FIRE chiefs are warning against the advice of environmental experts in America who claim that sterilising dishcloths in microwave ovens kills 99% of germs.
A recent report by a Professor Gabriel Bitton, an expert in environmental engineering at the University of Florida, claimed that 99% of germs contained in a kitchen sponge or dishcloth would be killed if the item was placed in a microwave oven on full power for two minutes.
However, Oxfordshire fire chiefs say that doing this could result in catastrophe after a Telford resident’s microwave oven recently caught fire during an attempt to sterilise a dishcloth. Fortunately, the fire was contained within the oven but the incident could have been far more devastating.
Julian Green, Risk Reduction Manager, said: “Attempting to sterilise a dishcloth or kitchen sponge 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, which may or may not cause fire. The potential for scalding oneself is another likely hazard. We strongly advise people not to sterilise cloths in this way.”
Photo: Courtesy of MTV
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