What makes sponges smell

We have always used this brand and it seems to me since it changed to 2x the rags are smelly because a friend of mine uses the Dawn with bleach alternative and her rags never smell.

My dish rag smells awful. I never connected the two. Glad to see others are having the same issue. I just smelled the dish rag I started using yesterday and it has an odor that I wouldn't want to wash my dishes with. C'mon people. What are synthetic sponges made from? What is Dawn known for? Petroleum products! Dawn breaks them down, sponges are made from them.

I did notice when in Florida this year that my dishcloth only lasted one day before it got stinky. I always use Dawn. But at home the dishcloth will last a couple of days.

Wondering if it could be something to do with the water?? I use the Dawn Advanced from Costco. Could people be using softener on their dish cloths? That could cause them not to get as clean over a period of time. Dawn is frequently used to help "strip" cloth diapers of build-up from detergents.

I am having a hard time accepting that Dawn could be the problem! I just threw out a sponge today because it stunk so bad, and it's not even 2 weeks old.

I use Dawn antibacterial dish washing soap, so I'm assuming that is the culprit!! Will be switching tomorrow, so gross! My dishcloth never gets stinky or slimy by: Anonymous I have used Dawn for years and years. My dishcloth never gets stinky or slimy. Immediately when dishes are finished I rinse my rag with hot water, as hot as I can stand it for at least a minute if not longer. This gets all the tidbits of food and any soap or grease that was left in your dishcloth out.

Me too! I was puzzled as to why this was happening. I think it might be time for a change. I have noticed this for many years now by: Debbie C I have noticed this for many years now. I tried all different scents and formulas of Dawn and it still creates a very stinky sponge. The sponge always stinks and I feel like my dishes are only getting dirtier. Palmolive does not leave this stinky smell.

And the generic brands just can't cut the grease or clean the dishes the same way. Solution by: Julie Mine get stinky moldy smell with Dawn also. I soak in Shaklee Basic G or vinegar in a soak pail until it's time to wash in the machine. After washing they come out clean smelling. I have been having smelly dishrags and sponges and have not been able to figure out why.

I have been going crazy trying to figure it out. None of the newer ones that have come out. I always get the green. Could it be the newer versions. I use Dawn hand renewal, the pink peachy colored one I think it's pomegranate scent, as just hand washing soap. My sponge gets a smell only when someone rinses the soap completely out. I've use Dawn since I was a kid and love it, will yell at hubby if he dare buys any other kind.

I always lightly rinse my sponge, never completely rinsing out the soap and it doesn't smell. I wash my sponges in the washing machine and reuse until it itself is not useable anymore and get a new sponge. Everyone should report their experiences to the makers of Dawn so they can run tests!!

Great product, stinky smell. They need to change it back or I need to change brands because my hands have the same lingering smell for up to 12 hours after using the sponge. Myth busters by: Anonymous Myth busters proved repeatedly that a kitchen sponge is THE dirtiest thing in your house.

The toilet seat is cleaner. Don't use sponges. Orange scent stinks by: Penny Dish cloths and sponges reek and must be changed daily, and I often cannot get the musty smell off my hands after handling the cloth or sponge. Will never buy this product again and as a matter of fact my son has gone through the same thing, and it's really too bad as I really like the performance of the dish soap but the smell of cloths and sponges is little to be desired.

We have been putting them in a container; covering with water and microwaving for 5 minutes. The smell goes away but comes back after a couple of days.

My son told us it was the Dawn detergent. He quit using it and has not had any problems since. Is it really the Dawn detergent causing this problem? I mentioned to my sister and mom and they both asked if I was using Dawn because they had the same issue. The smell in the rags get on your hands and is hard to get rid of. I tossed all dish clothes and bought different soap and clothes and problem solved. Orange color antibacterial does it too by: Cathy For the last six months or so I could not understand why practically new sponges were stinky already.

It took me a while and then I finally started to think, this seems to happen when I use Dawn soap. So after about 20 sponge throw outs I said let me Google stinky sponges and Dawn. And here I find this website talking about the problem I am having.

I know for sure it is from Dawn because I bought a different soap at Whole Foods and different sponges and and I use them for at least three weeks without a smell.

During this time I hid my Dawn soap from my cleaning lady. The following week I forgot the Dawn soap on the counter and I came home to a stinky sponge after she used it for less than a day. I'm going to use the rest of my Dawn soap for the bathroom and I will not be using that soap ever again.

It's too bad because somehow they ruined a really nice product. No problem here by: Becky I've used blue Dawn forever and never had this issue.

Mildew smell on sponge by: Anonymous I used this and my sponge smelled like mildew really bad. I have switched to Palmolive and got rid of the problem right away. I would never use Dawn again. It was so true. I switched to Dawn and can't stand the putrid smell. I'm buying more Sunlight immediately. Stinky Sponge by: Pam Yes! In the past 6 months to a year I have noticed that my kitchen sponges which I wash and replace regularly quickly develop a metallic smell that transfers to everything it touches, especially my hands.

