I stumbled across the Ecosponge while shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and thought it looked promising (BBB doesn't sell it on their website, but I found it on Ecohousekeeping.com). I paid $5.95 for two sponges, which is significantly more than I'd pay for two disposable sponges, but the fact that they are reusable made it worth the extra money (and had the potential to be a pretty big money saver).
Unfortunately, I don't like the sponge. First, it doesn't encourage a good lather (perhaps it's too absorbent?), so I felt like I was just washing dishes with water. Second, it wasn't good for scrubbing pots and pans, even after I soaked them in warm water to loosen the food -- it wasn't abrasive enough. Finally, I cut the outer covering of one while washing a knife and the sponge fell apart. I still have my second sponge, but it's currently out of service -- we're back to using disposable sponges.
Target carries a really great microfiber dish cloth. One side is scrubby, the other softer and it does a great job on the dishes. I think one runs for about $3.50 or so, but I justified that since I wouldn't be buying the disposable sponges all the time.
I found the cloth to be too big (I was constantly flinging water on myself), so I cut it in half. Voila! Two perfect-sized cloths for the price of one!
My favorite part about the dish cloth, though, is that it dries quickly!!! Fewer germs! No more stink! Happier me!
I'm a working mom just like you, so I know how challenging it can be to make "little" environmental changes. Come check out my blog at www.deliciousaspie.blogspot.com to read about the other things I'm doing to make a difference!
Posted by: Kate | January 13, 2009 at 10:50 PM