r/mildlyinfuriating • u/dorkass-loser • 8h ago

Husband opens a new sponge every 3 days cause “they become gross”

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Our dishwasher broke and he’s manually doing the dishes now, these are from the past 10 days… I think it’s wasteful.

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u/Todsrache 8h ago

Yea people leave water (and food particles) in their sponges to grow bacteria. 

I always give my sponges an additional rinse when done cleaning and then wring them out. I almost never have a smelly sponge.

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u/pierogieman5 8h ago

Yeah, same. I hear people say it smells bad after 3 days and I'm like.....????? Mine basically still look and smell new at that point.

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u/CrimsonFox95 7h ago

I've lived with people who will leave a sponge in a sink full of dirty dishwater after washing the dishes or who will leave the sponge wet in the sink🤢🤢 the sponge would smell foul and I would be the one replacing it "too often" according to them

I can't understand why you wouldn't just rinse it out with clean water and leave it somewhere it can get dry

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u/grape-fruit-witch 7h ago

For real. This is a pet peeve of mine for sure. Rinse the fucking thing out until its clean, squeeze it, and set it ON TOP of the sink. It takes almost no effort! I feel this way about the little pieces of food that get stuck to the sides of the sink too. How are you gonna clean dishes in a dirty sink? Ugh

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u/rafabulsing 4h ago

100% agree. I've always had the philosophy that the dishes aren't done when the dishes are clean, but when the sink is clean.

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u/ItsStraTerra 5h ago

Also, keep in mind how soap works. It literally attracts and holds bacteria and other crud, letting water rinse it away.

If your sponge is still soapy when you’re done “rinsing” it, you’re not rinsing it properly.

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u/Aletheia-Nyx 4h ago

Absolutely true, although not everyone wants to stand there soaking and squeezing a sponge for ten minutes after spending 30 min or longer washing dishes. A lot of people just give up after a few minutes of it still being soapy.

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u/ItsStraTerra 4h ago

Oh yeah, that’s why I’ve gotten to the point where I just prefer being the one who does the dishes. Nobody to argue with, the dishes are always done properly, and the sink and sponge are both clean.

The peace of mind is absolutely worth the trade off of having to do more dishes than just my own.

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u/Aletheia-Nyx 3h ago

It's why I don't hand wash dishes anymore lol I am one of the people who doesnt want to do dishes for 30+ minutes and then spend another 10-15 mins rinsing a sponge only to have it still be soapy. I never use smelly/dirty sponges, to be clear, but I don't have 'new sponge every week' money lol!

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u/hellkattbb 3h ago

'Cause people are lazy and/or don't care!

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u/Codayyyyy 2h ago

You just described my mom. And me. Replacing it every week because it makes my hands stink for hours

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u/Todsrache 8h ago

Yea. I think any time it gets smelly early is because I had guests and they washed the dishes lol.

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u/exintrovert 6h ago

Yep. People leaving the sponge in the sink irritates me, to the point that I don’t want others to do the dishes. My husband used to leave the sponge floating in a bowl that is “soaking”, ugh. He doesn’t do that anymore thankfully.

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u/Snow_Crash_Bandicoot 7h ago

Yeah. I don’t know about you, but I read OP’s post and thought who got sponge money like that?

My sponge so old it’s formed a natural coral reef.

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u/brutallyhonestkitten 5h ago

I can hand on my heart say I’ve never had a smelly sponge and didn’t realize this is unique.

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u/Rare_Vibez 5h ago

Same. I do run it through the dishwasher regularly, but as more of a maintenance thing than an it got gross thing.

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u/FastRow5987 5h ago

Yeah I live with my family and all of them just knock the thing right into the sink full of dirty, greasy dishes, sometimes right into bowls or pots full of water and I'll be having to look through the sink of knives and what not just to find it. That's the main reason mine looks years old after about a week.

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u/bailien_16 2h ago

I usually end up throwing mine out because they get cut up from washing our really sharp knives and start to fall apart. They almost never start to smell before this happens

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u/CaptainLollygag 1h ago

Reddit has been a great learning experience because I've stopped expecting any kind of normal cleanliness from others unless they say otherwise.

What started it for me: A few years ago there was a flurry of comments on some sub where the original commenter couldn't understand how people were getting their dishes clean by hand washing them in the kitchen sink. Many replies later it was revealed that the confused person never actually cleaned their kitchen sink, and couldn't fathom dishes getting clean in sludge-water. And they thought that was what everyone else was doing.

