I love the handle - it’s lightweight and easy to hold. You can wash up without getting your hands wet and the bristles get in all the nooks and crannies. Sadly they are not biodegradable. I can’t even imagine how many synthetic sponges must be living inside landfills or polluting the oceans. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that doesn’t require pesticides to grow and it absorbs more carbon than a tree, which makes it one of the most sustainable materials.

A dishcloth is something that I’ve had in my home since childhood. It can be used for washing up and cleaning the kitchen, dining room and any areas where food is consumed. These sponges are incredibly cheap and are often considered disposable. I’ve heard horror stories about people using a single sponge each day to avoid germs. A popular UK brand is Loofco; their products are handmade in Sri Lanka where employees receive fair wages. Conventional plastic sponges are mass-produced without a second thought about the impact they have on the environment. By choosing handmade products, you know it was made intentionally and your money isn’t going to a billionaire CEO of a faceless company.The absorbant sponge side is made from cellulose, a wood pulp fibre, and the scouring pad is from the loofah plant. Loofah plants are a bit like courgettes and cucumbers, are very fibrous when ripe and have effective abrasive qualities when dried. Abrasive sponges - These sponges are ideal for hard scrubbing on tough surfaces like grills and cook wear as well as structures like outdoor furniture.

In the UK, Scrubbies washing up pads not only look great thanks to their cheerful designs but are also made to be compostable at the end of their life. Replacing plastic kitchen scourers with these plant based ones means not adding microplastics into your home and into our waterways. Also less plastic is being produced from extracted oil so is a step away from fossil fuel reliance, and a step towards more a more sustainable way of living.

Delivery options to UK mainland (Mon-Fri)

In Australia, Biome sells its own brand which also has sisal bristles. You can also buy a dishwashing set that includes castile soap and a storage dish. There are numerous types of cleaning sponges and scourers available, and whilst their general purpose is to clean, some types are more suited to specific applications than others. Below we have listed the most common types along with their features and benefits.