I ditched gross kitchen sponges years ago, and have been using (and loving) Swedish dishcloths instead (you can read more about them in this post!). But for tougher jobs – and I clean a lot of dishes throughout the day – I swear by my nylon scrubbies. They get the job done without scratching my good pots and pans, and are gentle enough to use on my vast collection of vintage dishware.

A combination product like the OXO Good Grips Soap Dispensing Dish Brush helps keep your sink area looking neater, as you don't have to fuss with your dish soap bottle every time you do dishes. Simply fill the handle from the bottom and press a button to squirt out the perfect amount of soap for the job. Once you're finished, the brush can be propped up in a sink caddy or hung to dry using the hole in the handle. It even has a second—and much smaller—brush that nests inside the other to give bottle nipples a good clean. As such, this scrubber is obviously most ideal for baby bottles, but it can clean delicate stemware, too. And although you might miss some of the extra power an electric scrubber lends if you have a ton of buildup, the sponge on this tool is heavy-duty enough to get that extra friction you need to lift stubborn marks like soap scum along your shower's glass walls. It’s also uniquely shaped and pivots to clean at different angles and in tight corners, which is smart especially if you are on the shorter side and your shower walls are tall. According to Marilee Nelson is a cleaning expert, environmental consultant, certified building biologist, and co-founder of Branch Basics, to clean any dish scrubber without the dishwasher, simply soak it in vinegar and a few drops of dish soap for an hour or more. If desired, follow in a soak in 3 percent hydrogen peroxide for five minutes. Rinse in hot water and place where the scrubber can air dry.Reduce or eliminate the water in the cleaner to make a more powerful agent. You can also use this cleaner as a post-shower spray. Just spray your shower tiles after you use the shower each day to protect them against new mold growth. Vinegar is one of the best cleaning products you have in your pantry. It is perfect for cleaning because it contains acetic acid, a mild acid, which is an agent that slowly eats away at organic matter. Pre-treat any especially moldy spots with a dab of detergent before the wash. Hang the cleaned clothes to dry outside for extra mold removal power. Cleaning Mold with Vinegar and Baking Soda If you’ve got a bunch of nylon net produce bags lying around I’m going to show you how to make a nylon scrubber – it’s so easy!

If there’s any downside, it’s that the brush is relatively heavy compared to others—particularly manual models. The brush weighs nearly 4 pounds, which may lead to fatigue, especially when you’re cleaning hard-to-reach areas with the telescoping handle. Storage shouldn’t be an issue, though—the kit comes with a hook, so you can easily hang the whole thing up when you’re done. When you have months and months of soap scum and buildup to contend with, you need something exceptionally powerful to get the job done. We love that this electric scrubber has a 450 RPM motor that works harder and faster than most. It also has a handy telescoping wand that adjusts from 27 to 47 inches, as well as a brush head that can be adjusted to 90, 135, or 180 degrees to ensure every inch—even the hard-to-reach—of your bathroom is sparkling.This makes cleaning that much easier (and will save your knees from kneeling), which is a huge win in our book. The set comes with four cleaning brushes suitable for a wide range of tasks: a dome brush for tubs and sinks, a wide flat brush for glass doors, a small flat brush for grout lines, and a corner brush for crevices. And each one works at a speed of 380 RPM to give you more power without the effort. You’ll never have to stop mid-task, either. The built-in battery reaches a full charge in just 3.5 hours and runs continuously for a full 90 minutes—totally sufficient for more than one bathroom. No need to run to the shop to buy anything – the whole point here is to keep it simple and use what you have in your home. Here’s all you need to make the scrubber: It’s essential to understand when you can clean on your own and when it’s okay and even necessary to call for help. The amount of mold with which you’re dealing has a lot of influence on whether you can handle it by yourself or not.

