Clean Sponge – Reusable Mesh Sponge

If you eat (which of course you do) then you most likely have dishes to do. When you do those dishes then you need to use something to wash them with. Many people I know use a sponge to clean with of course. Sponges come in all types of material and shapes, but the one thing that they all have in common is that eventually they all have to be thrown away. However, that’s not the case for Clean Sponge, it can be used indefinitely!

When I go on a day-adventure or overnight backpacking trip, having my kitchen items being “camp clean” is to be expected. You won’t always have a napkin or scrubby towel available to clean your utensils and cups totally clean. So boiling water and cleaning with just that becomes something that you just deal with while on these adventures. I’ve brought my scrubby towel camping and found that when it gets wet, it takes a tremendously long time to dry. That’s not great to deal with while camping.

How does it stack up to a traditional sponge?

Thanks to Clean Sponge’s polyester mesh material design, it is quick drying and can avoid holding in moisture, so it won’t promote bacteria growth and get moldy. Unlike a sponge, sometimes food particles get a bit stuck in the mesh holes. That was my only issue while scrubbing some oatmeal while camping. I doubt it would be an issue in a traditional kitchen with running water to help clean the sponge.

Does it work well?

As a field test, I tried cleaning my camp mug, which had some leftover freeze-dried beef stroganoff in it. The cup sat out for an hour or two while we hung out at camp.   So it was a bit crusty by the time I went to clean it, which makes for better testing. To my disappointment a basic paper napkin I had with me wasn’t much of a scrubber, so it took a lot of elbow grease to get it clean enough for the next meal. So it’s easy to say that napkins aren’t for doing dishes.

The next morning after an early wakeup call to catch the sunrise, I made camp in a picnic area and relaxed. Some zero-waste homemade oatmeal was on the menu as my leisurely breakfast led to some dried up oatmeal. This time I was excited to clean up my mess using Clean Sponge. However, I forgot how to fold Clean Sponge into the sponge shape and with no cell service in the Smoky Mountains I couldn’t just look it up. So I used it more as a cloth instead of a sponge. Here’s a short video of how to fold it correctly. Perhaps for forgetful folks like me, Clean Sponge can enlarge their hangtag and have a simple step-by-step line drawing diagram of folding for reference. Though the current hangtag was just large enough to fit a carabineer through to allow it to hang and air dry.

Is it good for the earth?

Clean Sponge is made from polyester, which is technically plastic, but it is a much more earth-friendly product than most items available to do dishes and can be considered a zero-waste sponge since they have yet to find a length of time you would need to throw it out by. Since it is currently made from virgin plastic, the creators at Clean Sponge are looking into options like recycled plastic or an organic material to create future Clean Sponges out of. Polyester was chosen because bacteria cannot break down the fibers, which is better for the length of the product.   For me that’s a great benefit and one I love, as I prefer to use items as long as possible before replacing. I’m glad I discovered Clean Sponge, I’ll continue to use it for many loads of dishes

What were the results?

I got all of the oatmeal out of my cup with great ease! The Clean Sponge cleaned without much effort, one or two swipes and it was clean. I gave the cup a rinse and I was done cleaning in less than two minutes. Once I shook the extra water out of the Clean Sponge and picked off some bits of oatmeal I hung it up to dry and was done with my clean up. Overall it worked out awesomely and I totally recommend this as your alternative to foam sponges. When Clean Sponge gets dirty, just toss it into the laundry, hang up to dry and continue to reuse. Clean Sponge hopes you can get 2-3 years or more of use out of it and I sure hope it’s even longer than that!

If you’d like to try Clean Sponge yourself, head over to their website and purchase one or grab a three pack of Clean Sponge. I think you’ll love the results!