We're All So Worried About the Sponges <3

Your new favorite sponge, as it turns out, fell out of a coconut tree

If you've been around for a long time, you know that I love a good news-bad news dichotomy. I suppose saying things like The good news is that TASK is easy. The bad news is that you have to do TASK. is my way of acknowledging that I live here in the real world with the rest of you, though of course, if you've been around long enough to spot a good news-bad news in the Jolie Kerr wilds, then you also have heard me use some variation of I live here in the real world with the rest of you at least 900 times.

I tell you that to tell you this: When it comes to the sponges, I have good news and I have bad news for you. Let's get the bad out of the way first — I still don't have a perfect sponge to recommend to you. 

The good news, however, is that I do have some very good sponges to recommend to you, and also I've learned that I can use this newsletter to spark a competitive spirit in the editors and editorial directors and etc etc etc who are reading because I got more than one, "You should write about sponges for me," note after I talked about my sponge fantasies in this space. 

Before I get to the sponge recs, though, I want to share a few non-sponge items!

A Rec for Sneaker Wipes

The first is that my friend Alison Freer, a costume designer who knows everything about fabric care — like, in 2020 when I was assigned to write about getting lipstick off of face masks, Alison was the person I rang up — recommended these sneaker wipes and if Alison says they're amazing, then it is my duty to tell you about them. Go forth and clean your sneaks!

KN FLAX The Shoe Cleaning Wipe Quick Sneaker Wipes

A Tool for Cleaning Baseboards+++

The second is that I saw this baseboard cleaning tool on TikTok a few months ago, pitched and wrote a review of it for Underscored, and I'm happy to tell you that it is a real winner! For me, the thing that makes it worth buying is that, in addition to being great at cleaning baseboards, I found about 10,000 other uses for it around the home. And, it's slim and easy to store — I have a whole closet now in which to store my toys (and my mother's silver chest lol) but I'm not so far removed from the OG Lillypad and her expansive 325 sq ft of living space that I've forgotten the importance of finding products that don't take up a ton of storage room. So if you're looking for a cleaning tool that can do baseboards plus windows, mirrors, door and window frames, kitchen cabinets, hard flooring, shower walls and enclosures, consider plunking down the $24.

Detergent Stains on Clothes etc.

Finally, help is here for a real bitch of a laundry conundrum because oh my God how frustrating is it to take a freshly washed load of laundry out only to discover the flipping detergent left stains everywhere?!? I got a text from an editor recently that was like, "WHAT do I do about this??" and I was like, "Oh wow I literally just wrote about this!"  (I need to start holding editor summits, I think.)

How to Get Detergent Stains Out of Clothes | BHG, 25 June 2024

The answer is "rinse the detergent out with cool running water" which sounds like it's too easy but the good news is (!) that it really is that easy :)

Spongeworthy Sponges!

Can I just say how much I love this little community we're creating here?!? The vibes are so good! THANK YOU so so so much for all the great sponge recommendations, you guys! I'm so glad that the Swedish Dishcloth Deniers found their way to me; you are safe here. It was also great that the prevailing attitude around here is, "But if you love it, I love that for you!" 

So let's get into the sponges you guys love, in the hopes that one of the sponges you love may one day be a sponge that somebody else loves.

Pop-up Sponges

I can't believe I forgot to include pop-up sponges in my original sponge roundup! These got a bunch of mentions, in particular the Trader Joe's pop-up sponges, which are compostable and lower priced than similar sponges from more upscale retailers like Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma. The Blueland pop-up sponges also got the nod.

Coconut Sponges

Another one that a bunch of you mentioned are coconut sponges. The general consensus seems to be that they work almost but not quite as well as our ole yellow'n'green pals do, but because they're compostable/biodegradable everyone feels a whole heap better about them. This is great! Progress!!

Walnut Scrubber Sponge | Grove

As with coconut sponges, walnut sponges seem to work pretty well while also promising to not outlive us all. Angela writes: "We love this one from Grove in our house. Like the green & yellow ones, but sustainably made from biodegradable plant fibers. They work maybe 90% as well and I feel 10,000% better about using it."

The Original Magic Jetz Scrubz Scrubber Sponge, Pack of 3 

Fellow Swedish Dishcloth Denier Danika says the Jetz sponges are her "favorite sponge of all time" which, yes okay we are listening, Danika! "I was so excited to see this because I have STRONG FEELINGS about my favorite sponge of all time! These last like 5-6 months (in our house at least) and can be run through the dishwasher. They are the perfect combo of grip, size, sponge texture and scrub IMO. They are not biodegradable but they truly last SO LONG." 

The Jetz sponge was actually among the sponges I'd put on my list to try way back in 2021 when I started the "Best Sponge" testing that was abandoned. If it gets picked back up, I will make sure the Jetz is among the sponges I test.

Zero Waste Kitchen Kit Wooden Dish Brushes (4-Pack)

For those who don't hate dish brushes, or who are at least open to the scrub brush lifestyle, SG says, "I fully accept that LW doesn’t like kitchen brushes but for those willing to try brushes, Zero Waste Cartel’s kitchen scrub brush kit is fantastic. I say this as someone who cooks a lot, including with cast iron, and these do great. I keep a couple of the yellow and green classic sponges around for emergencies, but the scrub brushes are my daily go-to."

Go Halfsies

A lot of you are scissoring your sponges! Fantastic, I love this. Basically you're cutting sponges in two, which makes them easier to use and cuts (heh) your total sponge output in half.

Bekka says, "I feel overjoyed at both your passionate answer to the sponge question AND the passionate comments section here! I, too, am a coconut sponge lover. But the thing that excites me most about sponges is the fact that my MIL cuts them in half. I started doing it too and holy moly!! They fit into glassware better and fit precisely in my hand. Plus you get double the sponges for the price. I’m a sponge-cutting evangelist! I dare everyone to try it!!" Do we accept her dare?!?