I knew something was wrong with the "microwave your sponges to get them sterile just like the Jetson's do" story. Well, and it's still wrong, though they've corrected it some:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reports about a study that found microwave ovens can be used to sterilize kitchen sponges sent people hurrying to test the idea this week -- with sometimes disastrous results.So now they're telling everyone to wet the sponges first... but that's still not right. A small sponge will go supernova in my microwave if you give it 2 minutes on high, no matter how wet you've got it. And wet sponge the size of Oprah's pillow wouldn't even get warm after two minutes.
A team at the University of Florida found that two minutes in the microwave at full power could kill a range of bacteria, viruses and parasites on kitchen sponges.
They described how they soaked the sponges in wastewater and then zapped them. But several experimenters evidently left out the crucial step of wetting the sponge.
"Just wanted you to know that your article on microwaving sponges and scrubbers aroused my interest. However, when I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off," one correspondent wrote in an e-mail to Reuters."Smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off," sounds a little like the lyrics to a country song, huh?
"First, the sponge is worthless afterwards so you have to throw it out instead of using it. And second your entire house stinks like a burning tire for several hours, even with windows/doors open," complained another.
4 comments:
Of course simply replacing old sponges with new ones would be......??
sensible. Especially when you can get a metric ton of sponges at Sam's Club for, like, $6.79.
Yes. And did you see what they used to wet the sponges? Wastewater. Like, you're cleaning this sponge, but that's no reason to waste 6 oz.'s of fresh water.
Thank goodness for scientists.
i hear if you say it backwards, your dog comes home, your truck starts and you get the girl back.
huzzah, gino; one of my favorite jokes my pa taught me!
LJ: I am proud to report my 13-yr-old son (who has been told by his older sister numerous times to sterilize the sponge in the microwave) used the Reuters article for his "current events" assignment this week.
We are four-square behind your hard-hitting exposes...er... exposees?
Whatever.
And now, if you'll pardon me, I'm off to dry the cat...
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