We’ve used the ubiquitous dish sponge for as long as I can remember. I’ve never considered anything else because I’m wired to just keep doing the same thing forever until something happens that forces me to reconsider. This is probably a fatal flaw of mine, but I’m doing my best to grow and learn as I age.
Recently, however, I was on Amazon searching for the best deal I could find on bulk packages of dish sponges. (Yes, I buy everything there these days, even toothpicks.) And that’s when I found it: the Swedish dishcloth. It’s not very large, maybe seven inches square, but their claims were fantastical! Aside from being compostable and made sustainably (if you’re into that stuff), they’re machine and dishwasher washable up to 100 times, super absorbent, odor-free, and a bunch of other benefits that I don’t care to mention here. And you can get a pack of 10 for little more than the cost of a pack of sponges, so I figured we could try them.
We’ve been using these dishcloths for a while and we’re all pleasantly surprised with how durable they are. While I doubt they’ll last a hundred washes–maybe a dozen or two–they’re certainly outlasting our sponges and not terribly expensive, either. And we’re even trying to use them in place of paper towels when we can. Thus far we’re happy with the purchase. From a prepping perspective, so long as you have access to water so they can be rinsed out, and you can wash them occasionally, such as once a week, these Swedish dishcloths could prove a useful addition to your prepping supplies if you want to cut back on the paper towels and sponges you might be stockpiling.
That said, the dishcloths are not great with stuck-on food. I found myself often trying to use my fingernails to pick at food that doesn’t easily remove with a wiping from the dishcloth. Thankfully, we’ve found these dish washing nets, which are more abrasive than the dishcloths but not harsh enough that they’re hard to grip or scratch our dinnerware. I also like that they’re quick to dry and food doesn’t get stuck in the netting. We haven’t tried to machine wash them yet even though the description says they can be, and I doubt we will because hand-washing seems to work fine. Perhaps my only complaint is I think the nets are about twice as large as they need to be; I’d considered cutting one in half but figured it would degrade rather quickly if I did.
[FYI, if you have truly stuck on food or pots that really need a working over, then these pot and pan scrapers are the best option. We’ve been using them for years.]
Cost-comparing to sponges, I spent about $30 for a pack of 10 dishcloths and 12 nets as compared to about $12 for pack of 12 Scotch-Brite sponges. I know that’s a hefty difference, but thus far the tradeoff has been well worth the upfront price. We’ll see how much as times continues.
What’s surprising is that my wife (and her sisters who are uber health-conscious) never said anything about it! Leave it to me to be the sustainable, health-conscious person in the family. 😉
Leave a Reply