WASHINGTON — Two minutes in the microwave can sterilize most household sponges, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida found that two minutes of microwaving on full power mode killed or inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge. ‘People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher, but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean them, they should use the microwave,’ said Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering who led the study. ‘To guard against the risk of fire, people who wish to sterilize their sponges at home must ensure the sponge is completely wet,’ Bitton’s team wrote in an advisory. ‘Two minutes of microwaving is sufficient for most sterilization. Sponges should also have no metallic content. Last, people should be careful when removing the sponge from the microwave as it will be hot.’ Writing in the Journal of Environmental Health, Bitton and colleagues said they soaked sponges and scrubbing pads in raw wastewater containing fecal bacteria such as E. coli, viruses, protozoan parasites and bacterial spores. Then they […]