Bin your kitchen sponge every week to avoid germs

HOUSEHOLDS should replace the kitchen sponge they use to wash up at least once a week, according to new research that has found they are a breeding ground for germs.

Scientists have discovered that the average kitchen sponge may hold more bacteria than most lavatory waste.

They also found that most attempts to clean sponges by boiling them or microwaving them can actually lead to more harmful bacteria taking hold.

Prof Markus Egert, a microbiologist at Furtwangen University in Germany led the study, which has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

He said: “Kitchen sponges are hotspots of microbial life, because they have a very large surface area, are usually wet and are stored in a warm kitchen environment. Dirt and food residues are nutrients for bacteria, too.

“A cubic centimetre of sponge tissue contains seven to eight times more bacteria than there are human beings living on the Earth.

“People shouldn’t be afraid of their sponge, but they should be aware it contains billions of potentially pathogenic germs.”