I really want to be an environmentalist hippie. I want to grow all of my produce, make all the food from scratch, and hang clothes out to dry in the sun by a forest. I'm definitely getting closer, but for the first year of our marriage, I lived in an apartment in downtown Louisville that didn't even offer recycling. *deep, irritated sigh*
I try to make environmentally-friendly moves where I can. We brew our own beer and put it into reusable bottles. We make a lot of food from scratch (like condiments, breads, sauces, etc.) We cut out plastic grocery and produce bags. And I make some of our most used cleaning supplies.
But my sink was an environmental disaster up.
Before the Unsponge
I am a longtime fan of the Scrub Daddy. For years, I have used the Sponge Daddy, Scrub Mommy, and the Big Daddy Giant Sponges. I'll be honest, I LOVE these sponges. They are amazing. My dishes were always clean, they dried fast, they didn't smell at all. Perfect sponges, right?
Nope, not really.
The Scrub Daddy sponges are made of synthetic polymer, which is a plastic. When you use them, these sponges shed small pieces of plastic that go down your drain—and when you throw them away they sit in landfills. The Scrub Daddy is not recyclable or biodegradable.
They are also pretty expensive. I replace my sponges biweekly and replacing these was costing us a lot.
It was time for a change.
They are A LOT of Environmentally Conscience Sponge Options Out There
Finding an environmentally friendly sponge isn't difficult. Grove Collaborative's Walnut Scrubber Sponges come to mind but I didn't really like the set that came with my last Grove order (not sponsored, obviously).
You may be able to find options in your local grocery store, or stretch out the lifespan of your sponges by sanitizing them in the microwave or boiling on the stovetop, but I found that most of the "environmentally friendly" sponge options came in non-recyclable plastic and don't last very long. They are also very expensive.
If the idea of washing your sponges sounds cringe-worthy, test out some eco-friendly sponges and let me know how it goes! I'm super curious.
Finding Unsponges
I first looked for unsponges at a couple local boutiques that stock similar products, but I was unable to find any and no one knew what I was talking about.
So I bit the bullet and went to Etsy.
Okay, I know that shipping tiny sponges from Texas to Kentucky isn't exactly the definition of eco-friendly, but I always chose standard shipping—meaning my package were added to truckloads that were already scheduled—and I found that almost all of the sponges I ordered came in compostable packing with no extra plastic.
Unsponge Order #1
I made my first order with The Phat Merrmaid Shop in West Virginia. This shop has five starts for a reason. These sponges were 2 for $10.00 (with free shipping in my area!) and came super fast. There was some confusion with the color of the back of the sponge, but she changed the listing to clarify and replaced the sponge.
These sponges are pretty good. They wash well, but there is a little bit of fraying at the edges. They have already gone through a lot of abuse from greasy pans to tomato sauce. They come clean every time.
Unsponge Order #2
My next order was with Growing Green Minds for another 2 for $10.00 pack (with free shipping). These sponges are wider and thinner than the first set, but they dry and wash a tad bit better. These are my favorites of all the sponges I purchased, but I do use all of my sponges on a regular basis. These are my people-are-coming-over sponges, because they are so pretty.
Unsponge Order #3
And then I went overboard. I wanted fancy unsponges. I ordered sponges from the highly rated, Marley's Monsters.
These sponges are undoubtable nice. They are thick, come in a lot of customizable colors, and all have scrubber pads.
But they were $33 for 3, with $5 shipping. These were 2.5x more expensive and are not 2.5x better. I am using them, and I like them a lot, but if I need to repurchase, I will be opting for cheaper options from other shops. (But I do LOVE Marley's Monsters and plan to purchase their cloth baby wipes in the future. Review to come.)
Are These Cheaper than Scrub Daddy Sponges?
In short, no—but it could have been.
I don't need 7 unsponges. I change out my unsponge once or twice a week. I wash these in garment bags with my normal laundry, so they aren't adding to my water bill.
I bought my Sponge Daddy packs from Amazon at $14 for 12 and switched them out biweekly. Annually they were costing me $28.
If I would have skipped the third order of unsponges, the $20 I spent on the first four would have paid for themselves in their first year of use. That being said, I think rotating between 7 unsponges instead of 4 will stretch out their lifespan, so these will pay for themselves after two years of use. So far, one year in, all of my sponges are intact and still looking pretty good. I am confident that I can get at least two, if not three, more years out of these sponges before I would need a total refresh. I can also confirm that all the sponges across the different price points have held up about the same, but I am preferring the thinner Growing Green Minds sponges. When I do refresh, I plan to buy solid-colored sponges to cut down on the noticeability of the fading patterns.
It may not be as quick as I wanted, but at least I know that I'm doing my small part to help out in the meantime.
Honorable Mention Unsponge
I purchased a 2-pack of E-cloth Washing Un-Sponges. I use these for cleaning my counters, but they do work well for dirty and greasy jobs (like cleaning your cast iron) that you may want to save your beautiful unsonges from touching. Though E-Cloth does not market these as disposable sponge alternatives, they can be washed in normal loads of laundry and can be used as a general unsponge, as well. However, I really don't like using them for the majority of my dishes. I find that they are too firm and don't fit well into glasses or bowls.
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