Educate me on bacteria

[notrajah]

We keep two sponges by our sink, a dish sponge and a surface sponge, the latter being used to clean countertops, the stove top, scrubbing down the sink, etc. It may have been used once or twice on the floor, and has used with 409 on more than one occasion

Comments

[jarphabib]

Worst case scenario is that you'll probably be fine. Best case scenario is that you definitely will be fine.

I can guarantee that both sponges will have approximately the same *massive* bacterial loads, only the countertop sponge might have slightly less because of the use of stronger chemicals. The only reason I have separate counter/dish sponges is so I can use a softer scourpad on the nonstick pans and rougher on the counters.

Don't worry dude. The chances that you've caught something from the sponge are pretty small.

[newtha]

I'm honestly suprised you got sick at all. The sponge that is used for food is usually way worse off than any other sponge in the household. I bleach all of our sponges a couple times per month or toss them frequently. Any infection you get from a sponge used in the kitchen is probably going to cause diarrhea or vomiting as the most common "pathogenic" bacteria found on sponges are Salmonella sp, E.coli, or shigella sp. We used to do a lab where people took home a couple petri dishes and had to swab their kitchen sponges and bathroom sponges and the kitchen dish sponges were WAY worse than the bathroom sponges every time. Hang in there. Unless you have some raging Salmonella infection you shouldn't have to worry much.

[wyldelf]

You are not getting sick from a coincidental sponge mistake. The idea that anyone could get a bacterial infection from is a bunch of phooey that sells product. If your kitchen as enough bacteria to pick up from one surface, survive a hot water and soap scrubbing with dishes are washed, sitting for however long it did dry and exposed, and then transmit again (3rd time) into the food in enough quantities to get you sick...

If all of that is possible in your kitchen, segregating your sponges are not going to help you one bit. That shit will spread.

[templar569]

Worst case scenario? A slow, agonizing death as your internal organs shut down.