If porous things like certain ceramics are bad to use because they trap and grow bacteria, how come we can use the same sponges for things like washing our body and for dishes?

Question

If porous things like certain ceramics are bad to use because they trap and grow bacteria, how come we can use the same sponges for things like washing our body and for dishes?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You can easily clean out the center of a sponge by using it with soap, then rinsing it and wringing out. 

You cannot wring out ceramic without shattering, so you can’t clean the center much, so more bacteria can grow. 

Sponges *do* and *will* hold bacteria if you don’t clean them regularly and throw them away when they start to seem gross.