Pura Naturals Ever-Fresh Cleaning Sponges. Stay Fresh Mildew-Free Scent! Eco Kitchen/Household/Dish Sponges w/Walnut Scrubbers. 40x More Durable. (6-Pack | 48 Hour Infused Soap Blast)

In no way was I paid or compensated for this review. Just having some fun.My wife always leaves water in the dish sponge. A lot. I asked her why. She says she doesn't know. I wring out the sponge when I am done cleaning dishes. There might be a little soap foam left, but I figure it might kill off some of the stink germs caused by someone else. Gufus and Gallant in our own home...So a week after a new sponge it starts to stink. And the grumbling starts. Those Chore Boys aren't cheap.Tried to kill the germs by cooking in the microwave. Didn't work. Someone said to put them in the dishwasher. That's silly. Those sponges aren't going to scrub the dishes any cleaner.So I was wrapping up a 'looking through Amazon for a few hours and I don't know why session', but under the Customers Also Purchased appeared an abstract shape courtesy the fine folks at Pura Naturals.I was very curious. It looks cool. What could it be?One poke later I saw what could only be described as a miracle product!Cleaning sponges that won't stink! Natural components! Pre-filled with soap! In an artfully arranged pile!!!Just what we need that I never knew existed.So I bit. Went for the soap filled six pack. We have soap, but I bought it anyway.I left one next to the festering Chore Boy to see how long it would take for my wife to use. She didn't so I did. Then I extolled the virtues of the Para Naturals kitchen cleaning sponge. Personally, I was taken with how cool the soap looks filling the little holes.Suddenly, this scientific breakthrough was in heavy rotation. Soon the soap was used up and the walnut shell/recycled plastic scrubby was losing its grip. That was ok cause we have soap and the sponge is no slouch in the scrubbing department. We got a few more days use and magically a brand new soap filled sponge appeared next to the sink.WAIT! As of this writing they are out of stock. Why am I bothering to compose this review? You can still find these under another listing.No idea what the sponge part is made from, but the material was developed in the International Space Station. A Russian-American collaboration much like the Apollo-Soyuz mission where warring nations stowed their mutual paranoia in the interest of science and space exploration. The ISS needed a very strong material the astronauts could use while cleaning the outside of the ISS. True story. You see, outer space is very dirty. Dirt being the main component of dark matter and this dark matter clings to most of the universe. Spacecraft in particular. They're going to need a stockpile when spacecraft start heading to Mars, then a lot more on Mars cause of all those dust storms. Nobody likes seeing a filthy astronaut.Ok, science lesson over.We've already discussed the scrubby material. Who would've thought to use ground up walnut shells? All those years we've been throwing them away. We should have been paying attention to seeing what squirrels do with them.And recycling plastic? Don't get me started. Para Naturals could start making sponges from now to the end of human time and there would still be a plastic island somewhere.People, do your part and buy these sponges! We need to get rid of all this ignored plastic! Don't be part of the problem! Throw your trash in the proper recycling bin and it will be part of the solution! (and part of a great sponge)You will have to dispose properly of the no longer needed, still loved, but impossible to fulfill its primary mission sponge. Throwing it from a moving vehicle will lead to a future Sponge Island. The Sponge repels water and never biodegrades. It could possibly float around for a few billion years. Nobody needs that.Now the soap:Feels nice, cleans great. Biodegradable components make the soap. That's all they're telling us. Something about proprietary...Hope I've entertained as well as educated.Thank You

I wanted to make sure I spent some time using these sponges so I could give a concise review. I purchased the blue 6-pack for $17.95 and I am currently using sponge #4.The good: I love that they are eco-friendly and natural. As promised, they do no stink even after a month of use. Pretty good quality, and it's neat that they have some soap built into them that lasts for a couple days of washes (2 people, hand washing dishes). I also really like the design of the leaf-shaped sponge for cleaning glasses & coffee mugs.The less good: The soap in the sponges is just OK. It smells great and works alright, but I feel like it leaves behind some type of film. I think the walnut shells are superfluous... they don't seem to add any extra scrubbing/cleaning quality, and the just fall off into whatever dish I'm cleaning at the time. I'm not sure these sponges are worth the $18 for a 6-pack; $3 per sponge. I think you can find other eco-sponges for much cheaper, that do a similar if not equal job of cleaning. They do in inhibit bacteria which is great, but honestly the scrubby side dissolves/wears off at about the same pace you would get the 'smelly sponge' affect, so I found myself replacing them as often as I would a normal sponge anyway. As far as the built-in soap goes, you are going to need to use dish soap after a day or 2 anyway so in my opinion, it's not really necessary or worth the extra price either (although my husband LOVES the built-in soap, so maybe for a guy it's totally worth it, even if it only lasts a couple days).Conclusion: If these sponges were priced just a bit above their competitors, the "extra" features would be worth it, but I just don't feel like they are worth the current price point that they are at. BUT, I love seeing new eco-products, and especially new eco-friendly VEGAN products, which I why I gave 4 stars instead of 3, because it's worth it to *me* to support companies that are doing right by the world. :)

I have been buying and using these sponges for probably close to a year and a half, maybe even two years. I have yet to find another sponge that does not smell after a few days of use. We have a large family and a lot of dishes etc. and this sponge gets used multiple times a day and after a month, there’s still no odor. My only issue is the side with the scrubber on it. It seems to start to pull away from the sponge very quickly. And then gets wore out after that rather fast. But, I have another scrubber that I use for stuck on messes if needed , so that’s not an issue that would keep me from buying these. I hate the odor a regular sponge has and leaves on whatever your using it on , and also leaves an odor on your hands after use. This sponge DOES NOT do that and I will continue to buy them, and would encourage you to give them a try. If that awful odor bothers you as much as me not to mention the germs that go with it, then you won’t be disappointed in getting these.

Here goes another review for a cleaning product. I mean really, how many does one need to read before deciding that all important question: to buy or not to buy? Many have complained about having the walnut scrubby side falling off fairly quickly. Yes it does. Also many complain that the soap doesn't last. No it doesn't. But they make a set without soap. Now here's where they still are the best. Just throw away the scrubby piece that came off, add your own soap when the embedded soap is gone, and keep using the sponge. Since they are currently unavailable I've hung on to my last one and I'm still using it after 6. Yes 6 months! No stink, still works great even though the scrubby layer has peeled away and I have to add my own dish soap. So stop throwing them away so quickly, they really do last a very very very long time. That makes their price well worth paying!