Are you cleaning your dishes with cheese?

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Tired of washing dishes with cheese?   The dishes are waiting to rinse before loading in the dishwasher. The sponge your bought last week has cheese in the fibers from your manicotti lunch.

Ugh!

I found a solution.

Silicone Sponges

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After our first RV trip, I started washing all our dishes by hand. Yes, even when we returned home. We’ve used the dishwasher twice since December 8th. I’m not recommending hand washing dishes. But since there’s only the two of us, I’m finding it faster to wash by hand, dry, and put the dishes away. I’m done in 10 minutes.

Otherwise, I’m filling the dishwasher and waiting days before it is full. In the meantime, if I need the cheese grater, I have to wash it after it’s been sitting in the dishwater for a day or so. Plus, emptying the dishwasher is my least favorite job.

But back to the cheese infested sponge…

I go through a couple of blue sponges each month. I like a clean sponge and will put it in the microwave for a minute often. But it still doesn’t feel clean. And after the microwave is a hot sponge filled with melted cheese.

We’re having a manicotti craze lately.

So, I ordered a set of silicone sponges for the kitchen and use the turquoise one in the RV.

I have to say, I like using them and here’s why.

No food {or cheese} stuck in the sponge

They do feel cleaner than the blue scrubby sponges. Food or cheese falls right out of the silicone fingers. The silicone sponges are squeeze-able. What I like is the cheese doesn’t get stuck in the sponge.  I run water over the sponge and food and cheese comes right out. The tomato sauce doesn’t stain the sponges either.

I do find I use more dish soap because the soap seems to leave the silicone sponge more than the regular sponge. But that’s a tradeoff I’m happy to make.

I the set I bought a couple of the sponges have a hole for hanging.  I don’t hang them instead use a wire basket in the door under my sink.  But it’s a nice idea.

The Ridges

Three of the sponges I ordered have ridges on one side. The ridges help with baked on food. For 90% of my baked on food the silicone sponge and elbow grease works. For the other times, I turn to my blue sponge. Then finish washing with a silicone sponge.

Cleaning Veggies

The ridges also clean veggies quick. Potatoes and carrots are perfect in the instapot.

General cleaning with silicone sponges

I used the silicone for light cleaning around the sink and countertops with dish soap. Deep cleaning I still use steel wool pads or blue sponges.

Do the sponges last?

I’ve been using two of the five sponges since early December. They still look new.  I haven’t put one in the microwave.  So far, I haven’t felt the need to.

Buying silicone sponges

Warning. I’ll never order from websites of those “30-minute” commercial type companies, again. You know the ones that sell something for $19.99 and if you order now they will send you two!  You can read about my expensive dealing with them here.

I ordered mine on Amazon. Done! No shipping, no handling, no extra fees.  You can grab a set just like mine here or any of these collections here

Right now I’m waiting for dinner and cleanup will be a breeze.