We tried Blueland’s scrub sponge for 2 weeks, and here’s what we thought…

The Top Line: MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Scrubber Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made without glues or adhesives (it is hand-sewn with cotton thread instead). We love the two sides — loofah on one side for scrubbing, and 100% FSC certified cellulose on the other side for softer washing. The fact that its hand-sewn makes it more durable than other scrubber sponges we have used in the past — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly scrubber sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.

The Breakdown:

• Cost & Products: $37 for a 9-pack or $33.30 if you subscribe to 9 sponges, delivering at the frequency that you prefer.

• How ‘Clean’ Is This? Compostable FSC-certified plant cellulose, 100% plastic free, No glues or adhesives, EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free).

• Packaging: Came in paper cardboard box that also carried other Blueland products we had ordered.

• Purchasing & Shipping: We purchased on the Blueland website.

• What’s Your Impact? Sponges are a lower frequency purchase (when compared to other items like toilet paper) and already a small/light item, but we do appreciate that this sponge was designed to be as low-waste as possible.

The Experience

Context: We have tried your average (extremely colorful) grocery store scrubber sponges, as well as more eco-friendly options from Grove Collaborative, Public Goods and Full Circle.

• We love just how zero-waste this product is - Blueland, as always, goes the extra mile to make sure their products are as clean as possible

• The sponge itself is lasting much longer than we expected — scrubber sponges tend to fall apart on us as the adhesives don’t last as long as Blueland’s hand-sewn sponge

• We really love the color. Its looks great even if we leave it out in view

The Cost

We compared the cost of Blueland’s Scrubber Sponge with a number of mainstream sponges like Scrub Daddy and Scotch-Brite, as well as ‘greener’ sponges by Grove Collaborative, Public Goods, and Full Circle.

Money Report: Blueland’s Scrubber Sponge is pricey, even when compared to other eco-friendly options. While we will continue to purchase for where the sponge may be in plain view (like the kitchen) because we really love the look and longevity of the sponge, we may opt for more cost conscious options for other rooms in our home. We will also experiment with cutting the sponges in half (as our hands are small anyway) and see how they fare.

The Good:

✔ Compostable FSC-certified plant cellulose, 100% plastic free

✔ EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free)

✔ Hand-sewn (and last longer because of this) rather than using glue or adhesives

✔ Vegan, gluten-free, soy and nut-free

The Bad:

✗ Pretty pricey

Our Recommendation: MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Scrubber Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made without glues or adhesives (it is hand-sewn with cotton thread instead). We love the two sides — loofah on one side for scrubbing, and 100% FSC certified cellulose on the other side for softer washing. The fact that its hand-sewn makes it more durable than other scrubber sponges we have used in the past — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly scrubber sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.

We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!