(Part 3) Best household cleaning sponges according to redditors

http://www.amazon.com/health-personal-care/dp/B007BU6CB8

My MIL sends me scrubies every year made by their local Lion's club, and I love it. The scrubies are easy to make if you're so inclined, but I chose not as the scrubbies from MIL has become a strange bonding thing / tradition for us.

I don't know where to find them locally, but there are a couple options on Amazon. Etsy may have some as well.

Fruit-shaped ones:
https://www.amazon.com/Say-Sincere-Multi-Use-Non-scratch-Scrubber/dp/B00YNNUS5W/ref=pd_bxgy_121_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DPVY0M1QQVS95V51E52Q

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-202-Clean-Rinse-Scrubber/dp/B00455EPOI

No soap. Just water and the "stiff" side of this sponge to get all the food off. Works really well. Then after rinsing I put it back on the stove on low heat for 10 mins to evaporate any water left. Then I apply a thin coat of oil again while it's on low heat. Stays clean, shiny and nonstick this way. I love how it looks and cooks. Been really proud of my cast iron lately sitting on my stove top :)

Use this.

I agree that alot of people just dive right in and I don't believe that's the right approach as it's a drastic lifestyle change. It takes baby steps but here's some of what I've learned:

• Get a box, bag or container to dub as your "reuse box" and go around your home to find anything at all that would be going into the recycling/garbage to give it a 2nd life. I just recently had a bunch of spray bottles that I turned into for DIY hair product sprays or for to-go glasses cleaning spray as well as fabric from t-shirts to turn into rags/homemade paper towel replacement/napkins.
  
  
• Then look at what it is you tend to contribute to trash the most and search for an alternative through google, amazon, ebay, etc. Example: I use Scotch Bright sponges and they get so dirty I throw them out. An alternative (other than disinfecting and cleaning them for reuse) is Coconut Fibre sponges like this OR even this. I've also heard of some people using bath loofahs instead.
  
  
• For replacement of dryer sheets: you can actually turn almost anything into a reusable dryer sheet. Some people use wool balls, jerry cloths or rags that are soaked in a water + fabric softener solution, dried out, stored in sealed container, used in the dryer and repeat the cycle.
  
  
• Ditch plastic cling wrap for beeswax covered cloth that does a better job of sealing in freshness.
  
  
• Switch to soap bars. A decade ago, I used to go through a large bottle of body wash every week because I would overdo it while washing. You can buy them at any health food store or source them locally but on Etsy some sellers will do deals like "buy 5 get 6th bar free" or "get these specific bars at reduced price." Over the past years I only need to order every 6 months, sometimes less if they're big bars of soap. That saves money and waste.
  

I would be more worried about the abrasion factor moreso than the type of plastic. Toilet brush bristles are really stiff. (The ratings of plastic materials in regards to food are made for storage of food in plastic containers, not cleaning. A scrub brush just is not in contact with the bottle that long & plastics simply do not break down that easily in soap & water.)

I have found that a regular puffy ball- type dish brush does really well with Nalgenes. (Like this https://www.amazon.com/Scrub-Buddies-Sponges-5533640-Cleaning/dp/B00L9USCX2) They are really cheap at stores like Family Dollar, Dollar General, Wal-Mart, etc. $1.50 or so.

For the 48oz Silos, the brush just reaches the bottom, but it is hard for me to still have enough grip on the handle to really hold & scrub. If you have longer fingers you may be able to do a better job. So if you need to get a longer handle: just buy two brushes, remove the spongy puffy ball from one, then take that handle & tape it to your other handle to elongate it.

This is more of a tool than a decoration, but I am obsessed with the Scrub Daddy!

This? http://www.amazon.com/Scratch-Free-Scrub-Daddy-Pack/dp/B009UHTGT0

Are you using liquid?

I've seen this to many times here now and i need to say this: This dude's assumptions are wrong. I don't know if you have ever held a teddy bear and a sponge next to each other, but typically the teddy bears are several times the size of the sponge, so either Spongebob is a huge ass sponge or those aren't teddy bears but actually gummy bears. This makes sense since if you compare Spongebob's size to Patrick the starfish and sandy the squirrel he is clearly the size of a normal sponge.

So assuming those two are gummy candy that places each at about 2.5 grams.

Now we need a bar that is also scaled to the same size, and sticking with the candy theme im going to assume it is a lolipop stick which assuming it is this (the first thing i found in google) his bar has a mass of about 1.67 g.

So 2.5+2.5+1.67= 6.6 grams is all he is lifting.

