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Replacing the kitchen sponge when it gets gross and crusted over with bits of old food is a stupidly simple task, and yet I somehow always convince myself I “don’t have time” to do it. It’s the same logic I invoke to ignore similarly mundane tasks like cleaning the sink (ha) or flossing (double-ha). I tell myself this even though I keep a 10-pack of replacement sponges in the cabinet directly under the sink at all times. What ends up happening is I will use the same sponge for weeks at a time (ew) until enough large soggy pieces have flaked off, and I feel terrible about myself and all my choices the whole time.
After getting my hands on a Kamenoko Tawashi scrubber, I’d be cool if a gross sponge never crossed my kitchen again. This Japanese brush is more or less exactly the same as when it was first introduced to Japanese households more than 100 years ago. It’s made of durable, waterproof palm fibers that are way tougher than the rough side of a kitchen sponge, but gentle enough that you don’t have to worry about it scratching up your Dutch oven. The tiny metal loop at the top can be used to hang it from a hook when not in use. Seven dollars will buy you the first and last one you’ll ever need.
I use the small, 4.5" version because I like the way it fits in my hand. Hardened mac-and-cheese bits, burnt crusties, gloppy oatmeal bits, scrambled egg dregs, grease—they’re all no match for the Kamenoko Tawashi. The stiff bristles are also great for scrubbing vegetables like carrots and radishes. And on top of all that, it’s shaped like a little turtle! (“Kame” means turtle in Japanese.) Though I will always love the Ringer, these days I find myself reaching for the Kamenoko whenever I wash my cast iron skillet. Any crusty bits that get caught in the scrubber's bristles easily dislodge under running water, so no need to worry about it getting gross over time.
In fact, the only things I wouldn’t use this scrubber on are fine crystal and china, and I own neither, so we’re all good here. I’m contemplating buying a few more little turtles to keep around for non-cooking tasks like scrubbing my bathtub, kitchen sink, or white sneakers. And I can only hope the body brush version is as effective at sloughing off my winter layer as the original scrubber is at getting hardened cheese bits off my dinner plates.
Hey, I'm not promising that doing the dishes is going to become your new favorite hobby; on a fundamental level, washing dishes...sucks. But if you have the power to make it suck just a little less (read: $7 in your bank account), well, it’s time to toss that grody kitchen sponge.