This Miracle Sponge Literally Never Stinks And Actually Lasts For Months

Some people even say it lasts for 8 months or more. Sponge problems = solved.

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If you use a regular sponge to wash your dishes, you probably know the stinky sponge smell. Maybe you catch a whiff of it when you pick it up...and if its REALLY bad, it lingers on your fingers for hours.

NBC

And you must know what causes that stink: literally ~billions~ of bacteria, throwing a party on the very thing you use to wash your dishes. (Though you can kill some of them by microwaving a damp cellulose sponge for one minute, or running it through the dishwasher with a heated dry.)

That's why I'm thrilled about Jetz-Scrubz: the sponge that NEVER stinks. And that lasts through literally MONTHS of dishes without totally deteriorating because it's incredibly durable.

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

That's my Jetz-Scrubz, which I've used for about two months now — and it literally shows no signs of wear or tear. Now, I have a dishwasher and don't cook too many tough-to-clean dishes, but I would have gone through at least two regular cellulose sponges in that time. And this Jetz-Scrubz is still kicking; I bet it lasts at *least* four months total, if not six...or more.

Its secrets are several: it's synthetic, so it doesn't have any natural fiber that encourage bacteria to thrive. The soft/spongy side makes dishes a sparkling clean, but doesn't have any holes big enough to pick up food particles. And the scrubby side's super tough but also durable, so it stands up to tough, stuck-on foods.

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

The word "synthetic" does mean it's made out of foam and a plastic-like material (which means it's probably a crude oil product, a non-renewable resource), but since I have yet to find a durable compostable sponge, for me, its long life balances out its dubious origins. Because I was still throwing away non-compostable cellulose sponges (which usually last longer because they have some synthetic fiber in them) every month or so, this at least means I'm contributing a little less volume to landfills.

And there ARE likely bacteria in there — I'm not a scientist, and I haven't tested these things — just fewer, otherwise it would eventually start to smell like a more typical cellulose sponge.

You do need to sanitize it about once a week, but all that takes is a quick run through the top rack of your dishwasher with the heat-dry.

Natalie Brown / BuzzFeed

If you don't have a dishwasher, you could also probably run it through the laundry without fabric softener.

Besides that, I'm big on basic "sponge hygiene" — whenever I finish doing the dishes, I 1) always rinse it out completely so there isn't any food left sitting on it, even those tiny bits on the scrub side and 2) squeeze it out as much as possible and leave it somewhere it will actually dry.

Of course, someone who washes dishes more often than I do is going to see a little more wear and tear, but these mighty little sponges still hold it together — here's a a single Jetz-Scrubz sponge that's been in use for 5 (!) months that's a little worn but is ultimately still completely usable.

amazon.com

It also won't scratch anything, no matter how much elbow grease you put into it, and it never shows stains, even if you wash out a bowl that used to contain beet salad.

Oh, and did I mention it was the top pick for best kitchen sponge $5+ by BuzzFeed Reviews?

BuzzFeed

We put it and a bunch of comparable sponges through their paces to determine the best of the best, and this came out on top — read our in-depth assessment on BuzzFeed Reviews (which also gives more info on plastic-free/compostable sponge options, if that floats your boat).

Even the Amazon reviewers stan for it: 360 of its 399 total reviews are ~positive~.

amazon.com, BuzzFeed

Promising reviews: "I have been buying these sponges for a few years now and you can't go wrong! They are a bit on the expensive side but they last forever!! No foul smell after a few weeks!!! They hold the dish soap suds, and the scrubber side does not fall apart after a few uses.

I do dishes every day and one of these sponges will last me at least 8 months, sometimes longer. There is not a better sponge for me, and I will not buy any other sponge." —Wendy

"I first saw this sponge for sale in a coffee & kitchenwares shop in Washington, DC. They were charging considerably more than here (like $8 per sponge as I recall). I bought one out of curiosity and was immediately sold. One side is soft but durable sponge like material, but what makes the sponge extraordinary is the other side, which has a unique rough texture that makes it better than any sponge I have ever used. It even excels at doing light cleaning duty on white carpet with fur-ball and cat throw-up type soiling. Gets it perfectly clean. And it doesn't scratch china or non-stick cookware. Its also the best thing I've ever found to clean glass shower doors. No other sponge works like this does. It should be called Miracle Sponge. Try it—you'll order a bunch of them." —John

So if you're ready to join the stink-free, long-lasting, non-scratch sponge party, get a pack of three on Amazon for $15.99 — that's about $5.33 each — and those three sponges just might last you through most of a year.

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You could even gift one to a friend! BTW, some people find the rectangular sponges too big to comfortably hold — so if you have smaller hands, they make the same sponge in a smaller round shape for $13.45.

The reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.

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