Reuter’s is taking a lot of heat for their report earlier this week about a study from the University of Florida, which showed that microwaves kill more than 99 percent of germs on kitchen sponges and scrubbers. The problem? People put their dry sponges in the microwave and the things caught fire. My favorite quote from a slightly-singed reader:
"Just wanted you to know that your article on microwaving sponges and scrubbers aroused my interest. However, when I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off."
To be fair, Reuter’s did say the sponge should be damp, but they didn’t stress that the moisture was critical. They did however make that point clear in a follow-up article. Still, I think a little primer on microwaves is in order.
Microwave ovens typically use radio waves of around 2.5 gigahertz. In this frequency range, radio waves have an interesting property: they are absorbed by water, fats and sugars, but not plastic, glass, or metal. So when you nuke that microwave burrito, the water, fat and sugar molecules absorb radio waves, causing them to move faster which generates heat. Without water, fat or sugar to absorb the waves, things get toasty too quickly, and oops, your kitchen’s on fire.
For more things you shouldn’t put in your microwave see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNQjj_qNLic