Now assuming Spongebob is this sponge (again first result) we find he weighs about 45g and therefore he is only lifting 14% of his body mass.

Bruh

Editted because my grammer and spelling were garbage.

I usually stop around 3-4:00 PM and figure out where I want to stop that night, then call ahead if I'm getting a hotel room and make a reservation somewhere. You can also read-up on camping on BLM or NFS lands, either campgrounds or remote. State parks also may have campgrounds.

I carry a tire plug kit. This will save you massive amounts of time if you get a flat in a remote area. Watch a few youtube videos if you've never used one and you should be fine.

I also carry a small 12v cigarette-lighter-powered air compressor for reinflating the tire, and a tire pressure gauge because I don't trust the ones on the cheap pumps.

If you are going to travel through remote areas in the west always carry some food and water.

Buy one of those sponges with the nylon netting on the outside or a loofah or one of these. You'll probably want to clean the windshield of dead bugs more often than just when you get gas. Bring a jug of water to assist. Carry an extra jug of wiper fluid.

Research the historical day/night temperatures if you will be traveling in the inter-mountain west. It can actually get quite cold at night if you're camping. Pack appropriate clothing. Monsoon season in the desert southwest can go to early October. Assume you might get rained-on a bit.

Check state DOT websites for conditions ahead at high mountain passes in the Rockies and the Sierras. Some of them start closing due to snow by mid-September.

If you are going to more than two or three national parks buy the annual pass for $80 at the first park you go to. It will pay for itself several times over.

IMHO carrying a bunch of spare parts or tools is overkill but a spare headlamp bulb and a package of assorted zip ties aren't a bad investment. Make sure your brakes are in good condition before you leave if you are driving in mountain areas.

I carry a paper road atlas as I find it useful for longer-distance planning than zooming in/out on an ipad or phone. You can get Rand McNally Road atlasses near the checkouts at a lot of Walmarts.

You'll find that the octane levels of gasoline sold at high altitudes is a few points lower than at sea level. Using 85 octane in a car that usually uses 87 is fine, etc.. Pay attention to the labeling on the pumps elsewhere. At certain places in the Midwest gas stations sell high-ethanol mixes that are inappropriate for non flex-fuel cars. They will still sell the regular stuff, just pay attention to the labels.

Know that this sign means that you can come upon cows standing in the road at any time. Avoid driving these roads at night, or at least keep the speed down and be prepared.

Every since I started using eco tools facial scrub pads my face has felt great and I rarely break out anymore. They are the best cheap addition to my beauty arsenal that I have found in a long time. I just happen to see them when I was perusing the beauty aisle at the grocery store. Greatest random find ever.

There is no color change. I do think that I slightly scratched the finish (I was using a computer mouse without a pad.) The problem is that I tried cleaning it with a pre-treated sponge (https://www.amazon.com/Sano-Sushi-Cleaning-Wonder-Sponge/dp/B007MSC8I0/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522059781&sr=8-2&keywords=wonder+sponge). I assume that it contains bleach, or some other substance, which removed the shine from the table. Is it possible to apply a thin top coat to that area and polish it? What should I ask for in a hardware store? Would a wax polish do the job?
Thanks again!

These are the exact scrub pads I used. They are labeled as "non-scratch"

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Brite-Scrub-Sponge-Non-Scratch-Count/dp/B00J2LABPC/

the no soap thing is out of date. It was a thing back when Lye was used in soap but that is not the case anymore. You just need to use soap, warm water, and a sponge like this. The hardest bit is just to make sure it's completely dry but you can do that by throwing it on the burner for a bit which you might as well do anyway and do a light coat of seasoning.

Something similar to this. Usually the sheets of foam have very small/tight "holes", so wouldn't do the trick.

I'm using them for a painting technique on a rather large backdrop (26' x 70') and need the larger openings in the sponge to get the desired texture.

Kraft Tool PL600L General Purpose... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TBJUG46?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I use these. They last forever and I cut them up

Well, this on Amazon for example, but you should be able to find a bigger quantity for cheaper at your local hardware/house supply store.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0043P0IRS/

...changed my cleaning game big time...

Definitely not that type of sponge, not ones with scourers. More like these. They aren't sopping wet just damp. Just opened a pack and they were like that.

Ever had a house fire? When you get smoke on everything you own (especially books) you can clean them with these weird sponges. They worked surprisingly well. I'm willing to bet they work really well on miscellaneous dirt/grime too, and I can't imagine they'll damage your cards.