Product Review: Twist Loofah Sponge
In The Test Lab

Name: Twist Loofah Sponge
Price: $4.28 or less.
Rating: Recommend*

We've posted about Twist's Loofah Sponges before but when I saw them in my local grocery coop, I decided to try them out. The packaging looks great and the sponge, even better. But how does it clean?

Nothing tests a kitchen cleaning product's ability more so than a holiday dinner. After 2 weeks of use, with the cleaning climax being Thanksgiving, my Twist sponge has been through it all: a stainless steel turkey roaster, ceramic Le Cruset bakers, an aging sink (much in need of refinishing), bread baking, cookie making and pie baking.

Previously, I'd never used Loofah in the kitchen (only the bathroom). Free from artificial colors, plastics and chemical dyes, it's a natural fit for food safety. Twist's sponges remain unbleached, as found in nature, and biodegradable. The Twist Loofa has two sides (just like the Scott green and yellow sponges), an unbleached, undyed white cellulose side (softer), and a tan, loofa side for scrubbing.

Performance:
The soft cellulose side was great for wiping down counters, cleaning freshly used plates and glassware. When it came time to test the loofa side, however, for scrubbing pots, a turkey roaster, etc., it was not as abrasive as I would have liked. As you may have experienced, loofa, while nice and rough while dry, becomes softer and more forgiving when wet. Though it certainly will take on most cleaning jobs, I was forced to use a stiff bristled pot brush to finish off my turkey roaster.

Despite the Loofa's shortcomings for tougher than average scrubbing jobs, I'd still recommend this product. It comes in an attractive package (recyclable cardboard instead of the usual plastic) and looks great on my sink. For 95% of my cleaning jobs, it'll do just fine.

Technical Specifications:

Two sponges per package
Measurements: 4.3" x 2.8" x 0.8"
Biodegrable
Free of artificial colors, plastics, chemical dyes
Made from white cellulose and natural loofah sponge

*Our Ratings:
Strong Recommend
Recommend
Weak Recommend
Don't Recommend

Comments (3)

In theory, I love these sponges... in reality, the loofah part ALWAYS falls off the sponge within about 3-4 days. Granted, I don't have a dishwasher so we're using it all the time. And it's not really a huge problem to use the loofah separately as a standalone scrubber... it's just that it's supposed to stay on the sponge and it doesn't. Phooey.

The best part? The bird feeder that you can make from the cardboard wrapper.

I found some seeds for loofah squash and I'm curious to grow them for food and for scrubbing. I've never used a loofah outside of the bathroom but if I grow my own, I think I'll try it out. But these Twist sponges seem like a good option if I forgo the squash in my garden.

I've been using these for a while and love them! I noticed on the last pack I bought that it looks like they've reinforced the stitching to keep the loofah side attached to the sponge side. If you need extra scrubbing power, sprinkle baking soda all over the dish and scrub away!