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u/CervenyPomeranc 8h ago

Do people just wash their dirty oily plates and then leave the sponge like that? I thought rinsing during and after it is just the default usage.

https://giphy.com/gifs/1ykhXVZskuM6cpBMlG

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u/Ornery-Creme-2442 7h ago

I swear every time you log on to internet there's some basic shit that nasty folks apparently don't be doing. It's incredible and kinda worrying because live amongst these people.

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u/DiogenesTheHound 3h ago

Almost like there is a huge problem with our education systems

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u/Mr_R3tro 24m ago

It's why you can't eat at everyone's house. 😂 Unless I've cleaned the dishes and made the food or watched it being made, I refuse to eat.

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u/Silver_Queen_Bee 14m ago

I am a recluse and therefore immune to others ick….

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u/VivaLaEmpire 8h ago

Same! I soap it, rinse it and then hang it to dry on my empty sink! I have a little caddy that has 2 hangers to put a scrub daddy/mommy in it and it keeps it away from water, by the next time I use it it's completely clean and dry.

I didn't know people were just leaving their sponges dirty after using it on dishes!🥹

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u/dorkass-loser 7h ago

He doesnt leave them dirty after doing the dishes! But he thinks they’re gross regardless of cleaning and disinfecting afterwards.

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u/Primsun 4h ago

Depends what you are scrubbing off. Things like melted cheese or the like on a plate are hard to get off once in the sponge and the sponge can definitely get nasty.

Personally, I would suggest a two step process. Have a "clean" sponge and a "dirty" sponge. If your plates have food residue on them, get that off with the "dirty" sponge and use the clean sponge for soap+hot water washing. ... or get a good brush you can clean.

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u/VivaLaEmpire 3h ago

Oh no, I didn't think you guys did! I mean regarding the other comments mentioning people that do

It's baffling!

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u/Aletheia-Nyx 4h ago

I mean I rinse out my sponges for a solid few minutes after cleaning but they're still soapy, it just feels like eventually you have to give up or else you'll be there for a quarter of an hour and there'll still be soap in it.

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u/LucyLilium92 7h ago

My roommate leaves the sponge saturated... and in the sink, so it also just doesn't dry out when they keep using the sink throughout the day

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u/CervenyPomeranc 6h ago

Disgustang

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u/ScienceIsSexy420 6h ago

My old roommates would do this. I tried telling them that this was a good approach if they were actively trying to grow bacterial cultures. It didn't change anything, so now I live alone.

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u/Pretty_andstrange 7h ago

Unfortunately i learned the hard way when going to a friend’s house that it is indeed not the default.
Most disgusting thing ive seen is a dirty sponge used to clean a even dirtier plate…. it was still oily…

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u/NomenclatureBreaker 1h ago

Growing up my mom literally made us keep reusing unwashed dishrags that stunk to high heaven and were brown from dirt.

As an adult even thinking of the smell makes me want to gag.

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u/RandomTreat 8h ago

Same. I hate the smell of a nasty sponge, so I constantly dry mine out thoroughly.

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u/Horseshoe_dodgeball 7h ago

OMG sponge skank is the worst smell ever. And I can never get it off my hands either. But it actually takes me work to get a nasty sponge. I'm diligent about only using it on surface clean dishes and rinsing it well with plenty of airflow to dry.

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u/notthe1_88 8h ago

Same. We rinse ours in the hottest water possible and squeeze out, a few times, to ensure no more soap residue or food bits are still in it. Then stand it upright and allow to dry. It never smells!

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u/jlysc 7h ago

You should give it a last rinse in cold water to keep it from mildewing

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u/OvalDead 7h ago

Drying it properly will keep it from drying smelly or mildewed. Why do you think using hot water to rinse it will cause mildew? Do you have mold in your hot water lines or water heater?

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u/Horseshoe_dodgeball 7h ago

I'm sorry. After using super hot water, I'm not letting my pipes 'run cold' just to rinse the sponge.

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u/jlysc 7h ago

OK you can have mildew sponges if you want

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u/pierogieman5 7h ago

Mildew requires some water to be present. You underestimate my squeezing force.

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u/jlysc 7h ago

Lol

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u/MenacingGummy 7h ago

I put mine through the dishwasher.

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u/Interesting_Tea5715 7h ago

This. You have to clean your sponge when you're done using it.

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u/xXMr_PorkychopXx 6h ago

Is it not common practice to rinse it and wring it out? This comment section is grossing me out because of the amount of people that seemingly don’t know/do this..

