapy water and microwave ~30 seconds) then let it dry completely for several days. I can’t imagine much can live in a hard, dry sponge. Then rotate it back to use.
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Thanks! So do you leave the soapy water in the sponge when you microwave it (on high?)?
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No. Rinse well. High.
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