How many sponges do you use in the kitchen?

None. I have a rough scrub pad and a fine scrub pad, a dish rag I use only when washing dishes, and a old toothbrush to get into tight areas for cleaning. Paper towels are used to clean surfaces.
I have two plastic soap dishes that are sloped to allow water drainage that I use for the scrub pads to drain and dry.
I hang the dish rag on the paper recycle bin to dry thoroughly.

0. They are nasty AF.

One. It drys on a soap dish so it’s not mildewy. I change it when it gets ratty. I buy them in bulk from Costco.

To clean the counters and other things I either use paper towels or a wash cloth which I will then put in the laundry.

Zero. None.

Here ya go. https://www.macys.com/shop/product/oxo-good-grips-stainless-steel-sponge-holder?ID=5368764&pla_country=US&CAGPSPN=pla&cm_mmc=Google_SH_PLA_Bed_Bath-GS_Bed_Bath_PLA_Bed_Bath_Small_Brands331414256090pg1051625543_t_kclickid__kenshoo_clickid__KID_EMPTY_1705637444_67017516939_331414256090_pla-64375508675_719812041322USA__t_KID&trackingid=509×1051625543&m_sc=sem&m_sb=Google&m_tp=PLA&m_ac=Google_SH_PLA_Bed_Bath&m_ag=BedBathSmallBrands&m_cn=GS_Bed_Bath_PLA&m_pi=go_cmp-1705637444_adg-67017516939_ad-331414256090_pla-64375508675_dev-t_ext_prd-719812041322USA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_S21qGy4wIVTv7jBx1trQZpEAQYBCABEgKmWPD_BwE

@canidmajor Thanks!

Bed Bath and Beyond might have such things as well.

I checked and Bed Bath does have it. The middle bar is shorter, I was hoping for something that would keep the sponges well separated. I might make something out of clay if a pottery class has space. They sell pottery sponge holders here, but they are always for one sponge.

Zero if it’s my kitchen. Sponges are gross.

I worked as a restaurant dishwasher at age 16 and discovered green scratch pads and steel wool. Now we also have blue scratch pads which are a bit gentler on Teflon and crystal.

Sponges stay wet and foster germs. Ewww.

Thx @Call_Me_Jay.

De nada.

My sponges get bone dry. I’m a freak about germs in the kitchen. I don’t use them for everything so they aren’t constantly wet.

I would not let a stinky kitchen wash cloth dry completely out without washing it, and then reuse it thinking it’s fine. Bacteria simply go dormant when they dry out.
People are so weird when it comes to sponges tho, which are 10X worse than wash clothes.

The sink itself is one of the most bacteria filled places in the house.

TV remotes, cell phones, toothbrushes, microwave handles. Lots of germs around.

Can’t do a thing about that except keep it all reasonably clean.
I’m not going to bring in an object that actually breeds bacteria overnight, like a Petri dish.

Although I already answered the Q about things that skeeve me out, I guess I would add sponges to that list. The second you have wiped up something nasty with a sponge, the sponge is full of nasty bacteria. Unless you boil that sponge and dump bleach all over it, which kind of defeats the purpose, sponges are disgusting.

I so agree. So gross. A kitchen wash cloth after a couple of days is gross but at least they get washed (maybe bleached) regularly, like every other day. Sponges don’t, for some strange reason. Not at all sure what the logic is behind that.

@Dutchess_III Do you use a wash cloth to actually wash the dishes? Or, to dry the dishes? Wipe your hands? Maybe wipe the counter?

I use a wash cloth to clean every thing, including the floors, fridge, microwave, etc. Then it goes in the washing machine to be washed with hot water and bleach. I don’t let them “dry out” without washing them, and pretend that somehow takes care of all the bacteria. That’s like cooking up raw meat that’s been sitting out for a week and pretending the heat will kill the salmonella so it’s safe to eat now.
For washing dishes I use a bristly, skinny scrubber pad which also gets washed regularly. No sponges. Sponges are one of the grossest things I can think of.

I use a washcloth or rag (old t-shirt) for cleaning cabinets, countertops, stainless steel, I’m probably forgetting something.

I use a brush to wash some items, but I do use a two sided sponge for many things, like pots and pans. I started doing it about 10 years ago. I used to not use a sponge.

Most dishes and glasses I just rinse and stick in the dishwasher, no scrubbing of any sort.

I use a regular sponge for counters and microwave at times when I do a massive clean with Pine Sol usually. Sometimes I clean the counters with spray and paper towels. It just depends.

The kitchen sink is a mega germ bath in my opinion. I know people who just plug the sink and wash their dishes. If you take a paper towel and wipe the edges of the drain directly above or on the rubber thingy on the garbage disposal side (if you have a double sink) most peoples sinks are disgusting, even if they think they clean it all of the time. Especially, if they are on septic and have a garbage disposal. Every look on the other side of that rubber thing?

Every so often I put Drano in a squirt bottle (the kind that they use in restaurants to drizzle sauces) and I do a thin layer of Drano in that area to really eat through anything that might not be cleaned by good old fashioned elbow grease. As obsessed as I am about it, I can tell the difference afterwards. It’s not a lot of chemical, because I can squirt it directly on the area, I’m not using it to clear a clog. I do it about once a month. I sometimes do the same on my bathroom sinks if there is any yucky stuff on drain thingy.

It’s your house. Do what you want. Just keep those disgusting sponges out of my house!

Ok, I just hope you are cleaning your drain, you might want to check that.

Nope. I figure it gets washed and rinsed quite constantly. Sponge bacteria are not a silly hysteria like the “germs” on a door handle or in the drain are.

I didn’t say anything was silly.

I think you figure wrong though. You might want to take a paper towel and wipe your drain and just see if a bunch of yuck is sitting there. It might be “clean,” I don’t know what your sink is like.

I say some of those worries are silly.

Not going to worry about my drain for one single second, unless I plan to cook corn cobs and shove them down there to marinate before I serve them.

Do you wash your dishes in the sink? I’m talking about washing dishes and pots and pans.

I wash some in the sink. Mostly pots and pans. The drain is plugged so no germs will be crawling out to get on my dishes.
Mostly I use the water and a clean wash cloth to wipe down the kitchen.

I’m talking about the drain just above where the plug fits. The side walls of the drain, not down below. You might want to wipe it to see if it has a film on it. I’m not trying to compete with you, I’m trying to help you.

The sponges can be microwaved to kill bacteria, but I’m not trying to say the sponge is sterile, it has germs, no doubt, no argument here. I do change them frequently and nuke them. I don’t use them for raw food.

Still not going to worry about it. It’s silly, IMO.
Also I didn’t ask for your “help.”

I didn’t ask for your help either. I asked how many sponges people have and you decided to tell me it’s disgusting over and over and over again.

I’m not trying to help you. Several other people here also said they’re disgusting. It’s your house, do what you want.

Bets are being taken on which one of you will say it first: ”I know you are, but what am I?”

@Dutchess_III Not trying to help me? So, what are you trying to do?

Oh, @canidmajor, what a rude thing to say.