ScrubDaddy Facebook/Business Insider
- Scrubbing dirty dishes and surfaces is less of a pain with the right sponge. We tested several sponges to find the best ones.
- Scrub Daddy's innovative sponge is our top pick because it's effective, has good scrubbing power, and dries fast to avoid mold and mildew.
You know you're not even fooling yourself anymore when you say that you're just letting the dishes soak in the sink. Really, the sink has become a sort of purgatory for your dirty pots, pans, bowls, utensils, and everything else in your kitchen. And we get it - doing the dishes isn't exactly anyone's idea of a good time. But with the right sponge, you may be able to take some of the pain out of this particularly nasty chore.
When it comes to picking the best sponge for your cleaning needs, you'll want to ask yourself a few questions. First, how much scrubbing do you regularly find yourself doing? Unless you consist on a diet of oil-less soups, it's likely that a lot of your dirty dishes are pretty dirty, what with grease, cheese, and a layer of something else to contend with.
You should also consider how long your sponge will last. While you'll definitely need to replace your sponge on the regular to prevent bacteria build-up and odors, you also don't want a sponge that falls apart every other use - especially if you're doing some heavy scrubbing.
Then, ask yourself how dry your skin is. It may not seem like the most obvious consideration, but if you have sensitive skin or cracked hands, you probably don't want to be dunking your hands in soapy water for several minutes a time or handling a sponge bare-handed. To that end, you may consider a sponge that is attached to a stick, or a scrubber or some sort.
Also important is the absorbency and rinsability of a sponge. While you'll want your cleaning device to soak up suds and water, you also want to ensure that when you're done cleaning, you can actually clean your sponge. Nothing's worse than a sponge that just moves grease from your dishes to itself.
Finally, you may want to keep the eco-friendliness of a sponge in mind. After all, if you're going through several packs of sponges a year, you may be leaving behind a bigger eco-footprint than you realize. Luckily, there are some biodegradable options on the market for the environmentally conscious among us.
- The best sponge overall: Scrub Daddy
- The best soap-free sponge: Nano Sponge
- The best no-scratch sponge: O-Cedar Multi-Use Scrunge Scrub Sponge
- The best natural sponge: Natural Sea Sponge
- The best sanitary sponge: Kuhn Rikon Stay Clean Silicone Scrubber
Updated 10/28/19 by Jada Wong: Updated prices, formatting, and links.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Find all the best offers at our Coupons page.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.