Editing Microwave oven (section)

=== Use in cleaning kitchen sponges ===
Studies have investigated the use of the microwave oven to clean non-metallic [[kitchen sponge|domestic sponges]] which have been thoroughly wetted. A 2006 study found that microwaving wet sponges for 2&nbsp;minutes (at 1000-watt power) removed 99% of [[coliform]]s, ''[[E. coli]]'', and [[MS2 phage]]s. ''[[Bacillus cereus]]'' spores were killed at 4&nbsp;minutes of microwaving.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Taché | first1 = J. | last2 = Carpentier | first2 = B.  | date = January 2014 | title=Hygiene in the home kitchen: Changes in behaviour and impact of key microbiological hazard control measures | journal=Food Control | volume=35 | issue = 1 | pages=392–400 | doi = 10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.07.026 }}</ref>

A 2017 study was less affirmative: About 60% of the germs were killed but the remaining ones quickly re-colonized the sponge.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Egert | first1 = Markus | last2 = Schnell | first2 = Sylvia | last3 = Lueders | first3 = Tillmann | last4 = Kaiser | first4 = Dominik | last5 = Cardinale | first5 = Massimiliano | date = July 19, 2017 | df=dmy-all  | title=Microbiome analysis and confocal microscopy of used kitchen sponges reveal massive colonization by ''Acinetobacter'', ''Moraxella'', and ''Chryseobacterium'' species | journal=Scientific Reports | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = 5791 | doi = 10.1038/s41598-017-06055-9 | pmid = 28725026 | pmc = 5517580 | bibcode = 2017NatSR...7.5791C }}</ref>