Knowing the type of sponge that works best for your particular cleaning project will save you time and energy. It also rinses clean, so you don’t have to worry about food particles going in the washing machine. We appreciated how little effort it took to get through a load of dishes with the dual scrubbing sides and ability to clean utensils. If it’s a little too large for your job, you can cut it in half without damaging the sponge. We tested each of the sponges on a frying pan with a nonstick coating. The Scrub Daddy, holding three tablespoons of water, dried in eight hours. Though technically a vegetable scrubber, this Japanese brush is much more versatile—use it to scour pots and pans, wash dinnerware, or even scrub your stovetop. The quick-drying, eco-friendly, easy-to-use, and, ultimately, far more hygienic cleaning tool of choice for your dinnerware. In the bathroom, we scrubbed with cold water, letting the firm texture take off the soap scum easily. Sometimes you need a scrub sponge that will go above and beyond the call of duty. But a little hygiene can help keep your kitchen bug-free this cold and flu season. The scrubber is non-scratch and passed our nonstick coating test, but you’ll want to test the scrub part on your surface in a hidden area as some dulling of finish can happen. When you need to clean pots that you left overnight or scrape off baked-on food from oven racks, a Scotch-Brite – Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge is the one to use. Cleaning your sponge on a regular basis will help reduce the risk of growing and spreading bacteria, but you should also replace it frequently. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. Gravity caused the top half to dry quickly, but water pooled in the bottom half and took the same amount of time to dry as when we left it on a flat surface. Unlike with cellulose sponges, food residue isn’t an issue in terms of longevity, because the Superior Performance – Ultra Micro Fiber Miracle Sponge is washable and reusable. vegetable. After all, the more pressure and length of time it takes to get something clean, the harder it is on your hand, wrist and arm. Each sponge was used to scrub a baked egg-and-cheese dish and then rinsed thoroughly under running water. Share At three-fourths of an inch thick, this sponge is thinner than the other dual-sided cellulose sponges we tested and comfortable to hold. Wash hands before performing the next job function after touching other food, and after smoking, chewing tobacco, eating and drinking, taking out the garbage, changing diapers, touching body parts such as the mouth or going to the washroom. The softness, incredible absorbency and pliability make it a great choice for washing floors, upholstery, windows and cars. For this test, we tackled both a load of dirty dishes and a tough bathroom job that required scrubbing a tub in circular motions. This sponge is an old faithful that you probably saw in your mom’s kitchen. First, we whipped up a meal of scrambled eggs and cheese, undoubtedly a messy affair. In warm water, it’s softer and more pliable. The Dobie Cleaning Pad is like two sponges in one: a soap-holding sponge wrapped in nylon netting. Poor cleaning and personal hygiene habits/practices can cause food contamination, food poisoning, and spread of infection. When you think metal, you think tough, and these copper sponges are certainly that—they're able to remove that won't-come-off grease and food residue from nearly any surface. So, it's important not only to wash your hands, but also to clean kitchen surfaces and sponges to prevent the spread of bacteria. When used wet, it soaks up a spill and doesn’t leave any liquid on your counter or floor. This may not be the sponge you want to use to soak up a large liquid mess, but we appreciated how quickly it dries out, making it a less hospitable environment for bacteria. The thickness of the cellulose sponge makes it more absorbent than some of the other brands, yet it still fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Some of the surfaces we studied were: Teflon-coated or other nonstick cookware is easy to damage with an abrasive sponge, and it’s not a good idea to eat food cooked in a nonstick pan that has been scratched. However, your best space-saving bet is to find one or two sponges that will accomplish a wide range of cleaning goals. A wet sponge can become a breeding ground for bacteria, so you’ll want to balance absorbency with a fast drying time. It has a special coating that glides over surfaces, giving it a slippery feeling, especially when used with dish soap. A strict hygiene routine is even more important if you live in a hot, humid climate where bacteria multiply at an even faster rate. One of the most fascinating things about the Scrub Daddy is its ability to change texture. The ergonomic shape is designed to clean both sides of kitchen utensils at once, and the eye holes give you a good grip, similar to a bowling ball. You can also rest easy knowing this sponge is fume and chemical free. Shop Now: Kitchiny Silicone Bottle Brush, $9, greencitizen.com. The sponge should be submerged in a bowl of water and then placed in the microwave. When a sponge is specifically approved for Teflon nonstick coatings, you can feel super confident using it on your pots and pans. The O-Cedar – Multi-Use Scrunge Scrub Sponge is a dense cellulose sponge with an abrasive side in the form of a three-dimensional scrubber. A kitchen sponge is something that is used in the kitchen to clean. Once we narrowed down the field, we put our eight finalists through a series of household tests to find out how much water they would hold, how fast they dried and whether or not they would scratch a frying pan with nonstick coating. They can even be used in the shower as a personal care product. Welcome guests to your home this autumn with rustic gourd garlands, decorated pumpkins, and wreaths and centerpieces made from foraged materials. In fact, this sponge is the only product endorsed by DuPont for use on Teflon nonstick coatings. Some reviews suggest that the Scrub Daddy fell apart quickly, but we did not find this to be true in our testing. Shop Now: Peachy Clean Silicone Dish Scrubber, $7, bedbathandbeyond.com. Found in multipacks for around a dollar a sponge, the Lysol Multi-Purpose Scrub Sponge is great for everyday use, because it’s durable, rinses clean and contains an antimicrobial agent built into the fibers that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. Get inspired to make your porch your new favorite living space with these ideas designed to add a refined look to any outdoor space. and surfaces without scratching. Courtesy of Grove Collaborative, Credit: Shop our selects, and you'll wish you made the swap sooner. Washing your hands, cleaning sponges and dishcloths, sanitizing kitchen surfaces and cutting boards, and knowing how to handle produce and raw meats are essential parts of kitchen hygiene. In order to test this, we gave each sponge a workout on a frying pan with nonstick coating. Courtesy of Public Goods, Credit: Not great. With the Scrunge, you can go from one task to the next, because it rinses thoroughly clean no matter what kind of job it has just tackled. There are three effective ways to do this: The Mail Online carried a reasonably accurate report of the research. Join our newsletter to get notified of the best products available for your home. Shop Now: Kamenoko Tawashi Cleaning Brush, $7.50, jinenstore.com. Thanks to a unique rippled surface that breaks up and lifts away dirt, it takes one-tenth the amount of elbow grease to remove debris than other sponges. Different brands use different colors to indicate abrasiveness level, so check the package to find the level of softness that works for your cleaning job.