Yahoo Lifestyle 
Mum's deceptively simple sponge cleaning hack wows
We all know the pure frustration that is realising that the sponge you used to mop up your latest spill has been left dirty, greasy or simply unusable thanks to the substance it was meant to clean up.
If you’re anything like some (me), you probably try and give it a quick rinse and if it doesn’t seem to budge easily you throw it away, wasting a hideous amount of sponges in the process.
Well, one mum was similarly bin-happy when it came to sponges until she was struck with inspiration and tried a deceptively simple hack that will change the way you use (and waste) your everyday cleaning sponge.
Taking to Facebook to share the very basic, and very easy trick, she left others kicking themselves that they hadn’t thought of it sooner.
“I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before or everyone’s going to think it’s a silly idea,” she started a post she shared in a cleaning and hacks Facebook page.
“I had a relatively new sponge and I scrubbed out a heavy solidified fat pan and the sponge got coated in grease and it’s hard to clean out of the sponge,” she explained. “I usually just ditch the sponge.... however I popped the sponge in the dishwasher with my other dishes and put some dishwashing liquid scrubbed into the coarse side.”
She reported that the formerly greasy, sad sponge came out looking ‘fresh to death’ and set her thinking that the trick is probably a good option for all cleaning utensils, to disinfect them between washes.
“Usually, I just put disinfectant on mine with some boiling kettle water but the dishwasher seems so much more effective!” she wrote.
RELATED:
Other easy-peasy sponge cleaning tips
The smart idea prompted other cleaning enthusiasts to share their own ways of keeping the cleaning items clean themselves.
“I do this,” one reported, adding: “And I put pot scrubbing brushes and steel wool in too.”
While the trick won’t give the sponges eternal cleaning life, many reported it certainly extended the amount of time a single sponge can be used.
“I always throw mine in the wash with the tea towels,” another shared. “Come out great for the first few washes.”
“Yes dishwasher or washing machine is perfect,” another reported.
Others wrote that they popped the sponges in a saucepan with water detergent and gave it a quick boil for the same effect, and others threw them in water in the microwave.
The waste-minimising trick is not the first of it’s kind of receive praise online.
Earlier in the week a woman ingeniously thought to reuse cut-offs of her adhesive vinyl, which typically end up in the bin, as a fluff and hair remover on her bathroom floor with stunning results.
Click here to sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest news and hacks. Or if you have a story tip, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
