Jas, I don't use sponges. I use rags for the bathroom/toilet and such yucky areas. Usually old ones, that get tossed. Occasionally rags that get washed with jeans or such.

I hang mine in the garage or outside the back door for drying.

Moni

I have a sponge in the kitchen devoted solely to counters and another for dishes. I use paper towels cleaning the sink.

In the bathroom I always use paper towels. I don't like the thought of the same sponge or rag being used on the toilet as the counters and tub/shower. Or honestly even the same rag on the entire toilet. I do the toilet in stages and each area gets it's own paper towel so I don't drag germs from the rim or seat to the lid and flusher.

Probably overly paranoid but I have to do it that way or I get grossed out. I am a bit OCD in that regard though I know germs are important for a healthy immune system. It's actually not germs that grosses me out, but really the thought of residue transfer! I hate to think that toilet residue gets to the flusher, then to the faucet handle or the door, and then out into my house. Blech. Not everyone is as meticulous about washing hands thoroughly as I am.

It's part of the reason why I don't hire professional cleaners because the ones I have seen usually have a more efficient approach and will use the same rag far more than I do.

I use sponges in the kitchen, and my understanding is if you microwave a wet one (on a plate) for a full two minutes there won't be any germs to worry about spreading.

Rags. I have a pile of washclothes. When I am done with wiping down an area, the cloth goes immediately into the washing machine. Or paper towels, which I throw away. I totally agree about bathrooms and paper towels. I will spray everything with cleaner, wipe it all clean with a been through the washer with hot water and bleach cloth. Then, spray it again with lysol and wipe down with a paper towel. The sink gets its own. The handle of the bowl gets its own. The bowl gets its own. Cabinet handles and switch plate covers gets its own. No transfer even possible.

I use a variety of things. Washcloths to clean the bathtub and sink. I use dollar tree dish washing liquid for the stool and scrub it with a long handled brush. I squeegee the flat surfaces in the shower, then dry it with a hand towel before I get out of it. I don't have to use other cleaners except near the bottom where I miss wiping it down. The only thing I do routinely is cleaning the stools Sunday and Weds. I am good at picking up after myself and cleaning as I go, so I never have a hard day of cleaning. Not cooking also cuts down on the cleaning.

Wanted to add I do not use sponges and have not for years and years. Even if you sterilize them there would still be minute pieces of stuff in it and I can't stand the thought of that. I even use a clean dish cloth and hand towels every day.

This post was edited by EmmaR on Tue, Dec 9, 14 at 14:49

bought a stack of the blue cloths from sam's club..wash, fold, and stack in a wrought iron basket in the bathroom, as they're not "bad" looking...as used, just toss over the edge of the laundry basket in the laundry room...

I admittedly use WAY too many paper towels. I do have some micro fiber cloths but they must be washed. I hang them to dry on the racks in the basement.

I have a pile of cleans rags and old washcloths, dishtowels in the laundry room cabinet that I use for various cleaning, but -

I clean with paper towels in the bathroom. Mirrors, toilets, sink. Shower gets scrubbed with a soft brush with handle (all tile), a little bleach added to my cleaning bucket, no germs are lingering. I have sponges at the kitchen sink and use paper towels in the kitchen too (bulk, Costco).

In fact, I have a roll of paper towels in each bathroom, kitchen, laundry sink, garage. Anyone using any of the bathrooms is of course welcome to use a cloth towel, but for those quick wash ups there is the choice of disposable paper too.
DH uses cloth, many of his friends (who are dropping in and out here a lot) will considerately reach for paper when washing up, not minding one bit.

I do microwave my kitchen sponge at the end of each day if not more often. If temp is boiling the bacteria out of a damp sponge its not going to leave any on the glass turntable. I do use disposable paper when handling meat, chicken, seafood and for cleaning the sink after prepping those.

I change out my kitchen sponges regularly or soak them in bleach water in the sink if they aren't too stained. I also toss them in the washer and bleach them and then they are used for 'dirtier' cleaning, like the bathrooms or outdoor furniture. I use dish towels for drying but not for washing much.

I don't know whether it's more ecological to use paper towels or all of the water and electricity for washing and drying, but I opt for the washer.

Wow! All those paper towels! Seems like a lot of landfill.

My DH is in charge of toilet cleaning -- rags, scrub brush, BonAmi and Clorox Cleanup. He does the outsides first, then the interior of each bowl. After each one, a rag goes into a pile of rages that will be washed on HOT with bleach and dried on HOT in the dryer. ("Tired" washcloths and torn up towels are great for this.)

I keep a sponge and BonAmi in the bathroom linen closet for the tub and sinks.

