I’m so going to stick an affiliate link in this post. Just sit back and watch it happen.
I love this tool. I’ve mentioned that before. But lately, I’ve solved the one problem that keeps messing it up for me.
While I love my dishwasher and running it every single night is THE thing that keeps my kitchen under control (and the kitchen being under control helps the entire house stay under control) not everything can go in the dishwasher. Some things are too big. Some days it won’t all fit.
This tool, a brush with dish soap in the handle, lets me handwash one dish at a time without filling the sink with hot soapy water. Just wet the dish and the brush, scrub, and rinse.
Easy as can possibly be.
But the one problem I kept running into was ickiness. These dishwands kept getting icky when they fell to the bottom of the sink and were forgotten under a large dish while someone dumped their soggy leftover cereal down there and didn’t bother to rinse it down the drain. By the time I loaded the dishwasher, the dishbrush was nasty.
I tried to be sure I kept the dishwand out of the sink, but it never failed that it got knocked in there.
So I grabbed a favorite mug that I almost never use but that I’m not about to declutter. It’s a Wizard of Oz mug that’s almost big enough, but not quite big enough. I have to limit myself to one cup of coffee each day to avoid the jitters, and this mug doesn’t hold the absolute max I can have.
So I gravitate to the one or two that can. (And the one or two that can are always almost always clean since I run my dishwasher every night.)
I used my fave-but-never-used mug to hold the dishwand. Now it has a home (there’s magic in that), it stays dry and non-icky and lasts way longer!
P.S. I also use this dishwand to scrub out my sink on an almost-daily basis. Gets off the nastiness and keeps it clean! I also use it to scrub my countertops and glass stove. Sometimes even an extra crusty spot on the table!
Do you use a dishwand? Here’s this one on Amazon.
In the comments, several have asked how I clean it. I’d love to hear from those who have a cleaning system. I don’t use mine on super icky stuff, and rinse it very well, swooshing some soap through the sponge by pressing it down on a clean surface, rinse it again, and then convince myself the air drying helps it be okay. But I get the concern. I’m going to try sticking the sponge itself in the dishwasher since it can be removed from the wand part. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Alli says
I love those dish wands. We had two, one for dishes and one for our shower. This reminded me that I need to pick up a new one for the kitchen. They are so handy for keeping up with the dishes.
Carrie Finn says
I’ve always wondered how you get the sponge clean on these types of tools. Do you have a method for that. I’ve always been a dish rag a day girl. Toss the rag in the washer every night after doing dishes. I clean the sink with a sponge, but that also goes to the washer after a couple uses.
Kayla @ Shoeaholicnomore says
I’d like to know this too. Sponges gross me out because they can hold so much nastiness in their pores.
Cindy says
I came to ask the same question. How do you sanitize it?
Carrie Finn says
Oh, and I LOVE that you are making use of something in a new way with your Wizard of Oz mug. 🙂
Fran says
What a great idea! I am going to look for a cup or mug to put my dishwand in right now! I also use the same concept for other kitchen “storage”. I have my mom’s old sugar bowl which has sentimental value but we don’t use a sugar bowl. This one has been missing its lid as long as I can remember (my mom kept the bowl filled with sugar, but in a cabinet and not out in the open). So I use the sugar bowl to hold a scrubbie next to the sink (one of those puff-looking nylon scrubbies). While writing this, I got up and went to the sink. The creamer (also without a lid) that matches the sugar bowl was sitting right there (sometimes I will put a different cleaning tool in there to dry). The dishwand fits in the creamer without tipping over. Success!
Brittani A. says
I have tried every sort of sink caddy out there. My favorite happens to be a large glass tumbler. Strong enough to withstand a tumble in the sink and wide enough to make sure that doesn’t happen whenever there is a breeze in the kitchen.
Nikki says
I have used one at my daughters house and liked it so I bought one for myself. Every time I went to use it, all the soap had leaked out. I tried a second time with one from a different store thinking mine was such a cheap one was the reason. Same results. Do you have this problem?
Jennifer says
this is why i no longer use one.
Liz says
I have tried so many scrubbers and none of them worked well. I finally bit the Pampered Chef bullet and bought their’s. It doesn’t hold soap but it’s dishwasher safe. Makes me feel so much better when it gets gross.
