Practical biology - preventing kitchen smells

[Daniel C.]

I realize this isn't *precisely* on topic, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

The sponges and dishrags in my sink regularly start to smell
unpleasantly in a way I can only describe as "musty". I'm assuming
that I'm smelling a byproduct of some kind of bacteria that lives in
the kitchen and which loves to digest the cellulose in rags and
sponges. Other than storing them in rubbing alcohol, is there a way
to retard the growth and - when I'm done with my yeast project - how
would I go about isolating the bacteria that's responsible (assuming
that's what it is) and learning more about it?

Thanks,
Dan

[Cathal Garvey]

Hey Dan,
"Musty" suggests fungal spores, but identifying species by smell is
hardly an exact science!

A cheap hack I've heard a few times is simply to microwave the damp
cloth after each use, effectively pasteurising it. Done each day, this
amounts to tyndallising, though you'll be re-inoculating the sponge each
day so it's never sterile. Still, it stops anything firmly establishing
in the sponge, and should do away with anything already in residence
after a few days of this treatment.

It may never stop smelling funny, though! :)
To kill spores, use 3% peroxide or bleach. Heat alone won't do it.

--
www.indiebiotech.com
twitter.com/onetruecathal
joindiaspora.com/u/cathalgarvey
PGP Public Key: http://bit.ly/CathalGKey

[Nathan McCorkle]

I generally microwave on high for 5 minutes, I used to do 3, but I
figured the extra 2 minutes of electricity wasn't a waste... done once
a week I've kept kitchen sponges for much longer than if I hadn't been
microwaving. I try to keep the sponge submerged with a weight, and
with the steam created in the microwave, half the job to clean the
microwave is already done!

Watch out though, the sponge is EXTREMELY HOT

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DIYbio" group.
> To post to this group, send email to diy...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to diybio+un...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/diybio?hl=en.
>



--
Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics

[Jonathan Cline]

On Tuesday, July 3, 2012 2:43:07 PM UTC-7, Dan wrote:

The sponges and dishrags in my sink regularly start to smell
unpleasantly in a way I can only describe as "musty".  I'm assuming
that I'm smelling a byproduct of some kind of bacteria that lives in
the kitchen and which loves to digest the cellulose in rags and
sponges.  

Researchers(*) in the 60's found a way to eliminate the smell, presumably by retarding the organisms.  The solution is to clean with the environmentally friendly Dr Bronners liquid castile soap, peppermint scent.   No need to boil, microwave, pressure cook, chlorine treat, peroxide soak, or otherwise work at it.

(*) these researchers were busy licking acid sugar cubes, smoking pot, and eating soy at the time.  So they never figured out why this soap does what it does.  Ask any old school hippie.

## Jonathan Cline

## jcl...@ieee.org

## Mobile: +1-805-617-0223

########################

[Simon Quellen Field]

If you just want to prevent them from getting smelly, put them in the

dishwasher with the dishes (you are done using the sponge at that point,

right?).

-----

Get a free science project every week! "http://scitoys.com/newsletter.html"

[Jason Bobe]

On Tuesday, July 3, 2012 7:04:36 PM UTC-4, Nathan McCorkle wrote:

I generally microwave on high for 5 minutes, I used to do 3, but I
figured the extra 2 minutes of electricity wasn't a waste... done once
a week I've kept kitchen sponges for much longer than if I hadn't been
microwaving. I try to keep the sponge submerged with a weight, and
with the steam created in the microwave, half the job to clean the
microwave is already done!

Watch out though, the sponge is EXTREMELY HOT

My wife and I recently had a baby.  I discovered these Medela bags for sterilizing breast pump equipment and bottles:

http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Quick-Clean-Micro-Steam-Bags/dp/B000096QQ5

It did occur to me that these steaming bags might be useful for steam cleaning various lab equipment, for those who may be working in a setting without an autoclave or pressure cooker.  In some cases, these may be sufficient.

Quick and easy.  Toss in components and a little water, and microwave for 3 min.  They advertise that they last for 20 uses and in my experience, the bags do start to breakdown after about 20 uses.  

 

Jason