Dawn, handi wipes, paper towels, fresh washed cotton Terry dish towels. Countertops spray with alcohol and wipe with paper towels. Keep lysol or clorox pop up canisters handy for quick cleaning. I will be so happy to have a dishwasher again soon. I don't like hand washing dishes.

https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-isopropyl-91-alcohol-first-aid-antiseptic-spray-prodid-958283

I keep several of these spray bottles around the house. I spray the air to help eliminate odors especially after cooking. Best thing ever for granite or stone countertops. I sometimes add some of the green alcohol to it for a fresh scent. I spray it on anything that needs to be cleaned.

Hmm, that's some pretty strong stuff. I assumed you meant you added a small amount of alcohol to water. It says fumes can be harmful and to avoid it getting into the eyes or mucous membranes. You spray it in the air?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/TOOLBOX-Z400-BIG-GRIP-BUCKET-BLUE-SHOP-TOWELS-10-IN-X-12-IN-200-SHEETS-PER-BUCKET-2-BUCKETS-PER/39109689

I like these for a heavier quality paper towels. Cleaning up after the floods we found some new better products. These shop towels are one. And I don't go with out having Odorban in the house. It goes in the laundry, in the kitchen, cleaning the dishwasher, bathroom, it's wonderful and kills every kind of germ.

Yes I dilute it for air spray. I use it full strength in some cleaning situations.

Lots of great uses for alcohol.

https://www.simplemost.com/15-ways-rubbing-alcohol-can-used-clean-home/amp/

Vinegar is another one that has a lot of good uses.

I use vinegar but I dilute it.

I use a ScotchBrite wand. The spongy thing behind it does't hold water - it's not a true sponge. I've been using these now for at leas 25 years - no one has died. I do NOT like sponges for cleaning counters etc - much prefer paper towels. Sponges get very smelly and nasty. My ScotchBrite does not.

For everyday cleaning and for light dish washing I use a solution about one third vinegar and the rest a mild dish soap. I mix it in a spray bottle.

No dishwasher here, except for hubby.

Only Sunlight dish detergent. Have for decades and decades. I detest the smell of Dawn, and Palmolive takes the hide right off my hands.

Scott, we use a similar method for hand washables.

A spray bottle of diluted Dawn accompanied by a Scrub Daddy sponge followed by a hot rinse. Wash and rinse the Scrub Daddy sponge with the same solution, rinse, squeeze and hang to dry.

To prevent dry hands after washing things, we use Working Hands lotion.

I use a dish wand with a scrubber also with Dawn. I think it’s Scotch Brice, same as Anglophilia. If I have to use a stronger scrubber in a pot, I will do that with Bar Keeper’s Friend or a little more Dawn. I always use lotion when I’m finished cleaning the kitchen.

We wash everything we can in the dishwasher so it can be sanitized. We use Dawn to wash anything that isn’t dishwasher safe with a Scotch Bright sponge.

We rotate between 2 sponges, using one while the other dries out in the sponge cabinet. We don’t use them very often and someone told me years and years ago that drying them out kills the bacteria. Even so, I still tend to change them out every couple of months.

For wiping down, I prefer a wash cloth. My stove top is stainless and even a soft scrubber will scratch it, a wash cloth with hot water suffices well. Those I like to change every time I do dishes.

When we cook, we tend to use cutting boards that can be sanitized in the dishwasher for meat and veggies and that limits the bacteria spread.

ETA: I also have a little 99 cent brush from Ikea that I might use on occassion but really not very often.

How often do you clean your phone? Because it’s said that it will have just as many if not more contaminents on it.

I use Dawn & a cotton crocheted dish cloth. the dish cloth is used once & then laundered.

I am curious. Where do you get crochet dish cloths and what are they made from?

I clean my phone a few times a week with alcohol and I don't use it unless my hands are clean. If I have to use it while running errands, it gets disinfected when I get home after I have washed my hands. I could probably eat off of my phone, lol.

