&keep Sisal Kitchen Sponge Scourer Review: A Plastic-Free Washing-Up Sponge That Works

Overall Rating:

4.9/5

Performance = 4.9

Value For Money = 4.8

Longevity = 4.9

If you are looking for a plastic-free washing-up sponge that works, look no further. My &keep Sisal kitchen sponge review will tell you why this is the one for you.

When I found out how bad the common plastic cleaning sponge is for our environment, I set about looking for a sustainable alternative.

I discovered that compostable sponges are made from plant-based wood pulp cellulose, which is plastic-free and won’t harm the planet.

It sounded like the perfect solution. But would these eco-friendly alternatives work? Well, I decided to try them.

In this review, I will share my experience with the &keep sisal kitchen sponge scourer with you.

Who Are &keep?

I select very carefully which products I try, because I want to ensure that they are truly an eco-friendly choice. This means I also have a close look at the company that makes them.

&keep is a small, UK-based business that aims to help people live a more sustainable life by providing them with eco-friendly products.

Living in Dorset near the coast, the founders of &keep have seen firsthand what an impact we are having on our planet. As a result, zero-waste and plastic-free are two of their main goals when it comes to their products.

They only use plastic when absolutely necessary, and then it’s kept to a minimum and is designed to last a long time. So you won’t find single-use plastic with any &keep products.

All their packaging is plastic-free, zero-waste, and made from recycled materials.

Apart from making their own sustainable products, they also partner with other eco-friendly companies to sell their products on the &keep website.

They want to create a community of like-minded people, because they know that only together can we save our planet.

One thing I particularly love is that they also get engaged with education about climate change and our environment. One of the founders is a Keep Britain Tidy Ambassador as well as an Eco Schools Green Flag Assessor.

She gives public speeches to raise awareness of climate change issues and educate people on what they can do. This shows that they aren’t just out to make money, they want to make a difference.

For me, this is the kind of company I want to get behind and support!

Tough On Stains Without Hard Scrubbing

No matter how eco-friendly a kitchen sponge is, unless it does a good job cleaning your dishes, you won’t buy it. So how did the &keep eco sponge do?

It consists of two parts, a cleaning sponge and a scourer pad on top. The sponge foams up nicely and holds washing-up liquid well.

That’s important, because it means that you don’t need to use huge amounts of washing-up liquid. The sponge part works just as well as any plastic sponge you can get for cleaning less-soiled dishes.

And because this washing-up sponge is bigger than most plastic ones you get, it covers a bigger area. This means that you clean dishes quicker.

For tougher stains, like burned-on food, the sisal scourer pad comes into action. With many plastic-free sponges I tried, the main issue was that the scourer pad just wasn’t up to the job.

They would eventually remove the stains, but only with a lot of scrubbing, which isn’t ideal. But the sisal pad on the &keep washing-up sponge is different.

The first thing I noticed was that it was much sturdier than scouring pads made from other sustainable materials, such as loofah. That’s a good start.

The sisal pad is made of a lot of individual strands, which give it a rough surface, ideal for scrubbing away burnt-on food. It makes easy work of these tougher stains without having to put lots of effort and elbow grease in.

At the same time, it’s non-scratch, so you don’t need to worry about your nonstick pans.

The sisal strands tend to come off quite easily, even after only a few days of using the sponge. However, this doesn’t make it deteriorate quickly, and it still lasts a good amount of time.

Although the scourer pad is quite hard, it’s still flexible enough to easily fit into mugs and glasses to clean their insides.

So I have to say, I’m quite pleased with the performance of the &keep washing-up sponge.

Reusable And Waste-Free Disposal

One of the worst things about common plastic sponges is that they only last for a matter of days or weeks before being thrown away. I used to bin my plastic washing-up sponge on average after one week, as it started to deteriorate, and food got stuck in it.

And it also released microfibers, which are similar to microplastics, down my drains every time I used it, which causes a lot of harm to aquatic life.

With food stuck in the sponge, it got grimy and became a hotbed for potentially harmful bacteria. So I had to throw it away.

