Really I want to write about how much I love these wool sponges from Full Circle Wool, because they are genius and do an excellent job of cleaning dishes, but somehow in my head a post about these sponges has morphed into a long complicated essay about the overwhelming nature of the problem of climate change and how the idea that the responsibility for fixing it lies in our everyday choices is actually malarky invented by a PR firm working for BP as a distraction (because it was, and it worked).
But I don’t have the heart to write that essay at the moment, so let’s move away from the idea that converting to wool sponges made from the fleece of well managed flocks of sheep will save the world (though in a butterfly effect kind of way it won’t hurt).
You should convert to these sponges, really just thick pieces of felt, because they are really good at being sponges: they clean dishes and counters without crumbling into little sponge nuggets or developing that rank sponge smell, and then when you are done you leave them to dry and never have to give them another thought. The felt is made from coarser fleece, and so while they feel fairly soft they are also better at scouring than the plastic scrubby part of a conventional sponge without having to worry about scratching. And they are durable. We were wearing out a conventional sponge every two weeks or so, but our current wool sponge has been undergoing the same sort of use since August and is still going strong. And when it finally wears out we can compost it, or put it at the bottom of a houseplant pot.
They felt smaller with use, but the corners and edges remain the perfect tool for cleaning the funk out of travel mug gaskets.
Theses sponges are also a perfect example of the utility of the full range wool that different breeds of sheep produce. Look through any good book about sheep or fleece and you will come across a range of different ways that wool was used once upon a time; from the expected range of clothing, rugs, and blankets to the less remembered mattress stuffing and sailcloth (where wool has been superseded by plastic fibers and foams). As a strong supporter of “strong fleeces”, I really appreciate being able to replace something I loathe (plastic) with natural, renewable, carbon beneficial fiber that is often considered (these days) to be waste.
Even in you have no interest in the sponges, you should go to the Full Circle Wool website anyway. She has created an amazing, educational website with lots of information about Climate Beneficial Wool. Also - these. I’ll take two please!