Eco Dish Cloths and Sponges

If you care about keeping your dishes nice and shiny while also limiting your impact on the environment, then chances are you’re on the lookout for eco-conscious dish cloths and dish sponges.

At Urban Ethos, we source eco-conscious brands from around the world. Our mission is to change consumer habits by providing a range of products that inspire customers to waste less, be more environmentally conscious and lead healthier lives.

To help you make the right choice for your needs, read on to understand the benefits of our range and how to take care of them.

Selecting Your Eco-Conscious Dishwashing Tools

Whether you’re cleaning light spills or thick layers of grease, Urban Ethos offers a range of products.

Dish cloths and dish sponges are ideal for light spills and messes that can be removed with a bit of water and dish soap. Scourer pads are better suited for more stubborn messes like grease. For the toughest messes, such as hardened food residue, copper spirals are your best option.

Benefits of Eco-Conscious Dish Cloths and Sponges

Our eco-conscious range offers a wealth of benefits to the environment. By utilising more recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials, they reduce needless waste and ensure less ends up in landfills.

Our dish cloths and dish sponges are packaged in FSC-certified cardboard from sustainably managed forests.

Types of Eco-Conscious Dish Cloths and Sponges

There are a wide range of fantastic environmentally conscious options available when it comes to cloths and sponges. 

At Urban Ethos, we sell the following range: 

Caring for Your Eco-Conscious Dish Cloths and Sponges

To get the most out of your products and ensure you have reusable dish cloths and sponges for months to come, a little bit of care and maintenance goes a long way.

How to Clean Your Dish Sponge

Cleaning dish sponges is simple, and there are a few approaches you can take. If you want, you can use bleach, but if you’re looking for less abrasive approaches, consider the following:

  • Place your dish sponge in the dishwasher during your next load and use the ‘heated dry’ setting; or
  • For a natural solution, immerse your dish sponge in a bowl of full-strength vinegar for around 5 minutes, then remove and rinse with water.

Maximising the Life of Your Eco Dish Cloths

The better you maintain your dish cloths, the longer they’ll last. After every use, it’s strongly recommended that you thoroughly rinse and then hang your dish cloth somewhere where it can dry out between uses.

You’ll also want to clean your dish cloths on a regular basis - once a week should do it. Depending on the cloth, you may be able to wash it in the dishwasher, a washing machine, or by similarly immersing it in a bowl of vinegar for a natural approach. Make sure to check the label before washing.

Natural Solutions for Deodorising Dish Sponges

As dish sponges - biodegradable or otherwise - tend to be denser than cloths, strong odours can build up over time.

Good maintenance (such as those noted for dish cloths above) does a lot to keep odours at bay, but there are simple natural solutions available if your sponges start to stink.

As with cleaning a dish sponge, immersing it in a bowl of full-strength vinegar for five minutes will kill a lot of significant odours. After cleaning and rinsing the sponge, place it out in the sun to dry. The sun’s heat naturally dries the sponge while also killing odour-causing bacteria.

FAQ

How Often Should You Change Your Dish Sponge?

Rotate between sponges on a weekly basis and you’ll find they stay in good condition for longer.

Check out the Urban Ethos Kitchen range to view our collection of dish sponges and cloths, as well as our curated Eco Kitchen Bundle.

How Do I Keep a Dish Sponge from Smelling?

The best steps to keep your sponge smelling fresh include:

Thoroughly rinsing and drying out your sponge after every use

Cleaning your sponge by placing it in a dishwasher or washing machine (if the sponge is washing machine-friendly) or by immersing it in a bowl of full-strength vinegar, which will also kill odours

Let your dish sponge dry in the sun to kill odour-causing bacteria

Can Eco-Conscious Dish Cloths be Composted?

Not all eco-conscious dish cloths are compostable, so it’s important to read the packaging carefully. Some may be 100% recyclable or made from natural fibres without necessarily being biodegradable.

For dish cloths that are marked as fully biodegradable, these can be composted. It’s worth cutting the cloths up into smaller pieces to help them break down faster.

Eco-conscious dish cloths and sponges are a great option for looking after your dishware and kitchen while also reducing your impact on the environment. To learn more about Urban Ethos, get in touch with us today.