The Good: Inexpensive, Durable, Easy to use and clean
The Bad: Scrubbing pad is too abrasive to be used on Teflon.
The Basics: Unfortunately over-abrasive, the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges ruin pans as often as they clean them!
Around my house, I am the one who does most of the cooking. In addition to cooking, I do all sorts of cleaning and lately, I’ve been going through a number of different kitchen sponges. Having reviewed the Domestix Supreme Clean Kitchen Scrubber Sponge (reviewed here!) and the Brillo Estracell Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge (reviewed here!), I picked up a three-pack of Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges to try. Scotch-Brite makes a kitchen sponge that initially seems incredible, but I have four non-stick pans that are scratched as if I used steel wool on them that tell me these sponges are less than they ought to be.
However, the scrubbing pad on both of the Estracell sponges I purchased detached from the sponge within a week and that was just irksome.
The Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge is a 4 3/8” long by 2 7/8” wide by 3/4" thick kitchen scrubbing sponge! This is a yellow sponge with a green scrubbing pad (reminiscent of steel wool, but made of vinyl and therefore not as abrasive as its steel counterpart) fused to the top. The scrubbing pad accounts for 3/16” of the sponge’s thickness. Like most kitchen sponges, the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge arrive out of the package flexible but firm and ready to clean.
As far as basic kitchen cleaning goes, the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges are exceptional. The sponge side soaks up spills efficiently. However, the abrasiveness of the scrub side is exceptional, making it less than it should be as it scratches the hell out of non-stick surfaces.
What separates it, on the positive side, from other kitchen sponges, is how easy it is to clean. In the normal course of serving as a kitchen sponge, the scrubbing side and the sponge may encounter quite a bit of grease, dirty water, and fluids that might make a kitchen sponge smell moldy and unhygienic. That has never once been the case with the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges I have used, though. Why? This sponge may easily go through the dishwasher to get cleaned and completely revitalized! Put it through a normal dishwashing cycle – the sponge will not break apart at all! – squeeze it out after the cycle is done and give it about an hour or two to dry some and it is fresh, as if it just came from the package!
Unfortunately, the incredible cleaning power and ability to clean the Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge is matched by the undoing of its key selling point. The scrubbing pad connects well to the sponge, but it remains excessive abrasive.
The Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge might hold together well and be well worth using on stainless steel pots and pans, but not on most Teflon pans, it will be far too much for professional or home use.
For other kitchen product reviews, please visit my takes on:
Sterlite 0627 White Large Sink Set
GE GSD2100NOOWW Dishwasher
J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel 8-Piece Steak Knife Set
3.5/10
For other home and garden product reviews, please visit my Home And Garden Review Index Page for a concise listing!
© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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