An All Natural Way To Get Rid of A Smelly Sponge

Do You Use Sponges?

 

Alright, for years now I have been fighting a battle with my sponges.  I have never been a rag or towel person, they just kind of bother me and I really like my sponges.  

Giving them up is hard, you know how it is…it’s like a 2 year old giving up their thumb or their favorite blankie.  That is what a sponge is to me! 🙂

I know there are many other options out there, but I have been trying to tackle the battle of the sponge odor forever now, and YES I have finally won the battle over the sponge odor!

I know many of you might just ask, why not just buy a new sponge?  I do replace my sponges often, but I knew there had to be a way to prolong the life of a sponge.  I was whipping through sponges every 3 days and that is a lot of sponges!  

I also like to recycle and reuse and if I can naturally disinfect a sponge so that I can use it longer…then I will do just that.

Why A Sponge Smells

 

There are many reasons why a sponge smells but the primary reason is from cleaning dirty dishes or counter tops, food particles get trapped in the sponges pores.  

As the food particles start to decompose, the sponge begins to sour and smell bad.

Sponges can harbor many strands of bad bacteria including E. Coli, salmonella and campylobacter.  A sponge can cause serious illness and it is very important to clean or replace your sponges often.

In the summer I have found myself replacing my sponge every 3 days.  That’s a lot of sponges!

My Failed Attempts of Getting Rid of A Smelly Sponge

 

I have tried everything under the sun to get rid of a stinky sponge.  All of these attempts failed. Here are just a few:

• Washed the sponge with soap and water
• Refrigerated the sponge in between uses
• Soaked the sponge in white vinegar
• Soaked the sponge in a vinegar/water mix followed by a baking soda/water mix
• Washed the sponge in the dishwasher
• Microwaved the sponge
• Washed the sponge in the washer machine

Wow, all of these failed?  Some of them worked for a day or two, but the smells often came back and sometimes within several hours.

An All Natural Way To Get Rid of A Smelly Sponge

 

So lets dive into how I finally conquered a smelly sponge.  I think you are going to be amazed at the solution!

What’s even more amazing is that you don’t need any other products to get rid of the smells!  Now do I have your attention?

So here is the solution to an all natural way to get rid of a smelly sponge.  The solution is to place the sponge outside in the sun for a day or two.

I know crazy right?  But seriously guys, it really does work!  Let me explain how and why this works.

The Power of The Suns UV Rays

 

The suns rays have some pretty powerful disinfectant properties.  You see the sun is a good source of ultraviolet radiation that helps attack and kill the bacteria growing in the sponge.

Have you ever put a rug out in the sun, or hung your clothes out to dry in the sun.  They come in smelling super fresh right? The sun helps disinfect and kill any odors or bacteria that might be in the clothes or rugs.  This is one reason why they smell so fresh.

Did you also know that the sun can help get stains out of clothes by allowing them to sit out in the sun for a few days.  Yep…but that is a whole different post coming your way!

Hospitals and doctors also use ultraviolet lights to help kill bacteria and disinfect different areas of the hospital.  Pretty Powerful, right?

Results May Vary Depending On The Weather

 

So depending on where you are and what time of year you are trying this experiment, results could vary.  I did my experiment on a hot summer day and it was about 90ºF.  It took about a day to completely dry my sponge out in that heat.

If it is a bit cooler, try leaving your sponge out for several days.  If it is really cold out, I would leave the sponge out for about a week.  Experiment a bit to see what works for you.

I simply keep 2 sponges in rotation.  One stays outside and one stays in use.  When my sponge in use starts to get and odor, I replace it with the outside sponge.  Place the smelly sponge outside and allow the sun to do its magic!

Share Your Thoughts

 

So have you dealt with smelly sponges?  How do you get rid of the smell?