You’ve swapped out your paper towels for an eco-friendly reusable dish towel (turns out your grandma knew a thing or two!). You’ve committed to carrying a reusable water bottle around town as you run your errands — goodbye plastic throwaways! And you’ve made a choice to ditch plastic straws in favor of reusable or biodegradable options. But what if, lurking in your kitchen, is something that is equally as harmful to the planet yet rarely considered in green living? What is this mystery item found in most kitchens? We’re talking about your green and yellow sponge gathering bacteria on your sink ledge. While it might be dyed the color green, there is nothing green about these typical kitchen sponges.
Today, we want to talk about why you should kick these old sponges to the curb and how you can welcome new, eco-friendly options into your cleaning routine.
Most sponges are designed to be used for no more than a week or two at most. Use your sponge any longer, and a few unsavory things will take place.
First, your average sponge begins to break down after a few weeks of use. Not only does this make them less effective for cleaning, but because the sponges are designed with plastics, this translates to additional microplastics entering our watersheds. Each swipe of the sponge could send tiny bits of plastic down your kitchen sink and into your local watershed.
Additionally, sponges tend to be breeding grounds for bacteria, resulting in an unhygienic tool for cleaning your dishes. You’ll also often notice that your sponge develops an unwanted odor due to bacterial growth.
The end result is that over 400 million sponges are thrown into our landfills annually. That’s bad news for the planet and bad news for your wallet. These sponges are specifically designed to encourage constant consumption of a new product.
Not only that, but the majority of sponges you buy at the store are wrapped in additional plastic packaging. This is yet another example of how an everyday necessity can quickly become a harm to the earth.
The good news is that a new wave of sponges is here to wipe up the mess.
Eco-friendly sponges are designed with environmentally friendly materials. Often, these sponges feature biodegradable materials, allowing you to replace your sponge without worrying about contributing more plastic waste to the planet. For example, Full Circle Home carries eco-friendly sponges made from walnut shells. Another option on the market is Zero Waste Outlet’s dual-sided eco-friendly sponges. These sponges are designed with cellulose, an all-natural wood product, and loofah plants.
Another highly creative and effective product on the market is the spaghetti sponge. These scrubbing sponges are designed from peach pits and corn cobs. Their unique appearance — they literally look like balls of spaghetti noodles — makes them extremely effective for scrubbing dishes of all shapes and sizes. Adding to the green appeal of the spaghetti scrub is the fact that they are abrasive enough to clean dishes without necessitating the use of soap — another way to reduce your consumption of products. Designed from eco-friendly materials, they also help repurpose agricultural waste that would otherwise serve no purpose. Over time, as the sponges wear out, you can replace your sponge without worrying about contributing to microplastics in the environment.
Eco-friendly sponges are taking center stage as a way to clean green. And it doesn’t just stop here. As you consider replacing your plastic-filled sponges with a more eco-friendly option, you might consider other green alternatives as well.
For a lot of kitchen clean-up, a dishcloth will work just as well as a sponge. The beauty of dishcloths is that they are easy to throw in the wash and can be reused thousands of times before wearing out. Opt for fabrics that are all-natural and don’t contain any harsh chemicals or plastics. As a bonus, it is much easier to reduce bacteria in your kitchen when you continually cycle out dishcloths with your laundry. Goodbye, smelly sponge!
Every single day, we all have the power to choose green alternatives that contribute to a healthier, happier planet. Even something as simple as considering what cleaning products you use around the house can go a long way in creating a greener tomorrow. Today, we challenge you to swap out your old sponges for something kinder to the earth. Pick up an eco-friendly sponge, grab your favorite dishcloth, and keep a clean house the green way.
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Published September 6, 2023 5:21PM
Eveelife is an eco-oriented lifestyle platform that helps consumers make more purposeful choices about how they live and what they consume. We do it by curating content and products that help them make more conscious, carbon-free choices while amplifying their EV ownership experience.
