The Cleaning Mistake Contaminating Your Dishes

Washing dishes is a necessary part of any kitchen upkeep. The point, of course, is to get the dishes clean so they can be used for your next meal. But one common mistake can negate all your work — or the dishwasher's work — and cover your clean dishes in dangerous bacteria, rendering them dirty again.

It can be tempting to dry off dishes with a towel reserved for that purpose. But their high absorbency makes them prone to bacterial growth. Even when dish towels are wrung out, they remain sufficiently damp to harbor harmful bacteria, which can then transfer to your hands and dishes as you use them.

The best way to dry your clean dishes is either to use your dishwasher's dry cycle or to air-dry them in a clean environment. Place the wet dishes on a sanitary drying rack, with enough space to pass between each item. And keep them clear of any absorbent material that can harbor bacteria.

Wiping clean dishes down with bacteria is counterintuitive, but the danger doesn't stop at a used dish towel. A used sponge is also a notable breeding ground for bacteria. Repeated contact with chunks of food leaves residue on the sponge itself, which must be washed off, sanitized, and frequently replaced.

You can use a dishwasher to deep-clean kitchen sponges. The high temperature of dishwashers, which commonly top out around 130 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit, is more than high enough to kill any bacteria in the sponge. If you don't have a dishwasher, microwaving a wrung-out sponge on high for one minute will accomplish the same goal.

A dirty sponge is a common household mistake that could be making you sick, and the same can be true of a dedicated dish towel. Both are highly absorbent surfaces that retain enough moisture to be an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. However, a sponge can perform the necessary scrubbing action. When used for drying dishes, dish towels just compound unnecessary risk.