Firefighters warn 'don't sterilise cloths in microwave'

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was concerned following media coverage of new research, which had shown that 99% of germs contained in a kitchen sponge or dishcloth could be killed if the item was placed in a microwave oven on full power for a period of two minutes.

A spokeswoman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters had attended a blaze in the Telford area at around 1.00pm yesterday, which involved a dishcloth in a microwave oven.

She claimed the occupier was attempting to sterilise the dishcloth using a technique described in news reports. Fortunately the fire was contained within the microwave oven.

The spokeswoman said: "Our advice is please don't do it, it is dangerous. Apart from setting fire to the microwave, you can scald yourself."

Safety precautions

The fire came as hygiene experts recommended zapping dish cloths to prevent food poisoning. It was suggested that as many as 10,000 bacteria could live on each square inch of a kitchen sponge.

Researchers in America found that putting a household sponge in a microwave for two minutes killed more than 99% of the harmful bacteria which caused illness. The scientists from the University of Florida discovered that a short blast in the microwave killed a range of bugs including E.coli and salmonella.

Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering at the university, said putting dish cloths or sponges into the microwave for two minutes was much more effective than using a dishwasher. "The microwave is a very powerful and inexpensive tool for sterilisation," he said.

Sponges and dish cloths carry huge amounts of bugs because they often remain damp, helping the bacteria to survive. It is the heat of the microwave - not the radiation - that kills the germs on the sponge, which needs to be damp so it does not catch fire, the scientists said.

A number of safety precautions have now been posted on the university's Environmental Engineering Sciences website.

'Extremely concerned'

A further incident also came to light in the Middlesborough area last night.

According to Cleveland Fire Brigade a dishcloth caught fire in a microwave at a home in the Marton Grove area of the Teesside town, ruining the oven and causing smoke damage to the kitchen.

Again firefighters managed to put out the blaze before any further damage was caused. Officers again highlighted media reports following the US research.

Mark Whelan, director of operations and community safety at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "Attempting to sterilise a dishcloth in this way is extremely dangerous.

"There are too many variable factors such as the capacity and power of the microwave oven or the moisture content of the dishcloth or sponge. Scalding is another potential hazard."

He went on to say that fire chiefs throughout the country were "extremely concerned" that people were using microwave ovens in this way. "Our advice is don't do it, it could result in a major fire in your home," he added.