If career hygienists and manufacturers of anti-bacterial kitchen products are to be believed, the average kitchen surface, sponge, dishcloth or scrubbing pad is many more times infested with germs than the average loo seat.

Environmental engineers Gabriel Bitton and colleagues at the University of Florida (US) have sprung to the rescue in the nick of time. Having established that washing the kitchen sponges in the dishwasher was ineffective against the germs, they tried a domestic microwave oven. Good news here. ‘Cooking’ a damp, dirty kitchen sponge or scrubbing pad at full power for just two minutes or until they were steaming killed 99% of the germs. A further four minutes did for the rest.

• The researchers also made findings of interest to hospitals and surgeries:
• the same germs attached to plastic syringes were more resistant to sterilisation by microwave oven. It took twelve rather than four minutes for total inactivation
• microwave radiation zapped micro-organisms on plastic syringes placed in a ceramic container faster than micro-organisms on plastic syringes placed in a glass container

Ed.- At last a safe, beneficial use for microwave ovens, providing you do not stand too near! Not only can they be used to reduce the risk of food poisoning or microbial infection in your kitchen, they are also far less likely than the various anti-bacterial utensils on offer to increase the number of antibiotic-resistant bug strains colonising our environment.