In the kitchen I use old wash cloths, BonAmi and Clorox Cleanup.

We have been operating under this system for fifty years. Guess we're not in peril.

This topic reminds me of the nurse's aide who began to give my MIL a bed bath, starting with her bottom! This was the same aide who insisted MIL take some meds because, "They're detrimental." (We guess she meant "essential".)

I guess it depends on how many paper towels you use, but I only use a couple to do the bathrooms. Maybe 4 half-sheets. I think it's less wasteful than running a load of wash but I suppose each household is different in that regard.

I recycle all my old towels and wash clothes into cleaning cloths, plus - I use tons of paper towels. I buy the 'good ones' for kitchen cleanups and cheap ones for cleaning up floor messes. I don't use sponges, ever.

Rags! Sponges gross me out...don't know why really. A rag/washcloth you can hang up to dry. Who knows what lives in a sponge. ;)

For cleaning everything, try SpiffCloth! You don't need to use chemicals or other cleaners, and they are amazing for windows and mirrors. They can be washed and bleached, and last for a very long time.

I'm with chi83....and do the same.

I also use SpiffCloth for cleaning. They are great for windows and mirrors. They are lint free.

I use clorox wipes for the toilet, and old rags to clean out the sink and tub. I like bar keepers friend for cleaning out the tub and sink.

All household cleaning rags dry and wait in a pile in the back hall closet until there are enough to make up a washer load -- possibly once a month.

I use a sponge for dishwashing and try to remember to throw it in the dishwasher when doing a load. I use paper towels for kitchen counters and bathrooms.

I use Scotch-Brite scrubbies for the sink and counters (granite). When they get old, before tossing, I use them for the toilet (first I use a toilet brush). I use Weiman's stainless steel wipes for my oven and the stainless steel portion of my cook top, and I use HandiWipes for clean up after using the Scotch-Brite pads and for my bathroom counters and sink.

I use a combination of different cloths and sponges but this is what I've started doing for the toilet. When we finish using a paper towel, I put them in a plastic container to use for nasty spills and for wiping the outside of the toilet. Then I just throw them away. I just can't use a rag or sponge on the toilet, it's just too gross. I wet the used paper towels and wipe the outside of the toilet tank and use a cleaning spray where needed. Also if I spill something nasty like spaghetti sauce etc, I grab a wad of old used paper towels. I just can't see throwing them out after using them for dinner when I can still use them for cleaning something nasty. I also cannot see using a brand new towel to clean up spills. I tried the whole cotton napkin fad for dinner and that just did not catch on at my house...haha!

I don't do a lot of the cleaning but the housekeeper uses lint free rags...different kinds of old cloths and after she finishes we throw them in the washer. If I am cleaning I use paper towels. My shoulder arthritis prevents me from doing any heavy cleaning ...

Paper towels and wipes as appropriate. Toilets are cleaned using a handled brush. (I chuckled at the "stool" term someone used, I'd never heard before. To me, stool is what you put into the fixture, not the name of the fixture itself)

I doubt that putting a sponge through a dishwasher cycle does much to clean it. You're relying on the drying cycle to heat a sponge full of water to a germ-killing high temperature, like maybe 160 degrees or more. I don't think dry cycles get that hot.

My dishwasher doesn't even have a heating coil for drying, so I know it doesn't get very hot. Mine and others of similar design would be unsuitable for this task.

I use either a rag or a sponge, whichever is clean but ready for the trash when I am finished cleaning in the bathroom.

snidely, doesn't the hot water alone do it? It sure seems hot if I open it midcycle. I was sure hoping!

rob, I'm speculating. Don't you work with physicians, ask them what temperature kills germs.

Hot water is rarely higher than 140 degrees. Food often contaminated with bacteria (like chicken) gets cooked to 165.

The thing is, no one should think they need to live in a sterile world, the opposite is true because exposure to benign bacteria stimulates the immune system. But if you're trying to clean something, that's a different view.

Sponge cleaning is easy. The microwave as others have described, or put it in a saucepan of boiling water for long enough for the hot water to penetrate to the center, or soak it in a water/bleach solution. I think all work equally well.

I do, but we don't need them to answer this one. I assume steaming water is hot enough to be well above 140. I hope so! I hardly ever use a sponge anyhow.

Bad assumption. Many home water heaters are preset at the factory for 120 degrees. Yes, people change them but even a 3 second exposure to 140 degree water produces a second degree burn - blistering. I doubt the water in your home is that hot, that's dangerous.

You can see "steam" when opening a dishwasher in mid-cycle simply because of the water spraying inside.

Snidely, our water is so hot! I put the meat thermometer under the stream and it was pushing 140. We don't even have a dishwasher.