It drives me crazy. I switched to Dawn in the past year and I was wondering if there was a connection. Now it looks like there may be.

I'm switching dish soaps and getting a new sponge! My dish cloth is stinky too by: Nancy My dish cloth starts to stink In a couple of days! Never used to. It reminds me of a garbage smell! It never used to do this! I've started putting some Febreze Mr.

Clean in my dish soap container, it seems to help some, but I can still smell the stinky odor eventually! Makes me feel like my kitchen is dirty! I've experienced the problem with the blue, orange and some fruity kind by: Lisa Dunlop Thank you! I googled this for my fiancee because he thought I was crazy, because he smelled it too but didn't think it was that serious.

Me, I have to wash my hands with soap times cause the smell is so bad after say wiping my counters after the dish cloth sat a few hours. I have been washing my dishcloths every day! I mean, there's an number right on every bottle. Taylor's note: Yes, DavidJRoth, people have complained to Dawn directly, as you would note if you read the entire page. Going back to my old dish liquid - Dawn makes them smelly by: Joanne I am so glad I'm not the only one!

I've always been meticulous about washing my dishcloth every day, but when I switched to the Original blue Dawn, they became smelly immediately. The smell permeated the whole house. Now that I've stopped using it the smell disappeared immediately. Does anyone know if there is a cure? I don't have stinky sponge syndrome by: Audrey First off, I do not use sponges. For at least 30 years I have used only white dishcloths and cleaning towels.

I change my dishcloth daily, sometimes more than once if it gets grungy. I allow them to dry on the edge of the "dirty rag hamper" before tossing them in. I do a load of cleaning rags each week using bleach in the wash and an extra rinse with white vinegar added.

In nice weather I sometimes hang them on the line to let the sun work it's magic. Yes, I admit to being a little OCD about cleaning, but it works for me. I buy the Dawn from Costco which is currently labeled Platinum.

I use it for hand soap in both bathrooms too. My husband wants Dawn in the bathrooms because it cleans well and he can't stand the way the other hand soaps "stink. Washing Machines by: Anonymous I think the problem is front loader washing machines - they don't clean well! I use bleach for my dish rags.

Dawn original by: Anonymous I use microfiber sponges. I thought I wasn't drying them thoroughly but now I wonder if it is the Dawn. Not just my dish cloths but my sink drain too! I use a dish pan in the sink and when I'm done washing I dump the dish water and then rinse and dry my sink.

We have a problem with awful smelly black gunk growing in the drain on the side I dump my dish water and only on that side. I have to use bleach in it a couple times a week to get rid of the gunk. If I use my dish cloths more than one time before washing they get that same nasty smell. My husband said he thought it was the Dawn causing the problem.

As much as I hate to admit it I think he's right It's not just the sponges and rags I thought it was just my nose, needing to do the sponges and rags constantly. I called Dawn company They sent me free coupons, 2. Suggested rinsing them really well 3. When it smells it needs to be washed I put mine in the dishwasher in a little plastic container that has a lid to keep them from floating or falling off the rack. They are looking into what can be done. When they smell it will alert to keep from bacteria growing.

A safety measure a friend told me from her Home Ec. Good Luck to Everyone! Dawn foam by: Anonymous Dawn foam leaves an odor so I add Clorox in my water or directly on my sponge.

Helps a lot. Stinky towels. Does anyone have any ideas of why or have the same problem? I thought maybe it was because of the weather until I read articles on Dawn soap. Wonder if some of the liquid bath soaps do the same thing? Same thing, but an interesting twist by: garyZ This problem seems to occur from some interaction between Dawn and the Scotch Brite scrubber sponges which are often purchased together at warehouse stores like Costco.

The problem doesn't happen with other soaps and those sponges, BUT the problem also does not happen if I use Dawn on, say, a paper towel to wash a dish, or if I just wash my hands with Dawn. Now here is the kicker: Not everyone smells it! There must be some weird genetic component, because I have met a couple of people now who complain about the smell and comment that their spouses can't smell the same problem!

So this is truly the perfect storm of unintended chemical and genetic circumstances. If your spouse says you're crazy, don't worry - it's just that some people simply can't smell the problem.

I'm writing this in August , and wondering if Dawn ever acknowledged or addressed this problem. When I opened the Dawn I started with a brand new sponge. Within two days of using the soap my sponge had that terrible moldy knock-your-socks-off smell. Then I realized that my dish towels had the same smell as did a dish cloth that I use occasionally. After doing the dishes my hands smelled bad too.

