Sex & Relationships

Genius or needless? Women can now buy a sponge to ‘simplify after sex clean up’

A sponge designed to “clean up” bodily fluids after sex now exists.

It’s certainly not sexy, but most women will be familiar with the messy and somewhat undignified dash to the bathroom to freshen up after sex.

In a bid to make life easier and less messy, the “come&gone” sponge promises to “simplify after sex clean up” by allowing women to “quickly mop up all excess fluids” in minutes.

Shaped a little bit like a tampon, the sponge is made from sterile, medical-grade material and all you need to do is “insert, swirl, remove, and toss”.

Come&gone creator, Frances Tang, explained the sponge was created after she became fed up with using toilet paper in an attempt to clean herself up after being intimate.

“The more I spoke with other women about my problem, the product, and how ridiculous I thought it was that there was no hack for this, I realized I wasn’t alone. Many women just felt too awkward and embarrassed to talk about it!” she said.

“But, it just so happens that I am the one friend who lacks a filter and has an outrageous sense of humor, so several iterations and one startup accelerator later, come&gone officially came to life.”

The mission became clear, Tang said — to open up the conversation, normalize those awkward topics, and provide solutions for them.

And many women have been impressed so far with several taking to the site to leave their reviews, often describing the sponge as a “necessity”.

“The come&gone is amazing! This product makes the post-sex clean up so quick and so simple,” another happy customer said.

While another added: “How have I lived without come&gone?! What a game-changer. Genius product!”

However, not everyone is convinced. Aside from the fact that the single-use sponges wouldn’t be great for the environment, questions have also been raised about their safety.

“We’re also concerned about whether putting a sponge into your vagina after every time you have sex really wouldn’t be ideal for your vaginal health,” women’s magazine Grazia pointed out.

“You might end up with the same microtears that can be caused by tampons.”

In fact, the women’s magazine argues that the sponges are creating a problem that doesn’t really exist.

“Firstly, if you’re using ‘half a roll of toilet paper’ to clean up after sex, you’re either scrubbing yourself raw or your partner needs to see a doctor … If you find ‘the drip’ unbearable then you might consider using condoms, or keeping a box of tissues by the side of the bed.”

The sponge is priced at $10 for a pack of 10.