daryl's first blog entry

[daryl "loves" blogs. i think this is an entirely appropriate opening entry though. good job]

Tossing a dishcloth in the washing machine, even with a strong detergent, doesn't appreciably cut down on surviving germs. The micro-crevices that make a sponge such an effective cleaning device make it even more difficult to disinfect. Running a sponge through the dishwasher makes it look clean but leaves it just as infectious. Even strong chemical disinfectants often aren't enough to disinfect them (Journal of Applied Bacteriology, 1990;68(3):279--283).

What can you do?

Wet your sponge or dishcloth and then pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then you'll have safe, germ-free tools to use. For items that you can't microwave, such as faucet handles, a household cleaning solution containing hypochlorite is the best for cleaning, but be sure to rinse thoroughly (Journal of Applied Microbiology, 1998;85(5):819--828).