I try to never touch other people's phones, even my husband's, because most people aren't as careful as I am. What's worse are the many people who take theirs into the bathroom! Gross.

Since it's just me, I wash my dishes by hand all the time. Every once in awhile I will run the dishwasher just because it should be done. I rinse my dishes after using them and then when there are enough to warrant it, I wash them using Palmolive detergent. I came up with a way to keep the grease away by washing everything in order of possible grease contamination. So I wash the glasses and mugs first, then the rinsed plates, then the silverware. Pots and pans get washed last and if they are particularly dirty, I will empty the sink and fill it up again with fresh detergent. Works for me. :)

Bobbi, crocheted dish cloths are usually hand made just out of normal yarn. Though I’ve never made one, they’re quite easy to make if you know how to crochet a single stitch. I also received some as a gift a couple years back that were knitted.

ETA: I forgot too a lot of people use cotton yarn as opposed to acrylic.

I have to use gloves (always) to do that dishes due to the state of my hands. I use Nyplex gloves because I'm allergic to latex and they slide on and off easily.

Tami has made several for me along with hot pads. Unfortunately I lost all of them. Then I got a surprise package in the mail from her with 2 new ones! She is awesome. And so are her creations!

Should we be killing all of these germs?

Palmolive is good.

Dawn, use washcloths that go in washer & dryer.

I use either Dawn or Palmolive. I use a sponge. It gets run thru the dishwasher daily. Works fine for me.

Penny, I think the bigger concern in the kitchen (at least it is for me) is bacteria and contaminants from meat which is very different from germs. IMO, when it comes to germs, a lot of healthy people are over sanitizing and a weakness in their immune systems will eventually reflect that.

I do think that over-sanitizing can be a problem. I'm obsessive about keeping my phone and my hands clean (I wash probably 20+ times a day) but I have tried to relax other disinfecting. I stopped using antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizer and I don't use any bleach or lysol in the house. We hardly ever get sick.

Unless you have a dishwasher with an internal heater and a sanitize cycle, running anything through a dishwasher won't "sanitize" it. Especially not sponges for which penetration of the very hot water to the center for long enough to be effective is unlikely.

I'm curious, for those who use cotton washcloths once and then launder them (which sounds like a good idea that would work for me, my washer does up to 190 deg), how/where do you store the dirty washcloths after use and until you have enough accumulated for a wash cycle ?

We have a wall unit with (open) hanging bins from Ikea in our walk in pantry. I throw mine and any dish towels we use in a designated “hamper” bin. I then wash/sanitize whatever is in there once a week. The key is to keep them in a place that allows for some ventilation so they dry out otherwise, they stay wet and smell.

I used to buy hand woven (loose weave like a crochet stitch) dishcloths at our farmer's market, but the vendor is no longer there. So when I needed new, I looked on Etsy and bought from there. I like the tighter stitch I found, but the size is a bit smaller, which i don't like as much. I buy only 100% cotton because it absorbs so much better than synthetics.

Similar to these

I usually toss my used ones into my utility sink (that I mostly use only for washing and sanitizing bird feeders, so they aren't really in the way). I use white towels in my bathroom and have a few other whites that I bleach, so I can do a small load every few days.

I use Dawn if I wash dishes by hand...I use my dishwasher because I like them to be sterilized. Just me, so I only use it a couple times a week.

Elmer I knit my dish cloth, and after use I hang over two hooks on an open wire shelf in the garage. After they are dry they go in the laundry basket.

Moni

Years ago the pediatrician said not to bother boiling baby bottles, running them thru the dishwasher would kill any germs. It was so many years ago-I think it was the heat he was referring to. My dishes are too hot to handle when the load completes. It seems to work for us. I'm not going to worry about it. I haven't had any issues. Genuinely curious-are people putting crocheted dishcloths and regular ones in a strong bleach solution? I can't picture a load of towels and rags with detergent and bleach actually sanitizing everything, We need Mamapinky to weigh in! Maybe I need to toss the sponge after all.

