Green Clean: Goodbye Disposable Sponge, Hello Silicone Sponge

Ever picked up your kitchen sponge to do the dishes only to find that it smells totally gross? Ever wondered how germy and gross sponges can get while throwing them away so often feels totally wasteful. In an effort to be a little more green and feel a lot less gross and save some money, I decided to try an alternative: Epicstore's Silicone Sponge.

My Previous Way: Basic Fortnight Sponge

Generally speaking, my sponge habits aren't too bad. I'll keep my kitchen sponge for between a fortnight to a month, which doesn't seem that long until you consider you wouldn't wear your socks for a fortnight with just a light rinse and squeeze everyday......ewwwww. 

I microwave them to disinfect them so they last longer but sometimes it makes them disintegrate a little and I've burnt a few in the microwave. If I throw out a sponge early, it's because it somehow got unspeakably gross or suddenly smells bad and my usual disinfecting techniques didn't work.

I also use a scrub brush for anything that's particularly stuck on my pots and dishes. I use my kitchen sponge mostly just to do dishes and wipe down the sink and kitchen counters. Otherwise, I'll use paper towels to clean up various spills and messes in the kitchen and I've got separate sponges for the bathroom.

I try to keep my home hygienic but with 2 kids, a husband, a budgie and a 2 cats....and 2 of us with eczema, I'm all about keeping the icky germs at bay.

I'd tried using a silicone sponge at a friend's house before but it was kind of slippy. As in, there wasn't much grip when you add soap and water to get a good scrub going. So, I didn't think much of silicone sponges.....until......

A mum I met at Ben's kindy told me about these new silicone sponges from Epicstore that you put on like a half glove and so doesn't slip when you're scrubbing. Also it gives your hand some protection when you're cleaning knives. It doubles as a pot holder. I was sceptical but she piqued my interest so I thought "why not?"

I've been using the slip-on silicone sponge for almost 2 months now and the verdict - I love it! It fits my hand well and is easy to scrub pots, plates, cups, sinks, cutlery......everything.....and I don't have to worry about scratching or cutting myself with any of my knives. It's perfect for scrubbing off dried toothpaste from the sink and I've used it to scrub the bathtub too....it's all your home sponges rolled into one. The only downside is that it's not absorbent so it doesn't soak up spills. But other than that, it's been my super sponge.

For a bit more than the price of a 4 pack of yellow/green kitchen sponges at the supermarket, the Epicstore one does the job perfectly, lasts longer and is so easy to clean in the dishwasher.

No more stinky sponges for me....yay!!