Posted on 01/25/2007 6:18:32 AM PST by presidio9
Reports about a study that found microwave ovens can be used to sterilize kitchen sponges sent people hurrying to test the idea this week -- with sometimes disastrous results.
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A team at the University of Florida found that two minutes in the microwave at full power could kill a range of bacteria, viruses and parasites on kitchen sponges.
They described how they soaked the sponges in wastewater and then zapped them. But several experimenters evidently left out the crucial step of wetting the sponge.
"Just wanted you to know that your article on microwaving sponges and scrubbers aroused my interest. However, when I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off," one correspondent wrote in an e-mail to Reuters.
"First, the sponge is worthless afterwards so you have to throw it out instead of using it. And second your entire house stinks like a burning tire for several hours, even with windows/doors open," complained another.
Aaron Hoover, a press officer at the University of Florida, said several other news organizations received similar complaints, although no one had complained directly to the university.
"We figured, 'wow, we better let people know right away that the sponge should be wet,"' Hoover said in a telephone interview.
The university issued the following advisory: "To guard against the risk of fire, people who wish to sterilize their sponges at home must ensure the sponge is completely wet. Two minutes of microwaving is sufficient for most sterilization. Sponges should also have no metallic content. Last, people should be careful when removing the sponge from the microwave as it will be hot."
They should have told them to stick their head in there as well...
How to dry a damp kitten...
Just when you thought Captain Obvious was hibernating...
This is so stupid! Sponges are cheap, just buy another one!
Say it aint so.
Some people should NOT be allowed near machinery or appliances..........
I see dumb people. They're everywhere, and they don't even know they are dumb.
Oh No! Not SpongeBob Squarepants!
Perhaps the intrepid reporter should have asked a question or two while writing the original story. Or maybe he just pasted what was in the pre-written material and put his name on it, calling it another day's hard work.
I guess they felt this experiment was sponge-worthy...
Couldn't you just buy a new, clean sponge....?
That is precisely what I was going to write - go to your local Dollar General store and buy a bag for $2.00!!!
Then I put the whole wallet in. Fried it. My credit cards were reduced to little lumps.
There will probably be an investigation and after that the records will be "ex sponged"
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