Interesting Helpful Hints I Discovered On My Own...

Have you tried adding a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to the beans you are soaking? It turns out they cook in half the time and are softer and creamier...

 

Kitchen Sponge Maintenance:
I suppose for many this has never crossed their minds, that they should take care of their kitchen sponge if they want it to last more than a week before it starts to stink. Here's my hints to keep your sponge going for a month.
1. Use Cellulose sponges! We don't need more plastic in our environment and those plastic sponges feel nasty and don't work as well.
2. Remove all food particles from dishware before washing! Try to avoid getting too much oil or grease on the sponge. The less food that the sponge contacts, the less chance of it breeding bacteria.
3. Keep the sponge clean! This means rising it over and over, before using, during use and after use. Before adding more soap to sponge, it's time to rinse! And you should rinse sponge at least 3 times every time you rinse, especially before and after. If your sponge isn't clean, neither are your dishes. Just once forgetting to rinse or dry the sponge will cause it to smell.
4. Keep the sponge dry! After using squeeze every drop of water out of the sponge and let it dry. Water and food waste is what bacteria need to thrive on. Hopefully you've rinsed all the food particles already.
5. Microwave it. Many recommend microwaving the sponge for 2 minutes on high to kill all the bacteria. But guess what? If it's not clean it will start getting smelly again soon.
6. Don't use an "anti-bacterial" dish detergent. They seem to make sponges smell worse.
7. If you have a dishwasher, consider using it less as the detergent used isn't great for the environment either.

I know that's a lot to swallow, but it makes common sense. Just be mindful when doing dishes and it will come naturally. I hope that helps keeps your sponges smelling clean and lasting longer and keeping more plastic out of the environment.