I have been search for a plastic-free sponge for awhile now. I don’t want to start trouble so I should be clear upfront–sponges do not always contain plastic. Even a standard kitchen sponge–one that is bright pink or blue–may be made from cellulose, which is a natural material made from wood fiber. But they may also contain plastics, or other chemicals. My real problem is that the sponges that I use in my kitchen are scrub sponges. I use them for scrubbing plates, pots and pans. And most of the mainstream scrub sponges use plastic on the scrub part, and glues and chemicals to attach the scrub layer to the sponge layer. So I have been looking for a scrub sponge that has a sponge side made from natural cellulose, a scrubber side that is made from plant based materials, and a way to keep them attached that does not involve glue. Since sponges need to be replaced regularly, my objective is to be able to toss mine into the compost after a month or two of use.
I have tried several different scrub sponges over the past several months. The first one I will evaluate is the Casabella Kind Loofah Sponge.
All the Right Ingredients
This Kind Loofah Sponge met all of my criteria for natural materials that can be composted. The sponge side is natural cellulose and the scrub side is made from loofah. Loofahs are grown from plants, making them a great plastic-free scrubbing alternative. There is also no glue used to keep the two sides of the sponge together. Instead, they are sewn together, which keeps them from peeling apart like some other sponges I tried. The packaging is even plastic-free, made from compostable film.
How Does it Scrub?
Having read the package, with claims including plant based, natural cellulose, glue free and dye free, I was exciting to give this sponge a try. With all that texture, the loofah certainly looks like it will be an effective scrubber.
The first thing I noticed when I wet the sponge to scrub a few pots, is that the loofah doesn’t really soften up when you wet it. That could be a good thing–maybe that will make it extra scrubby. But it also made it so that it didn’t squoosh the same way a sponge typically would. And that made it hard to get into the contours of the pot. On flat surfaces, like plates, it was fine, but if I needed to scrub in a tight spot, or even around the curved side of a pot, I couldn’t get much of the loofah to come in contact with the surface.
At the same time, while the loofah surface was hard, it didn’t scrub as well as I had expected. It did a decent job of getting rid of big pieces of food, but it wasn’t really gritty enough to get things like pasta starch scum off the side of a pot. And it wasn’t quite tough enough to get on greasy residue off of a roasting pan.
One additional concern I had, was that bits of food would get into the nooks and crannies of the loofah, and it was difficult to get them out. That kind of grossed me out. Even after I threw the sponge in the dishwasher to sanitize it, there were a few bits of food left embedded in there. The sponge did hold up well in the dishwasher, though, and I figured that with the heat in there, it was well sterilized. I used the sponge for several weeks, but probably not as long as I would use my standard scrub sponge, because the loofah got softer and less effective.
Greener Clean?
I have found there is plenty to be wary of as you search for plastic-free sponges. This Scotch Brite sponge on the right is just one example. The claims are not false. “greener clean” –these are probably “greener” than a sponge where the whole scrub side is made of plastic. “100% made from plants and recycled material”–no reason to think it isn’t true, though it is unclear whether 95% is recycled plastic, or 50%, or 5%. What is clear if you search their website a little, is that you cannot compost this sponge because it contains plastic. And that means it likely ends up in landfill. Carefully read labels to ensure you are getting plastic-free when you are looking for plastic-free.
At the end of the day, even though there were some drawbacks to the loofah sponge, I would still choose to use the Kind sponge over the traditional Scotch Brite sponge I used to use or this new Scotch Brite “Greener Clean” option.
Things I Love:
- Plastic-free! Completely plant based, including the package.
- Compostable.
- Holds up in dishwasher so you can sanitize it and use it longer.
Things I Don’t Love:
- The loofah is stiff so you don’t get the same squoosh as a sponge.
- The large nooks and crannies in the loofah capture food particles.
- Doesn’t last as long as traditional scrub sponge.
Product Info:
- I bought mine at my local grocery store, and I see them on Target.com, but distribution seems somewhat limited.
- 25% price premium vs. traditional scrub sponges
- https://www.casabella.com/kind-loofah-sponge-2-ct
Kind Loofah Sponge Rating
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