Price Tag: $2.12 per sponge
Official URL: scotchbritegreenerclean.com
Rating:

Scotch Brite has come out with a new line of “Greener Clean” (ecologically friendly) cleaning tools to match the green color of its well-known brand. My husband and I being huge fans of all things green, we just had to give the line a try.

I’ll be reviewing a few of the items from the “Greener Clean” line, as we decided to throw ourselves in wholeheartedly. But let’s start off with the “Natural Fiber non-scratch scrub sponge”.

WHAT MAKES IT GREEN?

On the scrubby side of things, the non-scratch fibers are 50% natural agave fibers. We’re possibly more familiar with Agave as the low glycemic index “agave nectar” or as the base of tequila. Agave is a plant that grows predominantly in the south-western United States and central and tropical South America. Its leaves yield strong coarse fibers that are commonly used in facial/body exfoliating sponges or in baskets or woven cloth. Even more “commercial” Agave farms still have a lower environmental impact than many other similar crops. Agave plants have a lifespan of 8-15 years and are typically harvested at the height of their maturity at 8-10 years old so that their sap-containing hearts can be used for agave syrup and tequila. The rapid maturation and full use of the plant makes it a great “green” material.

On the sponge-side, the sponge is made of 100% natural materials including 23% of which is recycled paper.

LOOK/SMELL/TEXTURE

Right out of the package you’ll notice that the sponge feels and smells the very similar to traditional Scotch Brite sponges. The scrubby side has the same fibrous scratchy feeling, and the sponge is pretty much identical in dimensions and has the same moist squishy feeling and “new sponge” smell when it comes out of the package. Mostly the only immediate difference you’ll notice is that instead of a green textured scrubber, the scrubbing side is mostly tan with some darker fibers mixed in. Instead of the sponge being a bright yellow, the sponge has a natural “unbleached paper” color which is sort of tan.

HOW IT WORKS

Once you start using the sponge you might notice some differences. This sponge is slightly more “thirsty”, and slightly less “sudsy”. It seems to use soap much more economically. With traditional Scotch Brite sponges I always felt like the soap would immediately froth up, and be used up over three dishes when the sponges are new. With the “Greener” line it seems more like the sponge froths- but not with the same overly frothy exuberance. And instead of needing to re-soap the sponge every three dishes, I find that re-soaping it every 6-8 dishes works well when the sponge is new. As traditional and natural fiber Scotch Brite sponges get older than a day or two old they seem to become even more similar and require about the same amount of soap for the same amount of suds.

The sponge does a very good job cleaning off burned-on foods, and doesn’t scratch delicate surfaces.

HOW IT HOLDS UP TO USE

The natural sponge tends to smell better a bit longer than traditional sponges. I’m not sure why, but they don’t seem to hold onto the odor of food as much. Good news, as I’m tired of having to throw out the sponge every time I make fried salmon!

The scrubber stays scrubby and seems to hold onto fewer food bits, or maybe they just stand out more against the brightly colored scrubbers. Whatever it is, this sponge seems to hold up well against discoloration and smells.

One thing to note is that after you use this scrubber on a grill pan or to clean out a coffee mug the scrubby bit will have a “stained” or “dirty” look for a short while. If you run hot water and soap through the sponge will look clean again. The bright colors of other sponges mask the stains better. Personally, I like this since I prefer to see the dirt on the sponge so that I can rinse it out instead of continuing to rub it all over my dishes.

PACKAGING

The packaging of this non-scratch scrub sponge is unfortunately the normal traditional thin plastic packaging that all Scotch-Brite sponges use, just printed differently. I can see why this packaging was chosen- it does help the sponge stay moist and protect it from environmental contaminants while waiting for purchase.

BOTTOM LINE

By using natural agave fibers, recycled materials and bypassing bleaches and dyes, this sponge is a great new direction for Scotch Brite. The sponge works as well or better than most traditional sponges, and has a lower environmental impact. Since the price range is similar to that of traditional non-green sponges, I don’t anticipate buying anything but these scrubby sponges in the near future.