I bought a few "Jetz Scrubz Scrubber Sponges". They're synthetic but suds up and work as well as real sponges. I've been swapping back and forth between two of them for 6 months and they still look feel and smell great. Most of my dishes get the dishwasher but non dw safe stuff or things that need scrubbed clean first get these used on them and then I throw it in the dishwasher as well. I use two so I still have one if the other is in the dishwasher.
Tbh we wash them and use them for really dirty stuff. Like when you need to remove mold with a chlorine spray or poop from your shoes. Then they get tossed because there's no way I am washing that again.
We're phasing out single use sponges though, but now I don't know what to use for the really dirty stuff.
We use a combination of brushes with wooden heads (I don't like stuff with handles though), structured cotton towels from the drug store, and sponges from Ikea called "Pepprig" which I think work best for most things. They are also plastic but you can wash them easily.
Same. We actually cut them in half before we use them (no this is not a way to save up $10k in a year) and then quarter them when they turn to crap sponges xD
Longest I ever kept a sponge for was four months it was a "I'll do it later" kind of thing, the green scrubbing part had nearly fully been removed lol.
Hot take: there is no food safety reason to replace a sponge if it's still good at removing food from dishes. If you remove the food source, and the soap removes whatever is living on the dish, whatever is left over will die due to lack of nutrients and water. It's why in food safety courses you are taught that dishes have to dry completely. Even a sponge which has been used once will be depositing "new" pathogens onto the dish. Stuff is gonna live in the sponge. The sponge doesn't kill pathogens. Removal, soap, and desiccation do. The sponge's job is almost purely mechanical.
There is absolutely a food safety reason to replace a sponge. Most bacteria don't just die when they're in dry nutrient poor environments. They desiccate themselves into a spore form. Those spores can stay like that for very long periods of time until their environment becomes more wet. Then they can continue their lifecycle until they dry out again. Dry doesn't mean sterile.
No joke at a company outing someone pointed out my socks were Darn Tough brand and he lifted up his pants to show his. Then my boss too, and we all talked about socks and lifetime warranties for 5 minutes and holy fuck I'm old. Or at least no longer young.
Bro my happy time place now is hardware stores. Similarly would you believe Lowe's and home Depot around me both don't carry garage door track sections? Baffling.
That's called having a preference, and a pretty normal one. If you do have OCD then I think you should consider not simplifying it to liking things to be clean and new looking, because I imagine if it's like mine it's far more complicated and debilitating.
Yep have done this for years. Cut a corner off a sponge each time it enters its next life phase so you can easily identity the phase it's in by the way it looks.
I feel even better replacing a new or old sponge with a brush that will never get that awful sponge smell
I like the sponge smell
Why y'all sponge's smell?
My ass smells like blueberry muffins.
Gonna eat that ass like a muffin
I'm calling the authorities. All of them.
Gross.
With a long stick attached so you don't need to touch it
I bought a few "Jetz Scrubz Scrubber Sponges". They're synthetic but suds up and work as well as real sponges. I've been swapping back and forth between two of them for 6 months and they still look feel and smell great. Most of my dishes get the dishwasher but non dw safe stuff or things that need scrubbed clean first get these used on them and then I throw it in the dishwasher as well. I use two so I still have one if the other is in the dishwasher.
5/5 sponge experience. Would recommend.
Oh I see
Use a[ny] foaming soap dispenser, and get suds even if your sponge/cloth doesn’t sud - I think that was the rationale.
Your all-caps product rec intrigues me!
I use dawn foaming dish soap dispensers, with non-dawn soap. Suds on demand.
That's not really the same at all.
That's my point.
My brush looks like it is wishing for death. I use cloth sponges though and those are great!
I just think about the fact that I'm throwing away something I paid for and that used up resources. Doesn't make me feel that good honestly ^^
Tbh we wash them and use them for really dirty stuff. Like when you need to remove mold with a chlorine spray or poop from your shoes. Then they get tossed because there's no way I am washing that again.
We're phasing out single use sponges though, but now I don't know what to use for the really dirty stuff.
Yeah like scrubbing the bathtub, cleaning spills, carpets, that kind of stuff.
Is there a sensible alternative to single use sponges? If so, would you point one out for me? Obviously I would be interested.
We use a combination of brushes with wooden heads (I don't like stuff with handles though), structured cotton towels from the drug store, and sponges from Ikea called "Pepprig" which I think work best for most things. They are also plastic but you can wash them easily.
Thanks!
