Original Spaghetti Scrub from Goodbye Detergent

An eco-friendly scrubber that's surprisingly effective

I'm always on the lookout for green cleaning products, whether they're made by environmentally responsible companies, or from natural ingredients, or that they simply last a long time, therefore reducing waste.

The company Goodbye Detergent caught my eye recently; their line of green cleaning tools are made from things like recycled plastic and natural materials like corncobs, walnut shells, peach pits and pumice stone. These heavy-duty scouring tools are designed to get your dishes and kitchen surfaces clean without detergents.

I tested the company's flagship product, the Original Spaghetti Scrub. At first glance, it looks like a tangle of strands of flexible sandpaper, held together at the top and bottom. The Gentle version that I tried is made of a cotton and polyester base that's coated with powdered peach pits. You're supposed to bunch the scrub up into a ball, moisten it, and get to work scrubbing.

I put it to the test with the ultimate cleaning job - a pot in which I made oatmeal that had been sitting out hardening for hours. Surprisingly, even without soaking, the Spaghetti Scrub was able to scour away much of the hardened gunk with a little elbow grease. Best of all, unlike my normal scrubber of choice (A Dobie sponge), the Spaghetti Scrub rinsed clean afterwards, and dried quickly.

As I've been using the Spaghetti Scrub on my dishes, I've noticed that it doesn't get smelly like a lot of kitchen sponges and scrubbers, probably because it dries so quickly. Also, its flexible shape makes it easy to clean crevices and corners.

One of Goodbye Detergent's selling points is that you're supposed to use the products without detergent; the abrasives in the scrubbers should be enough to get your dishes spotless. This seems fine with some things, but I certainly would think twice about not using detergents when cleaning up after bacteria-prone foods like poultry or other animal proteins. However, if you do use detergent (old habits die hard, after all), you probably will need far less than with other sponges; the Spaghetti Scrub seems to really hold its suds.

One of my main beefs with the product, though, is that the company has designed the Spaghetti Sponge in two versions: the Gentle is designed to be used on glass, wood, plastic and nonstick pans. The Coarse, made with corn cobs, is for metal cookware, sinks and grills. I wish there was a happy medium that would work on all surfaces - who wants to keep switching scrubbers depending on the task? (A representative for the company says that the Coarse version is still gentler than traditional metal-based scouring pads and can be used for nearly everything, but customers might want to have the Gentle version on hand for more delicate items)

The Original Spaghetti Scrub isn't as cheap as most commercia sponges - a two-pack can cost around $10 - but they do seem to be well-made and long-lasting. That, along with the eco-friendly benefits, makes it a product worth keeping by your sink.