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Sponges might get most of their use in the kitchen, cleaning your dishes or mopping up spills. But, due to their soft, absorbent nature; there are many other jobs that they excel at.
Below are a few uses for sponges that you may not have thought about.
Keeping houseplants watered
Put a sponge into the bottom of a pot or planter. It will absorb excess water. This both stops the plants rotting due to overwatering, as well as providing a back-up of liquid if you forget to water or when you go on holiday.
Cushion fragile objects
The soft, pillowy nature of sponges makes them excellent at cushioning impacts. When storing fragile objects, try using pieces of sponge to provide protection to particularly delicate parts. Or, for smaller fragile objects, cut a hole in a sponge so that you can pop the object inside.
Soak up rain
Try placing a sponge at the bottom of an umbrella stand. This will stop the bottom of the stand from getting mildewy. Every so often just remove the sponge and replace it with a new one.
Protect surfaces
Glue small pieces of sponge to the bottom of objects before setting them down on your delicate surfaces. This should lower the risk of scratches and scrapes.
Childish fun
Sponges can be used for all manner of children’s games. Safe water bombs, shapes for sponge painting and silent building blocks are all examples. Sponge toss and wet sponge relays are examples of fun activities that can be used in groups.
Make a nail varnish remover jar
Fit a sponge into a small jar and pour some nail varnish remover in. When you want to clean your nail varnish off, all you need to do is stick your finger in the pot and the varnish will come away. Ensure that you keep a lid on the jar when not in use, to stop the sponge from drying out.
Sprout seeds
Sprinkle some seeds onto a damp sponge and keep it covered with a glass bowl in a sunny location. Fast-sprouting seeds such as cress or mustard are ideal for this use.
Seal envelopes
Rather than licking the back of envelopes when sealing them, try using a damp sponge. This will have the same effect, but will allow your tongue to remain glue free.
Make an ice pack
Seal a damp sponge in a zip-lock bag, and stick it in the freezer. You can then use this to reduce swelling if you injure yourself. The zip-lock bag will even catch the water produced as the sponge thaws.
Deodorize the fridge
Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on a damp sponge and place it at the back of your fridge, this will absorb any food smells in the fridge. Replace the sponge every so often to keep the fridge smelling its best.
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