I feel even better replacing a new or old sponge with a brush that will never get that awful sponge smell
this post was submitted on 29 Feb 2024
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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!
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Team scrub daddy!
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
I get really excited about getting new socks, I think that makes me middle aged.
Warm new sponges get me so wet but not in a weird way I just fuck em
cleaning a skillet with a sponge and soap?
heathen!
I feel so good that I high five myself and dance the floss dance for ten minutes. Am definitely over 30.
Don't use sponges. They have tiny holes, where bacteria live.
Use brushes instead.
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 an irrational fear of the bacteria that live on sponge.
I have OCD, I've always liked things to be clean and new-looking.
Highlight of my week.
How did you gess it?
I HAVE SHOWN RESPONSIBILITY.