The $7 Find That Helps the Grossest Thing in My Kitchen Feel Less Disgusting

Usually office kitchens are sad and disgusting. The Apartment Therapy Media office kitchen? It’s actually downright delightful! It’s well-stocked, flooded with sunlight, easy on the eyes, and it’s always so clean — mostly because we’re a company full of home experts and because we have a wonderful office manager. (Hi, Quin!)

Our office kitchen is so clean, I didn’t flinch the other day when our Staff Writer ate a piece of popcorn off the counter (hi, Lauren!) and I don’t even mind touching our communal sponge (something I usually hate doing or thinking about). Quin is pretty diligent when it comes to changing out said sponge, but there’s also one other thing our kitchen has that keeps that sponge in decent shape between uses. After seeing it in use at the office, I decided to get one for my own kitchen at home.

I’d definitely seen these things before (hi, Bed Bath & Beyond!) — I just didn’t think they were necessary. My sponge can sit on the side of the sink, I always used to think. It can. But it can also sit in one of these little wire caddies!

The caddy suction cups to the side of the sink (meaning it doesn’t take up any counter space). And then when you squeeze out the sponge and drop it in the caddy after a cleaning session, it actually gets a chance to fully dry before I go to use it again. The wire allows air to circulate around the sponge, drying it out, which makes it harder for bacteria to grow.

I still change out my sponge every week or so, but this little $7 find makes it so that the sponge doesn’t feel totally gross by day six or seven. Upgrade alert: If you want to spend a little more money, you can get this same version in copper or even a sleek matte black.

Do you have a sponge holder? Is it something utilitarian like this or did you go for something fancier, like a handmade ceramic one from Etsy?