Using a sponge might not be the best way to clean your dirty dishes.

Norwegian researchers say kitchen sponges hold onto way more bacteria than kitchen brushes. They found that a single sponge can harbor a higher number of bacteria than there are people on earth, and that includes salmonella.

This happens because the sponge stays wet and humid, and it collects food residue resulting in a perfect environment for bacteria to grow.

They say brushes are better because they dry out and the bacteria dies.