Same. We actually cut them in half before we use them (no this is not a way to save up $10k in a year) and then quarter them when they turn to crap sponges xD
I was cutting but that surface area is so nice!
So true, I always hear Fight Club's narrator say "I wanted to destroy something beautiful" when I cut that new sponges
Yeah, except I'm 20 :/
The internet has told me you don't enjoy changing sponges then.
Longest I ever kept a sponge for was four months it was a "I'll do it later" kind of thing, the green scrubbing part had nearly fully been removed lol.
Hot take: there is no food safety reason to replace a sponge if it's still good at removing food from dishes. If you remove the food source, and the soap removes whatever is living on the dish, whatever is left over will die due to lack of nutrients and water. It's why in food safety courses you are taught that dishes have to dry completely. Even a sponge which has been used once will be depositing "new" pathogens onto the dish. Stuff is gonna live in the sponge. The sponge doesn't kill pathogens. Removal, soap, and desiccation do. The sponge's job is almost purely mechanical.
Old sponges are smelly as shit though.
New sponges have an unnaturally nice chemical smell.
Daily sponge microwaving make sense?
There is absolutely a food safety reason to replace a sponge. Most bacteria don't just die when they're in dry nutrient poor environments. They desiccate themselves into a spore form. Those spores can stay like that for very long periods of time until their environment becomes more wet. Then they can continue their lifecycle until they dry out again. Dry doesn't mean sterile.
Yes, but also, mold does grow on the sponge.
Fuck sponges. I get a dopamine rush replacing my brush.
My brush has lasted a decade and is still going strong. I hate how gross sponges get
I get a dopamine rush fucking sponges.
Great mood? Nah
Better mood? Yeah
Meme fits, cause I'm 25.
Well, better mood, yeah 👍.
Team scrub daddy!
Why’s that?
yep, their sponges are incredible, still in perfect shape and no smells after a long time.
just don't get the duster, mine worked so bad I had to throw it away after a week
the white paste stuff is crazy good too
cleaning a skillet with a sponge and soap?
heathen!
How fragile is your season? A good seasoning holds up great to light abrasion and non-lye soap.
Warm new sponges get me so wet but not in a weird way I just fuck em
I get really excited about getting new socks, I think that makes me middle aged.
No joke at a company outing someone pointed out my socks were Darn Tough brand and he lifted up his pants to show his. Then my boss too, and we all talked about socks and lifetime warranties for 5 minutes and holy fuck I'm old. Or at least no longer young.
I actually wore Darn Tough socks today!
It doesn't feel good until after a couple washes
That's what she said
I guess I was over 30 when I was 25
Don't use sponges. They have tiny holes, where bacteria live.
Use brushes instead.
Example (Amazon link)
So, what you're saying is, bacteria can't get stuck in brushes... I say that's not true. Bacteria can live in almost anything.
Yeah, that's correct. Still, brushes dry much faster than sponges. So the bacteria have less time to grow.
Oh... OK, now that makes sense.
I can't click the link on mobile, it errors out because I'm in the US. Can anyone share a pic?
here you go:
I HAVE SHOWN RESPONSIBILITY.
i have an irrational fear of the bacteria that live on sponge.
I've caught myself being excited about buying a ladder once. I'm officially old.
Bro my happy time place now is hardware stores. Similarly would you believe Lowe's and home Depot around me both don't carry garage door track sections? Baffling.
From the thumbnail it looked like moldy toast. I was a bit disturbed.
Highlight of my week.
New Sponge Day is my favorite national holiday.
I feel so good that I high five myself and dance the floss dance for ten minutes. Am definitely over 30.
How did you gess it?
That's called having a preference, and a pretty normal one. If you do have OCD then I think you should consider not simplifying it to liking things to be clean and new looking, because I imagine if it's like mine it's far more complicated and debilitating.
Throwing away a sponge: ❌
Cutting off the layer of ick so it can last longer: ✅
Or just use your aging sponges in a rotating lifecycle. I have 4 stages/sponges at one time that slowly get demoted as they age.
New sponge only gets light jobs. Scrapped clean dishes, pans that just need the oil washed off.
Middle stage wear is used for stuck on foods and generally more gross dishes.
Not usable for dishes, but good for counter/stove tops.
Dirty jobs. Nothing food related. Floors, bathrooms, use with disinfectants.
Yep have done this for years. Cut a corner off a sponge each time it enters its next life phase so you can easily identity the phase it's in by the way it looks.
i like this system