Kristy K. James says
I sanitize my sponges with peroxide. Soap them up, squirt a generous amount of peroxide on and let it bubble for a while. That’s how I sanitize my sinks too, when I want to wash fruits and veggies. Okay. Yeah, I sanitize my counter tops with it too. I have cats. You can train from now until unicorns roam the earth and they’re ALWAYS going to get on the counter when you’re not looking. 😀
Excellent idea on the cleaning tool though. I need to get one of those.
Maggie says
I throw my sponges in the dishwasher. They come out squeaky clean and nice.
Vicki W. says
Maggie, I do this too, every time I run the dishwasher. I can keep it looking almost new for several months before having to switch to a brand new one. I use a white plastic covered sponge I buy at Wal-Mart. So useful and economical!
Brenda M. says
I have used one for about a year now. LOVE it!! I too stick the sponge part in the dishwasher, without an issue. When it starts falling apart, I toss it. You can buy just new sponge refills for it.
Peggy Consolver says
I use this tool in my acrylic Jacuzzi bathtub. A swish all around as I let the water out every time, keeps from ever having a scummy bathtub ring. And the soap and sponge aren’t too abrasive for the acrylic surface.
momstheword says
I didn’t know the sponges could come off. I’ve seen them but don’t have one. I suppose another way you could clean it is to pour boiling hot water over the sponge part of it.
Liesl says
I love these and have two of the Dishmatic brand. One for scrubbing the other for non scratch surfaces. I also use an antibacterial dishwashing liquid in mine to keep them clean and replace the sponge heads when they get tired. I just love them.
nanou says
Just like for every sponge, put it in a bowl of water and make it boil in your microwave: a sure and easy way to kill all the germs…
Dianna Hostettler says
They sell replacement heads for the wands. I just always assumed that it was meant to be tossed when it got too gross, or broken down, to use anymore. Actually, that was a frustration for me yesterday. Went to the store to get a new one for my shower wand, and I found these giant scrubbies made for showers to go on a wand. I guess the cleaning companies finally noticed the “keep a dish wand in your shower” trend and made something larger to help out. Anyways, they had the replacement heads, but no wands. They said they would have them in on Friday, though, so I guess I will just have to go back.
mrs g says
I put my rinsed out scrubbers in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Then I rinse them out, with a drop or two of soap, and do it again, a time or two.
The microwave kills germs.
I think you may be able to put the spongehead of the wand in the microwave, but for a shorter time…maybe 15 seconds. Be sure it’s wet. It has to get hot, but not hot enough to melt it.
Repeat till no longer grubby.
Urbie4 says
My favorite sponge “cheat” is to keep some Clorox all-purpose spray cleaner with bleach on hand. When I find that a sponge has gotten too biological/nasty/stinky to use anymore, I squeeze it out as much as possible, and then totally DOUSE the thing with the Clorox cleaner, and leave it awhile, then rinse it out. The bleach kills any and all bacteria, bleaches the you-know-what out of it, and basically you’ve got a new sponge again!
Ellie says
I, too, bleach mine when it gets yucky. I started making my own Clorox Cleanup instead of buying it. So easy…add a quarter to half cup (more or less to your liking) to a 64 ounce bottle, add about 2 tablespoons dish soap and fill to top with water. Easy peasy. ???? Also keep a scrubber in the bathroom with 1/4 dish soap…Blue Dawn is usually recommended, but others can work, and fill rest up with distilled vinegar. It works wonders on soap scum in the shower, tub and sinks. Use it in the kitchen if you have problems there with calcium/limescale buildup! Hope this is helpful for you ladies!! ????
jen says
Once a week or so, set it out in the sun to dry. Sunlight is the best “de-germer” in the world. You’ll notice that any musty smell is gone 😉
Dana White says
GREAT idea!!!
Carla says
LOL, I have visions of it laying on the sun on the deck rail for weeks…… but it would be perfectly sanitized
Kelly says
Dana, I’m new here. Wish I’d found you sooner!
I use a plastic bristle scrub brush from Ikea (really cheap) with a small hole at the end for hanging on a tiny 3M hook inside my below sink cupboard. I like that it dries out quickly in order to avoid germiness. It goes in the dishwasher when I think of it.
