Kitchen or cleaning plastic sponges seem harmless, but they actually contain microplastics. They\’re made from materials like polyester and nylon which are non-recyclable. While we use the sponges, they shed microplastics, which fall off into our sinks and then flow into our sea. Microplastics make their way into the food chain, which includes us.
A typical lifespan for sponges is around two to three weeks. The short lifecycle means a household will go through at least 25 a plastic sponges year. Times this figure by billions of people and businesses, and we are looking at yet another plastic item contributing to the overall environmental disaster. At the end of their lifecycle, they will end up in landfill lasting 100\’s of years.
Luckily, there is a free and cheap way to avoid adding to landfill by creating our dishcloth out of cotton or natural materials, using our old towels or clothes. We will never need to repurchase sponges, saving us time and money.
How to create a dishcloth out of an old fabric
- Get your old 100% cotton towel or T-shirt of any sort that you would otherwise give away or donate
- Determine the ideal size of your cloth depending on your need
- Grab some scissors and cut out the cloth, and you are ready to go.
It couldn\’t be easier to create your own dishcloth. After you\’ve used it to clean up something filthy or it starts to smell bad, just put it in the washing machine with a hot rinse. You\’ll be good to use it over again. You never need to spend money on dishcloths again!
Watch a video of making a dishcloth in action!
Are you going to try making your own dishcloth – what fabric will you use? Let me know in the comments below.
Take me to Day one, two, or three of the 31-Day plastic free challenge.
