There’s an Easy Way to Keep Your Kitchen Sponge Sanitary—And It’s Hiding in Your Junk Drawer

Kitchen sponges are notorious for turning nasty relatively quickly. After just one use, sponges, which are filled with tons of pores, can collect grossness and gunk from your dishes and flatware. That gunk plus moisture equals bacteria and mildew. Before you know it, your sponge is Nasty with a capital N. While you’ve probably heard by now that you need to replace your sponge on a very regular basis (we’re talking a matter of one week or so), there is something you can do to help extend the life of your sponge.

We have two words for you: sponge holders. A sponge holder helps your sponge dry between uses—which helps it stay cleaner for longer.

There are plenty of sponge holders on the market, if you would rather opt for something store-bought. (We love this handmade one from Etsy.) But if you’re looking for a budget, DIY solution for your stinky sponges, look no further. Thankfully, making your sponge less gross doesn’t require any expensive, fancy contraptions, or even much extra work on your part. (Who needs more chores?)

To keep your sponges fresh on the cheap, all you need is one simple office supply you probably already have in your house: a binder clip! 

Just grab a medium-to-large binder clip. (We’re willing to bet you have one in your home office or your junk drawer, but you can score a box of brand new ones for less than $5 if you need to.) When you’re done with a round of dish duty, give the sponge a rinse and wring it out—like you normally would—and then put the binder clip onto one end of the sponge. You may have to play around with the clip to get your sponge to stand upright (open the silver parts of the clips and use them as little kickstands if need be!), but the idea is that the clip holds your sponge upright, allowing it to dry fully. And a dry sponge equals a longer-lasting sponge.