I also use a blue scour pad (cut in half) that dries out quickly. But plan to replace those with the yellow smiley face thing from “Shark Tank”. Mom has it, I used it, and I love it- dries out quick.
And finally I use about 1 kitchen dish rag daily for cleaning children’s hands, wiping the table and counters which I leave hung over the sink to dry out or throw in my “wets” plastic laundry basket.
I think cleaning tools that dry quickly between uses is key. And I try to avoid using any of these to actually clean the sink, but I have been known to cheat :0/
Brandy Hammack says
I put my WET sponges in the microwave for 2 minutes (don’t microwave dry sponges and do not microwave any sponge with metal on it). This is supposed to kill just about anything.
Suanna says
I have the Pampered Chef scrub brush as well. I put a drop of soap on what I am cleaning and scrub it clean. When the brush needs to be cleaned I put it on the top rack of the dishwasher and it comes out looking like new.
Rachel says
I was just thinking today, while washing my mountain of dirty dishes, how proud you would be that I finally came up with a solution to loosing the scrub brush all the time (one of my all time biggest avoidance excuses). Mine is sitting in the last remaining tumbler from a set I feel sentimental about. How funny to read that you have done the same thing!
I just rinse my brush with boiling water every time we make tea. So… every 1-3 days? I always boil lots of extra water and the left overs are for the brush. Now that it doesn’t live at the bottom of the sink it never seems to gross before it wears out.
huda says
I really wanna get adish wand. But i want to have a DIY one. Not hav to buy from amazon. Kindly help me
Zoe Tarnet says
There are replacement heads available for these so if the sponge does get too icky or worn just replace the head.
Lisa says
Yes! I love our dish wand! My fiancé hates it swears by his “doby” sponges… I don’t like getting my hands icky in dirty water etc so this helps a lot. I have a small rack that was actually a tin foil, plastic wrap holder that I repurposed as a sponge holder. It works great. I hang my dish wand on it.
What we do Is use the sponges to get the worst of the stuck on stuff off the dishes then we wash/sanitize the dishes in the dishwasher. So, we don’t have to be too concerned with the bacteria these sponges harbour.
PJ McK says
I think you are missing the real revelation here! Using a favorite mug for something other than drinking coffee! I have so many cool mugs through the years that I don’t use and couldn’t bear to declutter. I started using them as designated spots for the remotes and reading glasses/pen holders at my desk. Now I get to keep and display my mugs AND they have a practical purpose since I never lose the remote anymore! 🙂
Laura says
Love the mug idea for keeping the wand out of the sink. We use brush wands though, instead of sponge wands. My husband’s complaint with the soap in the handle wands is that if soap can come out of the wand then yucky water and food can get into it as well. I have discovered Swedish dishcloths. They are part spounge, part dish cloth but if rinsed and wrung out between uses they dry much faster than either of the two. This greatly helps prevent uckiness from growing. As for
The soap. If you put dish soap in a hand soap dispenser it makes it really easy to get a bit of soap into the cloth (still one handed) as you grab it to wash with. The challenge then is how to keep the Swedish dishcloth out of the sink and draped somewhere it can dry between uses. Thanks so much, Dana, for helping us to see our not-aloneness in this struggle!
Jan S Jones says
I have started doing the same thing. One of my dear friend’s son, who knows I love flamingos, asked his mom if they could get a flamingo mug they saw for me. I don’t drink out of it, but use it by my bed to corral ink pens.
Joann says
I am a one-dish-at-a-time person. My FAVE is Dawn Foaming soap. No pan of water needed. I also found a hanger that fits over the faucet and into the sink to hang my favorite home-knit scrubby. A new addition is Dawn Powerwash – great spray-on for the nasty stuff. Except NOT “Fresh Scent.” I could hardly breathe!
Laura Myers says
Hi! While I am not currently using that type of scrubber, I have a great way to clean bottle lids, round soft scrubbers and more. I put them in a plastic cage, designed for baby nipples and such, in the dishwasher. Our hot water sanitizes them.
I just found your blog and appreciate your do-a-small-area, anything-gotten-out-is-progress approach. Blessings!