Spongenotworthy.

Kitchen-sponges are germ factories, all sorts of bacteria grow on them.  Scientists have figured out that if you microwave your sponge, it cuts the bacteria way down, and makes it safer to use.  I have the perfect cure for this problem.  Don't Use A Sponge?!  Ick.  I've never owned one.

"One household product that spreads infection hasn't changed much over the years: your kitchen sponge. But scientists say they've found a near-foolproof method for sanitizing even that old germ trap - make sure the sponge is wet, then nuke it in your microwave oven. Why be so obsessive? Hygiene experts warn that any time you use a sponge to clean up the mess from a party or family meal, it teems with germs that sit there, waiting for you to use the sponge again and spread germs to sinks, utensils and countertops - until they make someone sick. In fact, sponges are one of the key pathways for bacteria, viruses, parasites and other germs to spread in the home, causing many of the estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses a year, experts say. Some microbiologists recommend throwing sponges away after a week to keep the germs at bay. But almost nobody does. "The kitchen sponge is a source of all sorts of microbes," says Gabriel Bitton, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Florida. Bitton and a team of UF researchers say their recipe for making sponges less infectious is simple: microwave them on high for about two minutes. "It won't completely sterilize them, but it will knock out almost all of the bacteria," Bitton said. Specifically, the heat and drying process destroy bacteria and other pathogens that need water to survive, according to Bitton and other experts."