Pura Naturals soap infused sponges are a part of a line of innovative cleaning supplies that help you “Live better and be better™.” From sponges to soap, from household to body to baby products, Pura Naturals strives to be nothing but the most environmentally friendly.
During a sixty day period, I tested the PURA NATURALS™- Scrubber, Soap-Infused Kitchen Sponge (MSRP 2.99) and PURA NATURALS™- Soap-Infused, Citrus Zest Kitchen Sponge (MSRP $8.99). The fundamental difference between the two products is that the first has a scrubbing pad made of walnut shells for extra cleaning power, while they both share the same soft sponge base.
The concept for these sponges arose from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Advanced Innovative Recovery Technology, or AIRTech, created a carbon-negative footprint material called BeBetterFoam. This material is a plant based, non-toxic foam that simultaneously repels water and absorbs oil & silicone, that made it the ideal clean up tool for the massive petroleum spill.
Pura Naturals has utilized the BeBetterFoam technology to create a line of sponges for the every day health conscious consumer. They are gluten & latex free, and free of petrochemicals such as glue. For a full list of ‘˜no…‘ & ‘˜-free‘ , and ingredients see PuraNaturalProducts.com.
These sponges are made to be highly chemical resistant. This means they resist breakdown despite absorbing chemicals, and are touted to last 25 times longer than the average kitchen sponge, which according to GoodHousekeeping should be thrown away about every 2-4 weeks depending on use. Pura Naturals guarantees freshness of the sponge for 30-days. I have surpassed day fourty, and am still using both sponges. Neither sponge base has acquired a funky smell. The scrubber sponge is completely intact, however the other has begun to break apart from aggressive use, but not deteriorate. With normal sponges, I run them through the dishwasher at least once a week to kill bacteria and smell. I have not even been tempted to do so with the Pura Naturals.
I found the scrub pad to be extremely durable. It compared equally in ‘˜scrubability‘ to any of the leading scrubber sponges on the market. In the 4th week of testing the scrub pad began peeling away from the base. I feel like this was a pretty good life for the scrubber. It was only around 8 weeks that the scrubber started to really wear apart. All in all, Pura Natural‘s version met and exceeded my expectation considering after 40 days the sponges were still completely usable and smell free.
Both sponges I reviewed came infused with soap, but Pura Natural also offers sponges without the infusion. The soap they use is Level Naturals: biodegradable, vegan, and gluten free. It is incredibly tough on dirt and grime from pots & pans, but gentle on the hands. The sponges are easily activated by adding water and squeezing a few times to create lather. When the lather slows, and eventually ceases, the options are: use your own soap or change out your sponge. In testing, the lather lasted between 2-3 weeks. I continued to use the same sponge with my household dish soap. The longevity of the infused soap obviously depends on what your volume of dishes is. I do a majority of dishes by hand so my use is extremely frequent.
In the home, I find these to be amazing products that fill a niche in my cleaning supplies. They last a long time, work well, and dry very quickly without soap residue. Best of all, I don‘t worry about mold and bacteria growth. However, I can‘t say that the soap infused sponges will make it into my camping box. Even though these sponges are EPA approved for use in natural water environments such as lakes and rivers, I follow a very strict backcountry ethic. I wouldn‘t want to drink water downstream from someone doing their dishes with any type of soap. I certainly plan to bring their standard non-infused sponges for my outdoor cooking & cleaning needs.
Every outdoor enthusiast struggles with how to recreate with the lowest environmental impact possible. Pura Naturals sponges help lessen your impact and help bring cleanliness anywhere.
– Carley