WASHINGTON, Jan 22: Two minutes in a microwave oven can sterilise most household sponges, US researchers reported on Monday. A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida found that two minutes of microwaving on full power killed or inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge.

“People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher, but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean them, they should use the microwave,” said Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering who led the study.

Bitton and colleagues said they soaked sponges and scrubbing pads in raw wastewater containing bacteria such as E. coli, viruses, protozoan parasites and bacterial spores.—Reuters