The scourge of the sponge

What are your pet peeves for house cleaning? There are SO many to choose from.  I didn’t know I had one until I started cleaning for others (including my husband’s bathroom) and found a sponge in one condition or another either on the sink or nearby. It appears that these are used to clean the bathroom or kitchen, presumably the sink or maybe the dishes. Sometimes people use them like a soap dish which really raises suspicion. Have they left it there from cleaning? Does it have grease residue from dishes or pots? Do they wash themselves with it?  The problem I have with sponges is
that you never know where they’ve been and if they are actually clean enough to use.  This is one of the reasons I bring my own cleaning supplies wherever I’m cleaning. (I sound like Andy Rooney incarnate.)

My sponges get used for one session of cleaning and then they go into the laundry AFTER they dry out unless I’m doing laundry the same day. Letting something wet “sit and stew” in a laundry pile is a big no-no in our house. Sponges, by nature, will dry between uses.  But what if it cannot dry completely and develops some unseen mold while it waits to get washed? I have allergies that are easily triggered by mold or mildew. And I live in Florida. Enough said.

For this reason, I use a sponge with a scrubby side to clean a sink and then it goes into the laundry. I never use one sponge for both the bathroom and kitchen. Yuck! (No one does that, right?) For everything else I use cleaning towels of varying sizes: a 12 x 12 to wipe outer toilet surfaces, a fresh one for wiping down shower walls and tubs, and another for bathroom vanity and fixtures.  This way (to me) I am NOT moving released dirt or germs from one place to another.  All the “imaginary” gunk and germs goes into the laundry with other cleaning towels.  I believe that these cautions prevent my husband and I from getting sick unnecessarily. I truly believe that.  Even if it isn’t the reason for our lack of sickness, I figure that I’ve made my intentions clear to the Universe and maybe IT is listening... Next time: What tools do I use to clean?

• A Kitchen sponge is germier than a toilet seat
• Facts about sponges and the germs they carry
• Bad review of silicone scrubbers