1. Steam-clean your microwave: heat a bowl full of water for five minutes, let it sit without opening the door for another five minutes, and any stuck-on grime will easily wipe off with a paper towel or damp sponge. No elbow grease required.
You can also add lemons for a ~fresh scent~, but they're totally optional. (I promise this works — that's my microwave pictured above, and I've done it dozens of times since.) 2.
Then zap your damp or wet sponge in the microwave for one minute to kill 99.9% of the bacteria lurking on it. Good Housekeeping found this actually works; try to do it at least once a week, if not every three days or so.
And if you heard a few years ago that microwaving doesn't help , well — all those news reports were inaccurate . (It's also essentially equally effective to run your sponge through the dishwasher, on the top rack, with the heat-dry setting, if you prefer to do that instead.) 3.
And let your sponge dry out every single night, whether you use a simple binder clip or a stainless sponge holder . That'll help prolong its life between cleanings! The sponge holder is $11.99 on Amazon.
4. After you're done with the dishes, regularly wash out your sink like you would a dish: using hot water, dish soap, and your sponge. And rinse it out with hot water when you're done.
5. Then shine up your stainless steel sink with a quick dusting of flour and a microfiber cloth — it'll clean out all of those tiny bits of grime that regular washing doesn't. On The K.