I’m not a neat freak by any means. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to keep a clean sink, yet I remain in an arduous cycle of emptying the dishwasher so I can empty the sink only to immediately refill the dishwasher and refill the sink…

But one thing I will not stand for is an icky sponge. When I do finally get around to washing the dishes, I want a clean sponge for the job. I can’t stand it when my sponge gets all mildewy. One of my biggest pet peeves is when the sponge is left waterlogged in the bottom of the sink.

There are so many uses for baking soda, from cleansing and deodorizing to beauty treatments. So many in fact, that one can get blurry-eyed reading through all of the lists and scanning all of the online slide shows. I can’t attest to them all, but this is one that I use on a regular basis. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Use a sauce pan and fill it 3/4 with water

2. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda

3. Bring to a boil

4. Throw in your sponge (make sure it gets fully immersed)

5. Let it boil for 3-5 minutes, then drain

6. Wait for it to cool before ringing out

That’s it! Your sponge will smell like new. I’ve been able to recycle one sponge up to three times.