However, one disadvantage of kitchen sponges is that they can also trap bacteria. This can make users sick. Cat litter is used in litter boxes and trays to absorb moisture from cat waste, and it also has applications for other spills, such as automotive fluids on your driveway, street or garage floor. Litters were formerly made of sands, but most are currently made from clay minerals.
Clays work better to absorb moisture, while preventing odors. A common clay used in litters is bentonite clay. The advantage of this litter variety is that when areas become moist, it clumps together. This makes it easier to clean, and it doesn't require changing as often as traditional clay-based litters.
Sponges are a ubiquitous tool of the modern world—and have been since the earliest days of mediterranean culture—but how much do you really know about the absorbent little helper riding your kitchen sink's rim? Until just recently, sponges the animal and sponges the domestic tool were one and the same. These ancient plant-like animals first appeared in the world's oceans some million years ago and are among the most basic forms of macroscopic aquatic life.
They possess no specialized organs—no lungs, gut, or brain—and both feed and breathe by filtering particles and oxygen from seawater pumped through its body cavities.
Composed of a material called spongin, sea sponges have been harvested and dried for human industry for thousands of years. Specifically, two species— Spongia oficinalis and Hippospongia canaliculata , which lack the hard calcium carbonate layer of other sponges, have been collected by free divers throughout the mediterranean since the age of the Greeks. Throughout history, sea sponges have been used for a myriad of applications—from padding Roman Centurion helmets to early canteens to municipal water filters—even contraceptives.
They were used so extensively that we nearly wiped out these species through rampant overfishing until the start of the 20th century. Demand was so high because sponges are fantastic at what they do. Since the animals are really about 66 percent empty space, they can intake enormous amounts of water. When dry, these holes are larger and more rigid, but as the block begins to saturate, the holes will shrink as the rest of the sponge swells.
A dry sponge allows water to flow in quickly, but will also cause more water to escape due to the big holes. As the holes shrink, the water has a more difficult time leaving due to the narrowed passageways, but it will also begin sticking to the other water molecules as well.
This is why a wet sponge will soak up more water than a dry one. The holes of a sponge act as absorption points as well as storage areas, and when water begins to enter, it will both cling to the vast surface area as well as absorb into the material.
If you compared the cheap sponge you use in your kitchen to that of a natural sea sponge, you would probably find that the sea sponge is more absorbent. Lower quality materials, thin construction, and lack of advanced design will render many synthetics inferior to their natural counterpart.
Most synthetic versions you are familiar with are made from cellulose or polyurethane foam, and are formed into rectangular blocks that mostly get used for cleaning. Natural varieties are mostly used for bathing or auto detailing due to their large size, and gentle touch, while synthetic ones get used mostly for soaking spills, light cleaning and other similar work.
When you compare the two, man made ones are usually more abrasive, and typically come in smaller uniform shapes. Companies can mass produce fake ones at a much lower cost, and they can also improve upon the cell structure to make it more dense and uniform in order to improve performance at the same time. Believe it or not, the most absorbent sponge does not even look like a sponge upon first glance. This is because it is constructed from a synthetic material that looks smooth to the naked eye.
A PVA Sponge will absorb way more water than any other you have ever used, so it easily out-soaks the competition. The soft and smooth material works just as described above, but it is just a bit more advanced than what you are used to.
PVA stands for Polyvinyl Alcohol, and it is a man made material that is designed to mimic the structure of a natural sea sponge. It is far more dense than your typical cellulose variety and it shows when you go to use it. When in contact with moisture, this powerful block will pull it in, and lock it in place. You can eliminate a huge spill by placing it in the middle and pressing down, or you can dry a wet surface with a single swipe without leaving behind spots or streaks.
Basically, whatever you are using a traditional sponge for now, you can use this one instead in order to make the job easier. We would not really recommend it for personal care, but any type of cleaning, drying or auto detailing task would be a perfect fit. Clean and dry at the same time with this incredible tool. Not only will it pull up and hold more moisture, it will also trap dirt and debris in larger quantities too.
Unlike regular sponges that may trap abrasive dirt to cause trouble later, this one picks it up, but then releases it easily when rinsed. The smoother material will not snag or drag like regular ones do, so sand and other small particles can not scratch surfaces as you wipe.
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