Health warning on commercial dishcloths

New research released at a recent public health conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) found that over 90% of home and commercial dish cloths contain potentially life-threatening bugs like E. coli.

The results of the survey revealed that 92% of the cloths taken from commercial establishments tested positive for dangerous bacteria known as coliforms, which include E.coli; 6% had Listeria and 4% had Staphylococcus aureus.

96% of dish cloths taken from people’s homes tested positive for coliforms, whilst around 6% tested positive Listeria and a further 6% tested positive for Staphylococcus.

Commenting on the findings, Julie Barratt, CIEH Director, said:

“Damp, warm conditions in the kitchen mean that bacteria on dishcloths can multiply and be transferred back onto worktops and other kitchen surfaces. Sponge cloths could harbour even higher levels of bacteria because they hold on to more water than other cloths.

 “In order to minimise the risk of contamination, we would recommend that people machine wash their dish cloths regularly and avoid using dish cloths to dry their hands. Most importantly don’t leave cloths on the sink and forget about them.”

She added: “Dish cloths should be recognised for what they are – a potential source of food poisoning.”