Disinfecting Dish Cloths

RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By BC (Guest Post) (01/20/2008) Common sense says to wash it. I was a bachelor once, too, but you need to get a grip. Sinks typically have more bacteria than your toilet. I put my wet dish sponge in the microwave for a minute a few times per week. When done, since it creates steam, just wipe out the microwave when done. RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By Bren (Guest Post) (07/04/2007) Thank you all for the replies. I showed my boyfriend, and he STILL thinks he has nothing to worry about, since he never gets sick. By the way, his dishcloth is part of an old flannel shirt, lol. Apparently he has a strong immune system. When I visit him, I use a paper towel with dish soap to wash the dishes. I lost my password so this will show as a guest. RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By Bren (Guest Post) (07/04/2007) Thank you all for the replies. I showed my boyfriend, and he STILL thinks he has nothing to worry about, since he never gets sick. By the way, his dishcloth is part of an old flannel shirt, lol. Apparently he has a strong immune system. When I visit him, I use a paper towel with dish soap to wash the dishes. I lost my password so this will show as a guest. RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post by Cindy S. (112) | (06/27/2007) Profile | Contact I use a clean dishcloth EVERY day and sometimes twice a day if I am doing a lot of dishes. Then I wash them along with the dishtowels (which I also use a clean one every day) in hot water with bleach. The amount of germs on his dishcloth must be astronomical!! Please throw it away and buy him some new ones. I keep my kitchen and bathroom exceptionally clean and my family is hardly EVER sick. Good luck! RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post by Lynn Beth (283) | (06/27/2007) Contact My bottle of dish soap reads that it "fights bacteria on hands when used as a hand soap." So maybe it's not killing off bacteria anywhere else. Besides, doesn't it smell? RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By (Guest Post) (06/27/2007) I don't care what kind of dish soap he uses, it isn't going to kill all the germs lurking in that nasty dishcloth. I mean it has residue of food and who knows what all that is growing bacteria. I change my dishcloth every couple days to be on the safe side. He's being sort of lazy not to want to wash it. You are right to say EWWWWW! RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By kidsNclutter (Guest Post) (06/26/2007) That dish soap is only a disintectant when used for washing your HANDS. (It's usually printed in fine print right on the bottle). Has nothing to do w/ sanitizing dishes or the dish rag. Soak that rag in a weak bleach solution at least once per week, can do this right in the cleaned sink, which will sanitize the sink also. (dilution amounts are on the bleach bottle). Or launder the dish rag in the machine w/ kitchen towels, whichI also wash w/ bleach (white towels w/ blue stripe at bottom don't fade). There has been some controversy about sanitizing sponges / rags in the microwave & especially in the dishwasher (the remaining soap suds are not good for the dishwasher over time), and experts are saying these methods may not kill germs. They do still recommend the method(s) I wrote here, soaking or washing in the clothes washer w/ bleach. Show your boyfriend these replies. RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post By Laura (Guest Post) (06/26/2007) Throw it out while he isn't looking and replace it with a new one. The kitchen sink has more germs than the toilet. Believe it. I replace my dish rag once a week. Do you or your boyfriend get sick a lot? The culprit is the dish rag. RE: Disinfecting Dish Cloths Post by healthaidefrog1959 (19) | (06/25/2007) Profile | Contact He should throw that one out and get a new one!! I've heard that if you put your dish cloth in the micro for like 30 seconds it will kill all of the germs and bacteria on it. Anyhow, if he doesn't want to spend the money, just tell him to go to the local dollar store where he can get 5 for like $2.50!!!