What I love about this eco-friendly sponge is that it’s reusable. You can refresh it in your dishwasher or washing machine. This means it gets cleaned and made safe to be used for longer.

For me, that’s such a game changer. Because now my washing-up sponge can be reused again and again. I hate using things for only once or a few times and then having to throw them away, because it creates such a huge amount of waste.

So the fact that this compostable sponge is zero-waste makes it even better. Not only can I use it for much longer than a plastic sponge, but once I’m done with it, I can keep it out of landfill.

Both wood pulp, which is the material the sponge bit is made of, and sisal are natural materials that can be composted. So if you have a compost bin in the garden, like we do, you can just cut it up and throw it in to break down and turn into nutrients for your plants.

However, I would recommend cleaning the sponge before adding it to your compost bin, and only add it if you have been using a washing-up liquid that is free from harmful chemicals.

I prefer putting the sponge in my dishwasher, but you can also put it in your washing machine if you’d rather.

But what if you don’t have a compost bin? Well, in this case, you can put it into your food waste bin or garden waste bin. However, you should check the guidelines of your local council.

I found that not every council will accept compostable sponges. If yours doesn’t, and you have a garden but no compost bin, you can just bury the sponge. It will decompose into harmless components.

However, if none of this is an option for you, you will have to dispose of your eco-friendly sponge in the general waste bin. It’s a shame, but at least you can be sure that it won’t cause any harm to our environment and you don’t contribute to plastic waste.

Isn’t it great that you can now buy a plastic-free washing-up sponge that won’t harm our planet and that does a good job?

Longevity Gives Great Value For Money

At first glance, you might think that the &keep sisal kitchen sponge scourer is expensive. True, one sponge costs more than a whole pack of plastic ones.

However, you have to consider that this one scourer sponge will last you much longer than one classic plastic one.

If, like I used to, you change your plastic sponges about every week, and you buy a six-pack, this pack will last you six weeks.

The &keep sisal kitchen sponge lasted me just over three months, so more than 12 weeks. Which means one reusable sponge will last as long as two packs of ordinary plastic sponges.

An own-brand 6-pack of non-scratch sponges costs between £1 and £1.50. So for 12 sponges, you pay between £2 and £3.

One &keep reusable sponge scourer currently costs £2.95. But if you buy in bulk, the price reduces. In short, switching from a traditional sponge to this eco dish sponge won’t cost you much more.

But what you get is so much better: no more plastic waste, no more microfibers, only sustainable materials that won’t harm the environment.

For me, that’s real value for money!

Other Customers Agree: The &keep Sisal Kitchen Sponge Scourer Works Great

I always check customer reviews of a product I’m interested in to see what others think. Online independent review sites are best for this.

&keep doesn’t have many reviews on Trustpilot, and their profile is unclaimed, probably because they would have to pay to claim it.

However, they use Feefo, where their products have a 4.7 rating out of 5 from over 1,000 customers. 83% of their customers have given their products a 5-star rating.

Only 2% of customers thought they were only worth 1-star.

The &keep sisal kitchen sponge scourer got 4.3 out of 5 stars from 12 reviews. The vast majority, 75%, gave it 5 stars.

What most of these happy customers mention is how well the sisal pad works at removing burnt or dried-on food.

First time I have found a natural washing up sponge that meets my needs, I will be purchasing more of these in the future.

5-Star Review on Feefo

The few negative reviews said that the sisal part of the sponge detached after a few uses, and strands broke off.

While I did also find that strands would come off, the pad itself stayed firmly on the sponge, and it still lasted a long time.

All in all, most customers agree with me: the sisal sponge scourer does a great job.

A Plastic-Free Washing-Up Sponge Well Worth The Switch

So what’s my verdict? I love the &keep sisal kitchen sponge scourer. It does a great job removing even burnt-on food from dishes.

But what’s best about it is that it’s plastic-free and can be composted, so there is zero waste. And it won’t leave you out of pocket, either.

Because this compostable sponge can be refreshed in the dishwasher or washing machine, it lasts at least three months. So it’s great value for money.

Especially if you buy in bulk, because you get a discount the more you buy.

So if you are looking for a plastic-free sponge that does the job, look no further. Get yours now.