apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

yes, it looks very nice and modern but how would you keep it clean? would this be yet another thing with fingerprints on it? (you might say, i am over stainless) i say either stick your sponges in the dishwasher or get a plastic sponge holder that you can 'hide' in your sink basin.

I use a cylindrical metal kitchen utensil holder from IKEA. It looks similar to the above caddy, just a different shape. I use handle sponges so they're easy to grab.

I set mine in a cute soap dish with the raised little bumps so it can dry out.

I too use a soap dish. This smart stainless number with drainage holes:

http://www.amazon.com/Steeltek-Basic-Rectangular-Stainless-Steel-Soap/dp/customer-reviews/B0006A0306

Every so often I just need to clean out the holder. It's always a surprise how it looks under the drainplate...

If you've taken as much food safety classes as I have, you would never, ever, not in a million years use a sponge again. Unless you kept it soaking in bleach solution when not in use, which destroys them quickly. Even "dry" these things are like a giant petri dish. They are the ideal home for harmful bacteria. Salmonella, staph, e coli all can lurk in your sponge.

Myself, I have a huge drawer full of dish towels. I use them once. If I'm using them to wipe or wash something like meat, I grab a fresh one. When I'm done, I put the towel in a tote bag I keep on the kitchen door just for this purpose. About once a week I wash them with a little bleach. The only thing nearly as gross as a sponge is a wash rag hung over the sink to dry and be used again.

I have a brightly colored kitchen, so I used a toucan shaped scrubby holder like this one:

http://www.brightandbold.com/toscho.html

However, when I went to grab the photo just now, I noticed they also have some interesting hemp WASHABLE turtle shaped scrubbers... which to me is a good thing because I can toss them in the laundry and get rid of germs as often as I'd like...most sponges you can't do that with.

The hemp turtles are here:

http://www.brightandbold.com/hetusc.html

I bought a small metal basket in the bathroom section at ikea that I keep soap, lotion, & dishbrush in, and also a matching suction cupped soap holder which I attached to it to hold the sponge. It hangs over the sink so if it drips, no biggie. Perfect.

Can anyone recommend what else to use thats not a sponge? If they're so bad I'd like to use something else if possible. I use a dishrag for wiping counters, and the sponge or brush for washing non-dishwasher things...