Sponges are indispensable in a home. They’re cheap, durable, and absolutely essential when it comes to clean everything from your dishes to your windows.
But there’s more to sponges than just cleaning. Check these hacks out and you’ll find that the humble sponge, that workhorse of household cleaning, is more than a one-trick pony.
1. Use a sponge instead of a soap dish.
This one is so simple it isn’t really a DIY, but more of a repurposing. So long as you wring it out frequently, this trick (shared by YouTuber 5-Minute Crafts ) gives you a place to put your soap, plus a handy tool to keep your sink clean.
2. Make a reusable alternative to water balloons.
This DIY, shared by YouTuber Household Hacker , is a great project for your kids. Rather than water balloons, try making these sponge water bombs. It’s as simple as cutting sponges into thirds, then attaching the segments together using elastic.
3. Use them as a base for sprouting seeds.
Kindergarten teacher Deanna McLennan shared this awesome project with her students. It turns out that a damp sponge is the ideal environment for sprouts to thrive. Just poke the seeds into the sponge and watch them grow!
4. Make your fridge fresher.
Here’s a tip from Hometalk ‘s YouTube channel: By lining your fridge crisper drawers with sponges, you’ll keep your fruits and veggies elevated and away from any kind of moisture, which should make them last that much longer.
5. Clean double-sided surfaces twice as fast.
If you have tongs and two sponges, you’re in business with this one. YouTuber Thaitrick shows us that by making incisions into two sponges, then attaching them to a set of tongs, you’ll have a cleaning tool so useful it really ought to be sold in stores.
6. They’re perfect for all your icepack needs.
This tip is self-explanatory. Not only is it handy to have one of these in the freezer for any bumps or bruises, it can also be used for camping, picnics, or school lunches.
7. Get gorgeous gradient nails.
Another great tip from 5-Minute Crafts , this one takes the fun of sponge painting and applies it to nails. Just paint a cube of sponge with whatever gradient you want, then dab it onto your nails. Dead simple and it looks awesome!
8. Make a no-mess paintbrush cleaner.
YouTube channel Troom Troom shares this ingenious way for creative types to keep their brushes clean — just add sponges. Cut one into the right shape, put it in a sippy cup, and pour in some acetone. When you dip a dirty brush in, it’ll come out clean.
9. Find a way to differentiate.
The same sponge that cleans dishes is just as effective when it’s time to clean the toilet. The problem, of course, is that you never want to mix these two sponges up! Designate your “dirty work” sponge by snipping off a corner, as submitted by Redditor colantor .
10. Dry them the right way.
One downside of sponges is that they seem to take forever to dry, especially if you’re resting them on a flat surface. YouTuber CrazyRussianHacker has devised a crazy simple way to dry them efficiently: just add a binder clip and stand the sponge up!
11. Make your closets smell sweet.
Aptly named YouTube channel Life Hacks is always sharing awesome tips, and here’s another: to keep your closets smelling nice, spray a sponge with perfume, then stick it in your closet. It’ll slowly release the pleasant fragrance into the area, keeping your clothes from getting musty.
12. Protect your walls when removing nails.
The claw end of a hammer is the only tool you need for pulling out nails. But the hammer itself can leave nasty scuffs and dings on the wall. YouTube channel Wearex suggests using a sponge to soften the blow. The nail gets removed and your wall is protected!
13. Use a sponge as a pincushion.
This one’s super simple, but if you work with a lot of tacks and pins, don’t just toss them in a drawer — stick them in a sponge instead. It’s much more comfortable than stabbing yourself every time you need a tack. Thanks to YouTuber Power Vision for this one.
14. Make an all-in-one nail polish remover.
ThriftyFun user attosa shows us just how easy it is to remove nail polish using a sponge, a jar, and (of course) nail polish remover. A soaked sponge in a jar will make you wonder why you ever cleaned your nails the old way.
15. Dust off your fan.
If you haven’t ever checked, rotary fans have a way of getting absolutely filthy with dust. DIY YouTubers WeDoIt show that when it comes to dusting those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies, all you need is a scoured sponge.
This also works for oven racks and cooling racks.
16. Give your wrist a wrest.
Ergonomics are important if you work with a computer, and a simple sponge can give you some comfort when you’re working with a mouse or keyboard, as demonstrated by HowToDB on YouTube. I think I’m going to throw a sponge in my laptop bag for next time!
