I’ve Been Using This Kitchen Sponge for Over Two Months—And It Still Hasn’t Gotten Gross
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about sponges. My obsession really kicked off when I moved into a tiny apartment with an open-plan layout. Having mostly lived in apartments with closed-off kitchens, the possibility of watching a show while cooking or cleaning was dizzying, but for all the pros, I soon realized there was one major con — the god-awful smells that carried forward from the kitchen and invaded the entire living room. While the food smells were easily combatted by lighting a candle or busting open a window, there wasn’t much I could do about the lingering odor of a soggy kitchen sponge.
At one point, I was changing my sponge out weekly, but that quickly became a waste of money. While prowling for thriftier alternatives on Amazon, the algorithm matched me with multi-purpose sponges from Scrub-It. Backed with seriously rave reviews (and a 4.7-star rating!), and costing just $11 for a pack of six(!!), the sponges seemed worth a shot.
The Scrub-It comes in a small and large size, and while I went with the small, it’s still a lot bigger than store-bought sponges and offers a sturdier grip. The scrub itself has a nifty dual surface — the abrasive scourer is great for cleaning up tougher, gritty messes, while the microfiber surface is wonderful on delicate dishes, glassware, and stainless steel pans.
But here’s the best part: So far I have had the sponges for a little over two months, and I’m still using just the first one. That probably sounds gross, but hear me out: The sponges are machine washable! I simply throw it in a mesh bag once a week and run it through a hot cycle, then air-dry it on the counter before putting it through another week of rigor. There are no tears or rips, and, more importantly, no more foul smells. I plan on giving the scrub one more week of dish-duty followed by a hot bath and cozy retirement to tub-scrubbing land.
No, sponges aren’t sexy (in fact, they’re quite the opposite), and yes, it’s probably easier to just use whatever you find in your local store’s cleaning aisle, but if you’re done dealing with offending odors and replacing sponges every week, then Scrub-It’s longer-lasting, washable scrubs are worth a shot. As one Amazon reviewer summed it up: “Frankly knowing the quality of these things I’d pay twice as much and still feel like I’ve gotten a good bargain.”
This post originally appeared on Kitchn. See it here: I’ve Been Using This Kitchen Sponge for More Than Two Months — And It’s Not Gross at All