Ok-I was paranoid for a minute. Now I'm not LOL=

Bacteria in a kitchen sponge can best be eliminated by heating the sponge in a microwave oven or running it through an automatic dishwasher, according to a study by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Researchers found that microwaving a wet sponge for 1 minute killed 99.9999% of bacteria, while running a sponge through a dishwasher cycle that included drying eliminated 99.9998% of bacteria, the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) said in an Apr 23 news release.

Microbiologists Manan Sharma and Cheryl Mudd also tested sponges soaked in lemon juice and in deionized water for 1 minute and in 10% bleach solution for 3 minutes, and they left one untreated. Between 37% and 87% of bacteria were killed using these methods, leaving sufficient bacteria to cause disease. (Deionized water is purified water from which most ions, such as sodium, calcium, iron, and chloride, have been removed).

Initially, each of the sponges contained about 20 million microbes, after researchers soaked them in a solution of ground beef and lab growth medium for 48 hours. The study was conducted at the ARS Food Technology and Safety Laboratory in Beltsville, Md.

Treatment in the microwave and the dishwasher also left sponges with less than 1% of the original counts of yeasts and molds in them, whereas 6.7% to 63% remained in the sponges treated with the other methods or left untreated. The ARS said these methods were tested because they are commonly used in households.

Yikes. We don't sterilize in our house.

We don't get sick, either.

For the info of you dishwasher fans, commercial dishwashers are generally required by health codes to use water at 180 degrees to insure the dishes and flatware have been "sterilized". This is one of the things restaurant health inspectors check regularly (with their thermometers) and restaurants get red-tagged if their dishwashers aren't hitting the required temps. You can be sure that without an internal heater and specific "sterilize" cycle, your residential dishwasher is unlikely to get much over 140 deg.

For me, comments like "I don't do it that way and I'm still here", or "my mother never did that and she lived to be 85" are non sequiturs. If testing shows there can be a problem, learn from that and decide based on the new information. Not from anyone's past practices.

I don't subscribe to the "sterilize everything" attitude in kitchens. Regular washing with detergent and adequate rinsing is enough for most things and most circumstances.

Myself, I'll stick with using paper towels and should I decide to change, washcloths used once and laundered at 190 degrees (or even 160) sound like a very good alternative.

At home, cleaning is sufficient for me.

Someone used to make the crocheted scrubbies and beautiful quilted hot pads. I have several, can't for the life of me remember their names. I know I always sent thank you notes!

My Renova yellow paper towels and my Scrub Daddy sponges arrived this weekend. I will let you know the outcome.

Agree with Elmer. Unless your dishwasher has a dedicated sanitize cycle and a heater its not doing a thermal sanitize.

Years ago before enzymes, automatic dishwasher detergent used chlorine which is why the older dishwashers with only hot tap or slightly boosted temps sanitized..Cascade still has one product that still uses chlorine instead of enzymes. .the gel Cascade in the lighter green bottle. I don't know of any powder or pod types on the grocery store shelves that still use chlorine. If your putting cutting boards or other such contaminated with poultry or meat in the dishwasher and you don't have a dedicated sanitize cycle your probably not sanitizing them unless your using a chlorine based detergent.

I use cotton dishcloths to hand wash and Dawn. I rinse it well and hang to dry before tossing in the wicker open weave basket in the laundry room. New one used each time. I wipe my counters off using a clean microfiber cloth and whatever all purpose spray I have usually Method....unless I was dealing with raw poultry or meat than I use a sprayer bottle of 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts water.

No sponge but if I have burnt stuck on and it doesn't loosen up with a soak in water and Dawn I either use Barkeepers or I cut off a small piece of SOS and toss it when I'm done.

Bounty used to have a roll ofpaper towels with Dawn in them...wet and lather. I liked these on pots and pans but can no longer find them.

I was taught that raw meat should be placed directly into the container it will be cooked in. Reduces spread of germs and I also wear disposable gloves to open the meat package then double bag and freeze the wrappings.

