The One-Second Trick That Doubles The Life Of Your Kitchen Sponge

With costs perpetually on the rise these days, many people are looking for ways to save money any way they can, on everything but the kitchen sink. Well, that old nugget just doesn't apply here, because even dish sponges are up for the hacking if it means saving some cash. And "hacking" is exactly what some thrifty shoppers are doing to extend the life of their kitchen sponges. In fact, this one-second trick is so simple you'll kick yourself for not thinking of it sooner — cut the sponge in half. Yes, "hack," it in two, literally. Just take a pair of sharp scissors and clip that sponge widthwise in two. Now you've got two sponges. When the first one is all used up, simply take out the second sponge.

Skeptical? Take it from this frugal Redditor who started a post titled, "Does anyone else cut new kitchen sponges in half, or is it just me?" Humble bragging that they'd already been using this tip for years, doubling the life of each sponge. "New sponges are so large and you don't miss the other half once you've cut it off!" they wrote. "When we travel to rentals we always think it's weird using a full-sized sponge now."

It's a tip that extends to scouring pads too, but even better. "I cut my scouring pads in thirds. I have small hands and thirds are easier to hang on to than halves," explained another commenter on the thread.

Saving on sponges can start at the store. Instead of buying the higher-priced name brand sponges, opt for larger packs of generics (or hit up a dollar store for similar quality at a lower cost). You can also extend their life by learning the eight best ways to clean and sanitize your kitchen sponge.

Once your half-sponge is no longer fit for food safety, repurpose it for cleaning non-food-prep surfaces by microwaving it to kill bacteria and then snipping off just one corner of your kitchen sponge. As one Redditor explained: "When I retire a sponge from the counter, I cut a corner off to indicate it's no longer suitable for counters. These can be used for floors or bathroom sinks or wherever." This is a money saver, especially for those who usually use brand new sponges exclusively for cleaning.

Apply the same principle to dish soap via dilution — a switch that can yield up to three times as much. All you need is an empty dispenser to fill with 1:3 ration of dish soap to water. The soap works just as well because the primary factor in removing grease and debris from dirty dishes, as well as killing harmful bacteria, is how hot the water is. These slight changes may not seem like much, but they can really help shift your mentality. Start with small shifts and soon you'll be spotting all the other ways to save. Over time, these little savings start to really stack up.