Why You Should Consider Snipping A Corner Off Of Your Kitchen Sponge

A sponge is a dependable tool to help you clean grimy kitchen countertops, greasy dishes, and dirty appliances. However, such heavy-duty tasks take their toll on your trusty scrubber. As a result, you'll have to replace it every week or sometimes twice a week, depending on the usage frequency. But throwing out the kitchen sponge on a weekly basis will burn a hole in your pocket (after all, you'll have to fork out around $3 for a pack of 3 sponges). That being said, you can extend the life of these sponges and use them for other tasks, like cleaning the commode, by snipping a corner off. This will allow you to easily know which sponges are no longer appropriate for use in the kitchen.

While you might be content to clean your kitchen sponge and continue using it till it's nothing but a useless scrap, it isn't a good idea. No matter what cleaning method you employ, you won't be able to get rid of more than 60% bacteria hidden inside the scrubber. Moreover, in specific cases, kitchen sponges were found to harbor more bacteria than bathrooms, allowing them to spread germs around the room and contaminate food. This makes it essential to chuck these offending scrubbers out of your kitchen and repurpose them.

Although it's recommended to throw bacteria-loaded sponges out after a week, it can be a good idea to repurpose them. Wondering why? Well, most kitchen sponges are composed of petroleum and synthetic substances like nylon and polyurethane. This makes them non-biodegradable and difficult to break down easily when dumped in landfills. So, it's best to grab hold of your damaged sponges, snip off a corner, and reuse them before tossing them out.

The cut corner will distinguish it from its brethren and clearly mark it as a sponge not to be used in the kitchen. Ensure the cut is big enough so you don't have to squint every time you reach for a sponge for cleaning. After you're done, store it away from the fresh scrubbers to prevent bacteria transmission and break it out whenever you need to scrub caked-on car tires, bring the toilet bowl to a shine, clean trash cans, and perform other unpleasant tasks. This hack will allow you to get the highest possible return on investment on your sponge by extending its utility.