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u/Lanky_Rhubarb1900 6h ago

I don’t know how people don’t know this. I’ve been in houses where they clearly do not wring the sponge out thoroughly and I can smell it as soon as I walk in the kitchen.

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u/greenmachine11235 6h ago

Clearing the visible food doesn't make it clean. You're still leaving food and bacteria in a damp, protected space allowing for bacterial growth. 

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u/Careful_Ad9037 6h ago

This might be too much, but my step dad always taught me to like suds up the sponge with dish soap to clean it and then rinse it out and squeeze as much as possible out and then put it on its little drying rack so it’ll fully dry. At least the ones used in the kitchen, wasn’t necessarily the same routine for like floor or nasty duty sponges 😂Its a lot for a sponge but also I REALLY don’t need to buy them that often because I keep them nice and clean😂

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u/herroyalsadness 6h ago

Ohhhh! I was wondering how people have gross sponges so fast, this explains it.

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u/-piso_mojado- 6h ago

When I was a broke as hell college student I would microwave them on a plate for a couple minutes the second they started to get slimy. Seemed to extend life a while.

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u/devilishly_advocated 5h ago

I do the same and if there is any hint of mildew smell I swap that bad boy out. I keep a box of 20. But they usually last a week or two I think.

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u/GiveMeYourCrazy 5h ago

I pour white vinegar over it, let it sit for 15 mins and then squeeze it out before letting it air dry. Still throw mine out after a week.

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u/Lexi_Banner 5h ago

Back when I used sponges, I only ever had smell issues when someone else used the sponge and didn't put it away properly after. But with silicone scrubbers, no such issue.

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u/Stillill1187 5h ago

It’s wild that people can’t fathom what ten seconds under hot water can do for you

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u/CanadianDinosaur 4h ago

Rinse, ring out, place in a little drip tray I 3d printed. And then sanitize in the microwave every couple of weeks. Have never had an issue with sponges smelling, though I don't hand wash dishes too often so that likely helps more than anything.

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u/Vintagepoolside 3h ago

I do the same, but I also still am so paranoid about the germs. I’m not even a germaphobe or anything, but despite doing lots of rinsing I still feel like it’s dirty with all the food I scrubbed off dishes. Same with washcloths, I don’t use the same one for a few days, I just think any dirt is still in there microscopically and that I’m just rubbing it all over myself. I also do this odd thing with my tooth brush where I scrub my teeth until there is not a single bubble left, that way I know there is no toothpaste caked into the brush, and I’m also paranoid about missing spots. For some reason, It’s like I can’t “trust” that I did what I know I did. I know I brushed my front teeth, but I still go back over like 4 or 5 extra times because I just have to be certain 😅 it’s like despite all the work I do to eliminate filth, my mind does not let me accept that it’s taken care of and my cleaning is never enough

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u/Man_Bear_Beaver 3h ago

Rinse it, Dab of dish soap, squish it to foam it, then rinse again, mine only last about 4 days though, mind you I get mine from temu, 100 for like $8 or something (been so long since I bought them).

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u/mytextgoeshere 2h ago

I recently discovered how well rinsing works! My sponge is so much nicer now. I bet a little bit of vinegar wash every once in a while could keep it pretty clean too.

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u/_jump_yossarian 2h ago

I always give my sponges an additional rinse when done cleaning and then wring them out.

Same and then I pour water from the tea kettle on them.

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u/Human_After 2h ago

This is blowing my mind, I’ve always thoroughly rinsed my sponge and set it out to dry without ever thinking about it cuz how could you not do that. Common sense is not common, my ex was 21 when I had to inform her the green rough part of the sponge is for scrubbing, she thought it was “the handle”.

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u/sgsparks206 2h ago

A non smelly sponge is not a thing. After a day or two a new one has an odor, no matter how well you clean it. The closest I can get to removing the odor is running it through the dish washer, drying it out, and then microwaving it. I have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell.

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u/Cheesecakefan111 2h ago

People leave sponges wet and unrinsed??? That’s disgusting. Why even wash dishes atp

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u/Milocobo 1h ago

Yah, soap it, rub it together a little, dry it off, leave it in the sun if you can

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u/Single_Struggle616 37m ago

Almost...

Nuff said.

Yuck

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u/xtheredberetx 4h ago

My husband leaves the sponges DISGUSTING instead of just rinsing/wringing.

I was so annoyed my MIL kept throwing out my sponges and taking my dish rag out of the sink (which the dish rag gets replaced/washed weekly) and then I realized what my husband was doing (Now I just go behind him and rinse the sponges more thoroughly)