Blueland Pop-up Sponge Review 2023 | Eco-friendly, zero-waste sponge
We tried Blueland’s pop-up sponge for 3 weeks, and here’s what we thought…
The Top Line: MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Pop-up Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made of FSC-certified plant cellulose. It’s also certified by EPA Safer Choice and Leaping Bunny. We do love that it arrives super flat and compact (1/5th the size of a regular sponge) and ‘pops up’ when you add water. We’ve used it for 3 weeks now and that sponge has stayed remarkably fresh — we haven’t even had to throw it in the dishwasher yet — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.
The Breakdown:
Cost & Products: $31 for a 9-pack or $21 if you subscribe to 6 sponges, delivering at the frequency that you prefer.
How ‘Clean’ Is This? Compostable FSC-certified plant cellulose, 100% plastic free, inks are water-based and VOC and APEO free, EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free). It also ships super flat, at 1/5th the size of a normal sponge.
Packaging: Came in paper cardboard box that also carried other Blueland products we had ordered.
Purchasing & Shipping: We purchased on the Blueland website.
What’s Your Impact? Sponges are a lower frequency purchase (when compared to other items like toilet paper) and already a small/light item, but we do appreciate that this sponge fully composts and there is no plastic whatsoever in it.
The Experience
Context: We have tried your average (extremely colorful) grocery store sponge, as well as more eco-friendly options from Grove Collaborative, Public Goods and Full Circle.
We love just how zero-waste this product is - Blueland, as always, goes the extra mile to make sure their products are as clean as possible
The sponge itself is lasting much longer than we expected — we were admittedly nervous since its a light blue color that could stain easily, but it hasn’t!
We really love the color. Its looks great even if we leave it out in view
The Cost
We compared the cost of Blueland’s Pop-up Sponge with a number of mainstream sponges like Scrub Daddy and Scotch-Brite, as well as ‘greener’ sponges by Grove Collaborative, Public Goods, and Full Circle.
Money Report: Blueland’s Pop-up Sponge is pricey, even when compared to other eco-friendly options. While we will continue to purchase for where the sponge may be in plain view (like the kitchen) because we really love the look and longevity of the sponge, we may opt for more cost conscious options for other rooms in our home. We will also experiment with cutting the sponges in half (as our hands are small anyway) and see how they fare.
The Good:
✔ Compostable FSC-certified plant cellulose, 100% plastic free
✔ EPA Safer Choice, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free)
✔ Inks are water-based and VOC and APEO free
✔ Ships super flat, at 1/5th the size of a normal sponge
✔ Vegan, gluten-free, soy and nut-free
The Bad:
✗ Pretty pricey but we will experiment with cutting the sponges in half
Our Recommendation: MOSTLY A BUY. We love Blueland’s commitment to zero plastic and it stays consistent with their Pop-up Sponge— no plastic in packaging, 100% plastic free and made of FSC-certified plant cellulose. It’s also certified by EPA Safer Choice and Leaping Bunny. We do love that it arrives super flat and compact (1/5th the size of a regular sponge) and ‘pops up’ when you add water. We’ve used it for 3 weeks now and that sponge has stayed remarkably fresh — we haven’t even had to throw it in the dishwasher yet — and we really like the light blue color, it’s way more aesthetically pleasing than many other sponges. Only complaint is that it is quite a bit more expensive than even other eco-friendly sponge options, but if we’re doing an order from Blueland, we’re happy to throw it in with our order.
We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!
