You're actually not cleaning your sponges enough! 

Joey Hadden: Business Insider April 20th, 2021

Sponges are disgusting.

We fill them up with water and soap and rub them across all of our dishes to pick up germs and food remnants. We wipe them across our crumb-infested countertops and dining room tables. It's no wonder they're the grossest thing in our kitchens. 

"Ironically, the dirtiest thing in the kitchen is something we use to clean with," Bailey Carson, professional cleaner and home expert at Angi, a household services app, told Insider. 

In a 2017 study published in Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed 14 used kitchen sponges and found "massive colonization" of certain species of bacteria.

Carson said kitchen sponges are a breeding ground for almost 400 species of bacteria that linger in its crevices.

"People often try to get the most use out of their sponges, and will only then throw them out once there is visible grime," Carson said. 

Others try cleaning their sponges, but Carson says this will only fester the growth of more bacteria. 

Carson recommends swapping out your sponge for a new one every two weeks.

But if the idea of using a sponge now makes you want to gag, try Carson's DIY hack for cleaning your countertops with baking soda and half a lemon. 

Lemon is a great natural cleaning agent, according to Carson, who previously told Insider all of her favorite cleaning hacks are creative, all-natural solutions. 

"Many cleaning products smell like lemon, but the fruit itself is one of the most useful natural cleaning products you can use," she said.

SpongeBath Solves The Germy Sponge Problem: https://www.spongebath.com/pages/sponge-bath-landing

Read More: https://www.insider.com/kitchen-sponge-how-often-to-replace-2021-4