I went on a mission to find out what was causing the problem. By process of elimination I was shocked to find it was the Dawn. Who would have guessed?? I switched to Ajax dish soap and have not had a problem. Rather than throwing out the remaining Dawn my husband said he'd try and use it to wash the cars and to do other outdoor cleaning chores.

When it's finally gone you can be sure I won't be buying it again. A smell disaster by: Anonymous As someone who is seriously sensitive to fragrances I struggle with Dawn. I only have it because it was on sale, but what a waste! While I "toughed it out" with the fragrance which is not pleasant in the least but my clean dish cloth smelled mildewed the next day.

It took me a while to make the connection between Dawn and the instantly smelly dish cloth, but that was the deal breaker. Now Dawn is only allowed in small quantities in my laundry room for taking out cooking grease spots on clothes. As soon as I find another treatment that works without that offensive odor that will be gone too.

Most of the time you can get rid of that smell by washing in a little bleach, even that didn't get rid of it!!! Wont buy it again. I add bleach by: Amy I've used this brand for years.

My dish rags and sponges don't stink. I also every load of dishes use bleach. Splash or two, depends on the load. Palmolive dish soap doesn't clean as good as Dawn. Actually no dish soap cleans grease as well. Just this odor is rank! Joy also caused the same problem for me. I don't use either brand unless I get Dawn with Oxy.

Dawn's after effect by: Anonymous Dawn does make dish towels and sponges smell foul. I use the dish soap without fragrance and there is no problem, no yucky after smell of any kind. So I would have to say the problem lies in whatever is used when adding fragrance to the soap. I would love to buy lemon or apple or any great smelling dish soap but if it makes my dish cloth and sponge smell awful later then I can live without the perfume. Hope that helps. If I use a dishcloth in the morning, I use a fresh one in the evening.

Sponges just look like a breeding ground for germs. I'm really surprised to see how many people use the same dishcloth for a 2nd or even 3rd day Stopped using Dawn by: Lizzy I stopped using Dawn dish detergent when my husband brought to my attention that the sponge smelled bad. I informed him that I had just put a new sponge in the sink the day before. I am a sponge freak and change it out weekly.

I couldn't believe that it had already had a smell but I changed it out for a new one anyway. The next day the same thing happened. I was very disappointed because I used Dawn for so many household tasks including ridding my dog of skunk smell. Trust me a little Dawn, baking soda and water and your dog will be nice and fresh again.

Original Blue Dawn by: M. Butler Wow. Glad to see this post. I thought somehow my dish clothes and sponges were just getting the case of the funk.

I wash my dish clothes, towels, and sponges every few days. I have been known to buy my dish detergents in bulk. Do they possibly have some sort of a shelf life expiration? I have not had any odor. Only when it is time to wash anyway can I smell even a slight scent. I love Dawn. It has been driving me crazy by: Debbie I am so happy to read this. It has been driving me crazy. I couldn't figure out what was causing my dish rags and sponges to have that rank odor. I have been using the regular blue Dawn.

After using the rag one day it has to go in the wash. Thank you for this information. I'd love someone get to the bottom of this. I've even tried washing the dishcloths in the dishwasher. Still doesn't help. The only way I have resolved this problem is to rinse and rinse my dish cloth, running clear water thru it, air drying it doesn't help as the smell is there once it's wet. What's up, I only use dawn.

Dawn Ultra active suds by: JV The liquid soap itself scent is so awful it is not the sponge or something else and I think it is the ingredient used in it. A good thing is that I bought the small bottle. And I will never ever buy this product again. For those who will read this comment. Stay away from the blue Dawn Ultra. Don't buy this. If you are curious you can also try it and just buy the small bottle. I've been racking my brain by: Elizabeth Hauswirth I have been racking my brain as to what is making my dishcloths smell so bad.

It is so offensive. You can smell them as soon as you approach the sink. I do wash them regularly and keep them rinsed and wrung out and placed so they can keep from being wet constantly. When I launder them I use bleach. Since I read this article some time ago I have switched to a different dish soap and the smell is gone! I loved Dawn Original and swore by it for years! If they change it back to the "Original," I'll be a loyal customer once again!

Dawn smell or not by: BW I've used blue Dawn for decades and have not had a problem with it. I use dishcloths over the sink divider in lieu of one of those rubberized mats and it is constantly wet which allows the bacteria to grow. When I've handled either when they have become smelly and that mildew which is what it is transfers to my hands, I use the blue Dawn to wash my hands, getting between my fingers really well and REMOVES the mildew smell. I have also now switched my dad from Joy to blue Dawn.

He was having a lot of trouble with mildew-smelling dishcloths Couldn't figure this out by: Anonymous Thank you. I'm going to change brands and see if it goes away. It stinks by: Shanmuga I was searching for anyone else experiencing similar issue and here it is The dish soap leaves stinky smell on the the sponge, dish, sink and hands.

