Shortcut: The Secret to Reviving a Smelly Kitchen Sponge

Penny pincher? A true believer in "waste not want not"? Then listen up—here's a quick tip that will save you some spare change.

Scenario 1: We're all guilty of negligently abandoning a freshly bought sponge in a pot full of dirty dishes and food-littered water. Let that bad boy soak over night and it'll stink so bad, its time is up. Scenario 2: You've been holding on to that old sponge FOREVER. Forget the fact that it totally reeks—it is now plain nasty with germs (gross fact—potentially up to 20 million microbes can live on one kitchen sponge). You need a new sponge pronto, or a capable germ-killer. Either way, it sounds like it's time to work some of wikimommy's smelly sponge-saving-magic:

"First, rinse the sponge and squeeze it as dry as you can, repeat this process twice. Then you put the squeeze-dried sponge (which is still a bit moist) in the microwave, put it on high for about 5-10 seconds maximum. Take the sponge out with care unless you want to end up with a sponge-print on your hands. Run it through some cold water and oh the sweet smell of clean sponge!"

Okay, so it's less than a dollar you're pocketing, and really only delaying the inevitable (though I wonder... just how many times will this revival process work?)... BUT it's a secret. Or as we say here at WonderHowTo, a "Shortcut". And it kinda works like magic: Just ZAP it (you know...microwave-style) and 99.9 percent of all germs gone!

The best thing about Shortcuts is you can pass them on—to a neighbor, your spawn, or whomever you please, so start perusing and sharing the wealth:

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