If you do one thing this week . . . wash the dishcloths frequently

USED DISHCLOTHS can be home to some food-poisoning bugs, according to a new study supported by Safefood.

The research, carried out at the University of Ulster, looked at 200 household dishcloths collected around Ireland and found E. coli on 27 per cent and Listeria bacteria on 14 per cent of them.

The Safefood website advises to wash or change dishcloths every two days, or more frequently in some instances. “Change your dishcloth immediately after using it to wipe ‘higher risk’ food residues, eg raw meat/poultry/fish, raw root vegetables.”

To clean dishcloths you can put them in the washing machine on a normal 30-40 degree cycle, or boil them for 15 minutes on a rolling boil, it adds.

And if you are starting to notice a whiff from a dishcloth, it’s time to wash or bin it.