Shark Tank and TikTok Aren't Wrong About These Sponges
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More often than not, some of our favorite buys are small, how-didn’t-I-know-about-this products that solve an everyday problem. That’s what we’re highlighting in our Little Lifesavers series: cheap, simple purchases that you’ll use on the daily. Hit “Add to Cart” and thank us later!
Problem: I love to cook and bake, but I hate doing the dishes: the sponges get smelly and take forever to get the grime off of plates and cookware.
Solution: The Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy Sponges are durable, inexpensive, don't hold onto smells, and most importantly? They really get your stuff clean. From your tub to your Instant Pot, these sponges mean business.
I live in New York City, and have recently had to change my entire life because I went from an apartment with a dishwasher to a home without one. Decisions were hard, compromises were made, and honestly? I love my new place, so a small inconvenience shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong. Dishes are the actual worst and I hate them. It was so bad that I briefly considered a conversion to bretharianism because I hated washing pots just that much. Unfortunately, I really love food, so I was at an impasse. I wanted to eat, but didn't want dishes to be an absolute nightmare. That meant that my current dish-washing routine needed to shift dramatically. The whole, soak, scrub, rinse, resoak, rescrub, rerinse was sucking the very life from the marrow of my bones reducing my meal-induced joy to rubble.
I realized I needed to work smarter, not harder. Enter: #cleantok, my very favorite TikTok hashtag; the one where I learn about all the newest tips, tricks, and products, as well as time-tested faves from my beloved cleaning community. I started scouring the tag for dish-related goodies and came across several videos of people raving about some silly-looking, smiling sponges called the “Scrub Daddy” and “Scrub Mommy.” My fellow cleansing enthusiasts boasted that these babies didn't scratch your pots, they lasted months longer than a regular sponge, and that they didn't smell like rotten mildewed locker room after a few days.
Admittedly, I was dubious. Mostly because I am never really “on-board” with any home product with “Daddy” in the name. It feels weird to me. However, after watching clips from the founder's appearance on Shark Tank, I forced myself to get over it, because I'm a sucker for a good pitch, even if the name makes me think this sponge has ulterior motives and a potential love of leather. And I'm so happy I did, because they're incredible.
The company was started in 2006 by Aaron Krause, who initially was looking for a better way to clean his hands — believe it or not. Surprisingly, it wasn't an instant, run-away success, so he moved onto making household sponges instead, using a modified version of his original product. That model wasn't gentle enough for furniture, so he thought, “Well, maybe those hand scrubbers I made would work?” And wouldn’t you know it, they worked fabulously. After that, he started selling the scrubbers on QVC, which led to his appearance on Shark Tank, and everything started falling into place.
The biggest selling point of the sponge is that it changes texture depending on water temperature. If you use it with cold water, it’s stiff and scrubs grease and grime away with ease. If you use it with hot water, it is malleable and gentle enough for porcelain. It doesn’t hold smells, and it lasts forever. This combination won over the judges, and Krauss was able to build his business.
After that initial expansion, the company started developing additional products, including a dual-sided scrubber sponge as a complement to the Daddy. But it couldn't just be a regular old sponge with the Daddy glued to one half — for them, it had to be better.
The Scrub Mommy produces more lather than its competitors, and like the Daddy, it doesn’t hold smells as easily as other sponges in your house. The sponge is the frothy, soft side of the line, and it’s honestly the best I’ve ever used, and I’ve tried a ton. When you compare it to the sponges you’d buy at most retailers, it is light years ahead. You know the ones I’m talking about, the brightly colored wavy rectangles, or the sort of tan models that claim to be better for the Earth, but you’re not quite sure how? These make those look like scrubbing chumps.
I use them everywhere I need a sponge in my house. I use them with cold water to scrub the crap out of the bottom of my pots and cookie sheets, I use them with hot water to scrub dishes and bowls. I use them in all manner of ways in my bathroom — and I have two kids and three pets, so I'll let you use your imagination with those.
Perhaps because it was designed originally to scrub hands, the Scrub Daddy and Scrub Mommy sponges fit really comfortably in the palm of your hand. It feels like a minor thing, but when you're doing the dishes for a major holiday, it matters. Plus, you can get them in pineapple or lemon scent, and that scent holds in the sponges over weeks, not just days like scented garbage bags or laundry soap. On top of that, the little eyes make for easy storage on their scrub caddy, up and away from everything.
I love how much bubbly goodness the Mommy makes, and how I don't have to work to clean with the Daddy. I like having the options at the sink with my dual-sided Mommy, but in the bathroom, or on the stove? That's all Daddy, all the time. I bought these in packs of four, and I haven't had to use more than one of each, plus one Daddy for the bathroom and one for the litter box in three months. I also have a set of their sponges for my car, where I use the sponge to clean the dash, and the scrubber to clean my kids' cupholders. They're ridiculously convenient.
And strangely enough, though I used to buy the vaguely tan, environmentally ambiguous sponges, using these has actually cut down my sponge waste tremendously. Before, I'd throw my kitchen sponges out every 2 weeks or so, but with this one, I just toss it in some boiling water with a little baking soda, and it's as good as new. I also hear that it's dishwasher-safe, but we've established that isn't a concern for me anymore.
The line is expanding all the time to include different shapes of scrubber, different types of sponge, and honestly, I'm nerdily excited for them. What can I say? When I see a good thing, I want all of them.
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