The smell was extremely strong when I once washed a hot vessel removed from the stove. I guess it could have something to do with the temperature of the water too, as I don't experience this every time. Removing the musty by: Charlene I, too, have been using Dawn blue for years.

I've noticed the very strong musty smell on my dish rags for about a year and a half or so. I was thinking it was our water, but now that I've seen this it makes perfect sense. If I think about it when I purchase dish rags I'll buy chlorine-resistant ones so that I can wash them with the whites. If not, I soak them in a vinegar mix with water, then throw them in the regular laundry loads. Is this a scheme?

I have never had any odor on my hands or my dishcloths. They get stinky no matter what you use. Maybe you are not rinsing them when you are through washing dishes. I love it.

Is this some type of propaganda because it is so popular? Taylor's note: No, this is not "propaganda. Obviously some people agree it smells, others don't. I do not get paid by any dish soap company to discuss this issue. How do you get rid of the smell? You are right. I live in Palm Springs and we have Sun days out of the year. I have tried everything to keep my sponges clean.

I will have to buy another so I can rotate them. Once the Sun dries out the sponge, there is no smell. Works great on pillows as well. Thank you! Smelly kitchen rags and sponges have haunted me for years. I tried putting one in the sun yesterday and it worked! This makes perfect sense. Works well. So…You think the process that turns corpses into stinky piles of rot and disease, creates road kill and attracts maggots is going to magically clean your sponge?

Or else putting it in the microwave would change the smell, using the washing machine would kill the bacteria and remove the particles as long as youre not an idiot and actually put the sponge in with regular wash. The materials need to bifurcate, irrigate and create friction to remove particles and activate the soap and not just throw a single sponge in the wash!

The reasons sponges stink is soap scum. Constant use of dish soap and improper rinsing of the sponge causes soap to build up and then stink. Like mold. Which is why your dish sponges, wash clothes, luffas and bath towels all smell the same after time. You moron. Leave a sponge out in the sun for two days?! Yeah they call that decomposition, or road kill. Hey idiot, why dont you keep your brilliant judgement to yourself and go solve bigger problems than calling people names and how they get rid of that horrible smell.

That smell grows worse in the expensive sponges more than the cheap ones. It haunts me it stays on my hands thats why Im here. Go bificate. The process that turns corpses to rot is not ultraviolet irradiation… Decomposition is a biological process carried out by bacteria.

Soaking your smelly sponge in the sunlight is not decomposition. I guess you have never lived in a place where sun is the only thing used to dry clothes…. The works as bleach.

I grew up being told that if you have something white that is getting yellow, you should put it in the sun get it back to its original color. I used to do the same with cloth diapers and if I were to use a dryer the smell would stay, but not with the sun drying…. Using names to call people on things you are not even knowledgeable about of is definitely a great skill you have…. The sponge makersust love this modern problem. I put my 2 dogs beds out in the sun when its hot out, they can pretty stinky.

Im for the whole sun disinfecting thing:. Use a small plastic container that is close to the same size as the sponge. Keep that by the sink. The Borax will last for 2 months. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral and is found in dry lake beds. Ponds that have a high concentration of this mineral do not have much bacterial life.

The use of Borax is an interesting approach that I will try. Different bacteria have their own unique smells, but the musty smell commonly identified on sponges is often related to mold. Although, microbiologists have identified all types of bacteria growing on dirty dish washing sponges. In one particular study published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information , kitchen sponges from food establishments were randomly collected and assessed.

The most dominant types included Bacillus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, and Lactobacillus. The study concluded by saying poor kitchen sponge sanitation practices were to blame.

To combat the issue, researchers suggested sanitizing sponges in between use and changing your kitchen sponge regularly. Instead, there are several reasons. For one, your sponge is wet a lot of the time and a wet environment is ideal for bacteria growth. Secondly, you use your sponge to clean food and tiny food particles attach to the sponge and remain trapped there. As the food starts to decompose, it smells and adds to the growing bacteria population.

Instead, bacteria growing on the sponge becomes immune to the disinfectant properties in the soap. Therefore, bacteria thrive regardless of the fact soap is almost constantly in contact with the sponge. Bacillus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus… what are these foreign sounding names belonging to the creatures crawling on your sponge?

While some of the bacteria on your sponge are more friendly than freaky, there are some bad boys on the dish sponge block like E. Coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Streptococcus : A highly contagious bacteria commonly associated with strep throat, but also known to cause scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, impetigo, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, tonsillitis, and several respiratory infections.

There are different strains of streptococcus and only some can make you super sick. While sponges will always be a breeding ground for bacteria, there are ways to keep them as clean as possible. Disinfect that baby every single day.

Bleach is your best bet, but microwaving a damp sponge for about one minute will also do the trick. Wring it out well after every use and store it in a dry location.

Stop that bacteria growth in its tracks! The results of a study suggest we should be replacing our sponges weekly.