The brushes are made from a mix of food-grade stainless steel and nylon, and the bristles are safe to use even on softer plastic surfaces. It can be a bit hard to grip the handle of them, but otherwise they are an efficient way to keep your drinkware's accessories clean. Your instinct as a homeowner is to take care of any house-related issues on your own. Being a self-sufficient homemaker is a fantastic skill to have, but there are times when you need to nod to reality and call for a professional for assistance. If you’re dealing with an item of clothing that stays moldy no matter how many times you send it through the wash, give bleach a try. Chlorine bleach is exceptionally effective against mold, but it will discolor and damage dark clothing. Combine the liquid ingredients in a spray bottle, and spray down any moldy areas. Let the vinegar work on the mold for at least five minutes, then scrub at the mold with a nylon scrubber. Wipe the surface clean when the mold is gone. Repeat as necessary.

Each item in the set is lightweight and ergonomically-designed so it's easier to hold, leading to less fatigue and stress on your body when scrubbing hard. You can expect these brushes to be very comfortable in hand—despite the extra work the manual design imposes on you. Scrub at the mold with a nylon scrubber to get the surface clean. Respray as needed, and wipe down the surface after you obliterate the mold. How to Clean Mold – Heavy-Duty RecipesWe’ve found that sometimes simple is best—especially when it comes to the tough areas of your shower. This extendable rod—which adjusts from 26 to 42 inches—has a large, flat sponge attached to it and weighs less than half a pound, so your arms won’t tire halfway through the job. When you set out to start mold remediation, you should take a minimalist approach to your cleaning recipes. Try to use only as much cleaning power as is necessary to get the job done and no more; powerful cleaners can harm the surface you’re cleaning. That’s why it’s best to begin any attempt at getting mold out of carpet or other surfaces with a gentle cleaning recipe. If you're frequently dipping metal or plastic reusable straws into smoothies, iced coffee, and matcha, you should also be frequently cleaning those straws (like, after every use). You have to clean reusable straws, or that slender tube can become quite the home for gunk. These dishwasher-safe brushes are all about 8 inches long, with heads that come in two different sizes. The 8-millimeter brush works well for narrower metal straws, while the 10-millimeter one is best for plastic smoothie straws and the ones that come with water bottles. I don’t know about you but winter always finds me flush with those nylon netting produce bags – from clementines, onions and so many potatoes. I usually just throw them away but then I came across a cute DIY that I had to share!

Our favorite dish scrubbers are these silicone sponges from Lubrima because they're non-porous, so they don't hang onto smells the way foam and cellulose sponges do. Plus, these scrubbers are eco-friendly thanks to their silicone design. You'll only need to replace them every few months when they start to fall apart, and you can clean your sponges in your dishwasher until then. Some scrubbers are dishwasher safe, while others are not. However, you will want to clean your scrubber, or swap it out every once in a while, to minimize germs that may have built up on it. To find out whether your scrubber is dishwasher-safe, follow the company's cleaning tips. Many go into the dishwasher. Depending on the material, you can try soaking it in a weak bleach solution, too, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

Now take that bag you put aside and wrap it around your rectangle. I had a smallish bag that was still intact so I was able to put the rectangle right inside and fold the edge over. Use your needle and thread to simply sew the edge shut (this is very easy, promise! I don’t sew!), fold it over and scrub away! These scrubbers also don't create suds as well as other options, but are still effective at their job of removing food and dirt from your dishes. We also like that they don't grow germs as easily as porous sponges. These scrubbers also won't scratch your delicate pots and plates like some heavy duty scrubbers can. Overall, we think these silicone dish scrubbers are a great option for consumers who frequently hand-wash their dishes because they don't hold onto smells and germs like traditional sponges. If you’ve given the basic recipes a shot but still have issues with mold, it’s time to move on to some more robust cleaning options. There are lots of advanced mold removal solutions you can use to clean away mold that include vinegar, baking soda, or both. Cleaning mold off the ceiling with vinegar and baking soda is easy. In this section, you’ll find fantastic recipes for mold cleaners that take advantage of the cleaning power of these two household superheroes. After trying them for yourself, you’ll wonder how you managed without them. Make the Mold Vanish with Vinegar