Moms and dads — grab a sponge and step away from the dishwasher.

A new study suggests that hand-washing dishes may help reduce the risk of allergy development in young children.

In a paper published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, Swedish researchers report that children who grew up in households where dishes are hand-washed as opposed to sterilized in a dishwasher were less likely to report suffering from eczema, asthma or hay fever.

They also found that eating fermented foods — such as sauerkraut or pickles — and eating eggs and milk purchased directly from a farm lowered a child’s risk of developing allergies.

The findings are in line with what is called the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that excessive cleanliness is responsible for a growing allergy epidemic. The idea is that exposure to germs in early childhood is necessary to stimulate the immune system and reduce the risk of allergy development.

The theory has been borne out in several different studies. For example, research shows children are less likely to become allergic if their parents suck a pacifier to clean it, if they grow up on farms and if they have pets early in life.

The study is based on a questionnaire filled out by the parents of 1,029 Swedish children aged 7 to 8.