PSA: I stopped buying new sponges every month and it saved me $40 a year

I used to toss my kitchen sponge as soon as it got a little dirty, maybe every 3 weeks. Then I saw a tip online about microwaving a wet sponge for 2 minutes to kill germs. Now I do that once a week and my sponges last 3 months. It sounds small, but that change adds up to real savings. What other small kitchen items do you guys clean and reuse instead of replacing?

3 comments

3 Comments

diana_black221mo ago

I've definitely been known to push the limits on sponge life way past what's reasonable. Like there was a point where I was sniffing my sponge to see if it smelled like death before finally caving and getting a new one. The microwave trick is great but my boyfriend caught me microwaving a sponge that had a little metal scrubber nub on it and we almost had to call the fire department. Bleaching them sounds way safer honestly, I might try that because I'd rather not be the person who burns down their kitchen trying to save $3. Plastic bags though, that's next level dedication - mine usually end up with mysterious holes after the first wash and I just give up.

oscarb713mo ago

Is saving $40 a year really the big win here? I feel like the microwave bill from nuking a sponge might cancel it out.

phoenix_singh3mo ago

Wait, you can microwave sponges? I've just been bleaching mine in a bowl of hot water and it makes them last forever too. My big one is reusing plastic bags, the gallon freezer kind. I just turn them inside out, wash with soap, and let them dry. Feels silly but I hate buying boxes of them all the time.