Monday, September 9, 2013

Durable, But Not Excessively Powerful, The Scrubbing Bubbles 2 In 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge (Mostly) Works!


The Good: Inexpensive, Durable, Easy to use and clean
The Bad: Scrubbing pieces are not terribly abrasive for cleaning.
The Basics: A wonderfully durable and easy-to-use kitchen sponge, the Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge is not exceptionally strong with cleaning!


Given how strongly I panned the Scrubbing Bubbles Vanish Toilet Drop-Ins (reviewed here!), it might surprise some that I would eagerly seek out any other product from Libman (which has the Scrubbing Bubbles imprint, at least for kitchen sponges). But, I was psyched when I saw the Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponges in the store and I instantly picked up a two-pack. The Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge are a marginally pricier kitchen sponge, though they are fabric coated and they last for over six months each, so it is hard to consider them pricy in any way!

For about the price of a two pack of good kitchen sponges, Scrubbing Bubbles sells two brightly-colored, fabric-coated sponges that last more than twice as long, are easier to clean and never seem to retain crappy smells the way most kitchen sponges do.

The Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge is a 5” long by 3” wide by 7/8" thick kitchen scrubbing sponge! This is a blue fabric (much like a washcloth) topped sponge with a yellow bottom with blue textured scrubbing pads on the bottom. The scrubbing pads are each 1/4" in diameter and there are about 180 scrubbing dots on the bottom of the sponge. Like most kitchen sponges, the Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge arrive out of the package flexible but firm and ready to clean. Unlike most kitchen sponges, this does not look or feel like a kitchen sponge.

As far as basic kitchen cleaning goes, the Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponges are exceptional. The sponge soaks up spills efficiently and the scrubbing side actually is ideal both for abrasiveness and the way it does not scratch non-stick surfaces. It is not, however, ideal or even adequate for cleaning truly cooked-on foods on a cooking surface. This is a surprisingly lightweight sponge on the cleaning front.

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 Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponges I have used, though. This sponge may easily go through the dishwasher or clothes washer/dryer 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 to dry and it is fresh, as if it just came from the package!

Unfortunately, the incredible cleaning power and ability to clean the Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge is matched by the undoing of its key selling point. The scrubbing pads wear off very fast and do not last on the sponge more than three trips through either type of washer. This becomes problematic as one uses the Scrubbing Bubbles sponge longer, especially as one washes the sponge in the dishwasher repeatedly, because the scrubbing portion hardly agitates after a few cleanings.

The Scrubbing Bubbles 2 in 1 Kitchen & Dish Sponge is still well worth picking up, as one of the most durable kitchen sponges on the market, even if it ultimately becomes a fancy dish cloth at the end of its life.

For other kitchen product reviews, please visit my takes on:
Ultra Palmolive Antibacterial Orange
Oster B218 Stainless Steel Handheld Cheese Plane
Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge

8.5/10

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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