The Good: Actually does freshen sponges, Comparatively inexpensive, Effectively cleans dishes, The scent is not bad
The Bad: Does not work on cooked-on foods, Unremarkable scent.
The Basics: A good concentrated dish liquid, Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh does what it promises, but not in a superlative way.
Right before moving from New York to Michigan, I got a pretty incredible deal on toilet paper that allowed me to keep getting $10 worth of other household supplies, so I stocked up on a bunch of things I knew I would need after the move. One of the things I made a point to stock up on was dish washing liquid. I got a great deal on Palmolive dish liquids like “Pure + Caring” (reviewed here!) and the one I opened earlier this week, Dish & Sponge Fresh.
I found the Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh on clearance for $2.99. I was actually quite thrilled that, even at such an inexpensive price, the Dish & Sponge Fresh dish liquid did what it promised by actually revitalizing some of my sponges that were beginning to take on a more of a mildew smell.
Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is a very simple dish soap. It is a translucent bright red fluid. I found it locally exclusively in the 25 fl. oz. plastic bottle. In that form, it appears much like any other dish soap. It features a top that is opened by pulling up on the bright green top. When opened, the very fluidic liquid dish soap is remarkably easy to dispense. I tend to expect Ultra products, those concentrated without much excess water, to be much more viscous, even gooey. Instead, Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is very fluid and that led me initially to reason that it was not going to be a great value, though it turned out to be very good.
Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh lives up to its “Ultra” name. I use a dime sized dollop of Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh when I do dishes. That little amount allows me to do a full (two people’s dishes, three meals a day) sink full of dishes. We have used this bottle of Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh for only a week, but it is not going anywhere fast.
When opened, Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh emits a vaguely fruity, mildly citrus, aroma. This is, by no means, a strong scent at all and when dishes are properly rinsed, the scent washes right off with the soap. Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is an excellent dishsoap for those who are not fond of strong scents, but as one who likes intriguing aromas, this left something to be desired by my nostrils.
Using Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is simple. All you need to do is open a bottle of Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh, squirt a dollop into a dirty bowl, cup or onto a plate and turn the water on. A dime-sized dollop is enough to clean an entire sink full of dishes. One of the superlative characteristics of Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is that it lathers up excellently, easily bubbling to fill a sink withcleaning bubbles. Even when the bubbles are not present – i.e. because dishes have been soaking – I know the Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh dishsoap has been working because of how effectively it cuts through grease and limited amounts of baked on food. This leaves dishes clean and even when all sorts of dishes have been soaking together, like greasy pans and drinking glasses, dishes that are washed and then rinsed with this dishsoap end up sparkling clean and streak free!
What Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is not ideal for are the real potstickers. If you cook rice to the bottom of a pot or burn a pasta meal to an old pan whose Teflon surface has worn out, the Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh dish soap will not do all that much for you. Objective testing in those circumstances illustrated that Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh did not enhance the cleaning experience for trying to get cooked-on goods off pots and pans. Soaking those dishes showed no real difference between with this dishsoap vs. just hot water. That makes some sense as Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh does not have any form of agitating beads in it. To me, this is not a dealbreaker, as I tend to rely upon the type of scrubbing instrument (like a steel wool pad) to do the work over the detergent.
As well, Dish & Sponge Fresh actually neutralized the scent of the mildew in the sponge I was using. That led me to believe that the lack of a scent allowed it to do what it was sold to me on, but perhaps it cannot do that and carry an interesting scent of its own.
Ultimately, Ultra Palmolive Dish & Sponge Fresh is one of those great products that does what it promises. I recommend using the Dish & Sponge Fresh in conjunction with a dish soap that smells good (alternating one each day). That allows one to keep their sponges fresh and enjoy the process of cleaning dishes by getting a delightful scent on the other days. But, because I do feel a need to use this dish liquid in conjunction with another, it reduces its standalone value.
For other dish detergents and household cleansers, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Lemon Jet Dry
Lysol All Purpose Cleaner With Bleach
Renuzit Aroma Adjustables Apple & Cinnamon
7.5/10
For other home and garden product reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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