Yes, You Should Be Replacing Your Sponge and Other Cleaning Tools Regularly

You can imagine my surprise when Diana Ciechorska, general manager at Park Slope Cleaning, a commercial and industrial cleaning service in New York and Miami, said kitchen sponges need to be replaced every one to two weeks. “They come into frequent contact with food particles and moisture, which can lead to bacterial buildup.”

Mause Ramirez, owner of MCS Cleaning Services, a professional home and commercial cleaning business in San Francisco since 1995, said even when sponges look clean, they can be harboring bacteria, and you should be cleaning them after every single use. Ciechorska recommends microwaving damp sponges for 1 to 2 minutes or throwing them in the dishwasher to clean them.

Steel wool scrubbers can rust, so she says to rinse them well after each use and allow them to air-dry completely. “Replace every few weeks or when worn, as they can leave behind metal fibers.”

According to Ciechorska, dish brushes don’t need to be replaced as frequently, about every three to four months, depending on the state of the brush’s bristles. She recommends soaking brushes in hot water and cleaning vinegar (a more acidic vinegar than distilled white vinegar) or cleaning them with a mild disinfectant to keep them clean in between uses.

Bottle brushes and brushes used to clean straws are softer than dish brushes, so Ciechorska says replacing these every one to two months is recommended. To clean them, she rinses them thoroughly with hot, soapy water after each use and soaks them once a week in a mix of water and cleaning vinegar or runs them through the dishwasher (if they’re dishwasher-safe).

I’ve significantly reduced my paper towel usage after buying a 12-pack of microfiber towels to rotate in my kitchen, but it’s an extra load of laundry I have to do every week.

I usually wash them in cold water like I wash all my other clothes, but this water temperature is likely not enough to get them totally clean. James Rogers, PhD, CR’s director of product safety research and testing, cleans kitchen cloths in the washing machine using hot water. Ciechorska says you shouldn’t use fabric softener in these loads so that the towels don’t lose their absorbency.

Even with regular washing, they need to be replaced when they start to wear out or lose their absorbency, according to Ramirez. Ciechorska says it depends on how well they are maintained, but they should be replaced with new ones usually every six to 12 months.

My mom washes her broom with dish soap and warm water in the shower once a month. While the cleaning experts we spoke with did not recommend going to these lengths to clean your broom, they did recommend shaking out or vacuuming the bristles to get rid of any stuck-on dirt and replacing the broom when it starts to show signs of wear, usually one to two years after regular use.

Ciechorska recommended replacing mopheads every three to six months, “especially if used regularly on high-traffic areas.” To keep them clean, two of the experts we spoke with agreed that they should be washed in the washing machine. Ramirez recommends washing them after every single use with hot water and detergent.

Some feather dusters can be washed, but if you find yourself shaking them out and washing them and they still look dirty or worn out, it’s time for a new one. Dusters made from microfiber or other cloth materials can be washed in warm water with mild soap, according to Ramirez. Another option is using disposable dusters like the ones I use at home from Swiffer.

The last time I reached for my rubber gloves to wash dishes, I found that the thumb on my right hand had a huge hole in it. Ramirez and Ciechorska both recommend replacing rubber gloves when they begin to show any signs of wear (something I didn’t do). Even if there are no holes in your gloves, if you notice any funky smells, it’s time to replace them, too, according to Ramirez.

“Rubber gloves can be cleaned with warm, soapy water and hung to dry between uses,” says Ciechorska.

I used to believe that my toilet brush was being cleaned as I cleaned my toilet bowl, but this isn’t the case. According to the cleaning experts we spoke with, toilet brushes still need to be cleaned after each use and disinfected regularly. To clean your toilet brush, Ramirez recommends swishing the brush in the toilet bowl with a cleaning solution and allowing it to air-dry. 

Ciechorska’s toilet brush disinfecting routine requires just two ingredients, water and bleach. “To disinfect a toilet brush, I recommend filling a bucket with a disinfecting solution—like one part bleach to 10 parts water—and letting the brush soak for 10 to 15 minutes. After soaking, rinse it well with hot water and let it air-dry completely.” Even with regular cleaning and disinfection, toilet brushes need to be replaced when they show any signs of wear or every six to 12 months, according to Ciechorska. 

If you don’t clean your cleaning tools regularly, you’re just spreading dirt around your home instead of cleaning. With regular cleaning, some tools can also last longer before they need to be replaced, but they still need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

“The secret is to keep [them] clean and dry, like a good painter washes his brushes after every work is done,” Ramirez says. Items that are regularly wet or in contact with food, like sponges, dish brushes, and mopheads, need more frequent cleaning and replacing. Lastly, throw away that dish brush, broom, or microfiber towel when it starts to look frayed or otherwise worn down.