Is the reason that bleach was removed from dishwasher detergent due to dishwasher interior being stainless?

Well, of course I can only speak from my own experience (plus hubs is a microbiologist so, yeah, we know what to do for our house). I don't go overboard.

DISCLAIMER FOR ELMER: I am not suggesting anyone do what I do or don't do I am simply making conversation (that okay with you, Elmer???)....by all means, research the heck out of this.. hire your own scientific team and conduct experiments using whatever you have in your own kitchen as controls. There. I think that covers it ;)

As far as gentleness goes (the original question) I've been using Method. I try to use gloves... :)

Dolly...no because chlorine isn't going to damage stainless...look how many washing machines have stainless drums and with the exception of Miele who discourages chlorine in their machines chlorine is ok in other washers. What happened was enzymes were discovered and frankly do a great job in the newer dishwashers with their long wash cycles and the slow raise of temps. Enzymes take about 20 minutes to get going and become inactive at around 140F. That being said by the time a dishwasher reaches sanitizing temps the enzymes have already done their job.

Penny. I also try to wear gloves but only happens after my hands are cracked and bleeding..like this week. Ouch. But tthat's a subject for another thread...**The attack of post menopausal skin** LOL.

Ava, Dawn has a dish soap for dry hands. I can't remember what its called.

Mama, I understand Lanolin is the best but it's sticky so you have to put those white gloves on overnight....if you can stand it.

(just a suggestion based on personal experience, Elmer, okay?......)

I'm not sure about this but if you remember back when chlorine bleach was common in dishwasher detergent, it wasn't uncommon for glasses to get hazy. I think I was told at the time that it was because of the action of the bleach at a high temp on the glass when the local water was on the "slightly hard" side. Over time they started putting enzymes into the products and removed phosphates, and they also removed the bleach (or maybe cause and effect are reversed). Today, I still have slightly hard water, a Miele dishwasher that gets water much hotter than before because of an internal heater, and no hazed glassware.

"I am not suggesting anyone do what I do or don't do I am simply making conversation (that okay with you, Elmer???)....by all means, research the heck out of this"

I didn't research anything but of course conversation is conversation. It just drifted, not necessarily by you, toward one of my pet peeves - when people say "Well, I do what I do because that's what I do" in the face of information that could suggest doing something else or doing something differently may be a better idea.

I recall a study that showed that bachelors who rarely wiped their kitchen counters had a lot fewer germs on them than housewives who continually "cleaned" them with a sponge or dishcloth. (Evidence of the power of Good Housekeeping-type promotion of products to fight trumped-up 'problems'.)

A sanitized bubble isn't required outside of a hospital, and we are seeing evidence that a majority of children raised in a 'casually clean' home have fewer allergies and illnesses.

If you wash most of the dirt or bugs off your food; keep cold things cold and hot things hot; don't cross-contaminate with raw poultry or meat; and you don't eat 'funny smelling' food! -- you're FINE. I think I could call this "Revised Kosher for the Modern World".

When we read threads like this, we need to allow for the presence of OCD in the population.

Chisue I think I agree with you. I often hear people wanting to know how to disinfect laundry. Personally I understand disinfecting kitchen towels and dish cloths but clothing na...unless the people are dealing with an expecially nasty bacteria or undergoing chemo I believe a normal wash in hot or very warm along with a detergent containing a nice mix of surfactants is enough to reduce **germs** to a safe level.

Think about this....how many here concern themselves with disinfecting their kitchen even when no raw meat is involved than turn around and wash kitchen towels with cold to tap hot water ...unless the CORRECT chlorine bleach was used those towels are not disinfected and could after washing be home to raw meat bacterias. I'm not saying any of you do this butI know people that wipe the counter down with disinfectant after making a slice of toast than turn around and wash kitchen linens in cold water...that makes no sense to me.

I use Method all purpose spray on my counters..its not a disinfectant. Just use common sense and you will know what needs disinfected and what doesn't.