Tough Sponge

[Ewan123]

This might be daft, but can anyone recommend a proper good type of sponge that can stand being outdoors without disintegrating? I find the yellow 🧽  jobs fall apart quite quickly and then I'm depositing bits of sponge in the canal with each use.

 

The intended use is mostly soaking up water from inside my canoe (not in large enough quantities to scoop, don't want to buy a kayak bilge hand-pump).

[Tony Brooks]

I suspect it may be caused by the sunlight, so can you keep it in a closed container of some sort? I find the ones with large holes like a natural sponge tend to shed bits far easier than the small hole foam ones.

[PD1964]

Maybe try a Water Sports forum, I’m sure there are better absorbing materials out there to soak up liquids than sponges 🧽 You could also try somewhere like Halfords(Chamois cloth)

Edited February 1, 2023 by PD1964

[magnetman]

Packaging foam they use for those enormous tellies is quite good. 

 

Egg box foam I think it's called. I have some I found by a bin.

 

 

[Ewan123]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

I suspect it may be caused by the sunlight, so can you keep it in a closed container of some sort? I find the ones with large holes like a natural sponge tend to shed bits far easier than the small hole foam ones.

I did try to with the last yellow one. It helped but still not all that long really.

56 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Packaging foam they use for those enormous tellies is quite good. 

 

Egg box foam I think it's called. I have some I found by a bin.

 

 

I'll keep an eye out thanks

 

56 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Packaging foam they use for those enormous tellies is quite good. 

 

Egg box foam I think it's called. I have some I found by a bin.

 

 

Good point

[Higgs]

One of these may help. When they become a bit old and loose their shape, you can cut the old one out, buy a cheap sponge, to fit that inside. 

 

Streetwize - Extra Tough Microfibre Car Wash Sponge - Machine Washable - Ideal For Cleaning: Cars, Interior, Wheels, Alloys and Motorcycles : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

 

Or, fit a sponge in a sock or something. 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Higgs

[magnetman]

This piqued my interest slightly and caused me to discover via Google image search that the foam I use for bailing one of my kayaks and a dinghy is actually acoustic foam. I thought it was packaging foam as I found it by a bin. 

 

It is this stuff. Probably the same as packaging foam but not necessarily. 

 

If you see any of this get it as it is brilliant for bailing out with. It holds endless amounts of water. I have been very impressed with this stuff. 

 

 

That image is from an eBay listing for acoustic foam. 

[Jon57]

1 hour ago, Ewan123 said:

This might be daft, but can anyone recommend a proper good type of sponge that can stand being outdoors without disintegrating? I find the yellow 🧽  jobs fall apart quite quickly and then I'm depositing bits of sponge in the canal with each use.

 

The intended use is mostly soaking up water from inside my canoe (not in large enough quantities to scoop, don't want to buy a kayak bilge hand-pump).

Old sofa cushion foam. 👍

[dmr]

I have this problem too. If your mission is to save the planet/less rubbish in the water then I can't help. For big yellow sponges, they sometimes crop up really cheaply in the "pound shop" type places, so just buy lots. For smaller sponges we use the sponge with abrasive side type things in the boat for washing up, when they are old they go outside for boaty jobs so get a secong (very short) lease of life before getting thrown away. They fail quickly and I also am concerned about all the little bits going into the cut.

[LadyG]

Decorators sponge is small but perfectly formed.

[Ianws]

5 hours ago, Ewan123 said:

This might be daft, but can anyone recommend a proper good type of sponge that can stand being outdoors without disintegrating? I find the yellow 🧽  jobs fall apart quite quickly and then I'm depositing bits of sponge in the canal with each use.

 

The intended use is mostly soaking up water from inside my canoe (not in large enough quantities to scoop, don't want to buy a kayak bilge hand-pump).

Would an absorbent towel and mop,  wring out and repeat, do the job? Slow but sustainable. 

[Ewan123]

7 hours ago, Ianws said:

Would an absorbent towel and mop,  wring out and repeat, do the job? Slow but sustainable. 

That might be it I think. Any plastic sponge will eventually deteriorate.

[Higgs]

8 minutes ago, Ewan123 said:

That might be it I think. Any plastic sponge will eventually deteriorate.

 

All you need do is wear those very absorbent swimming trunk some us had when we were kids, they hold buckets of water and end up around your knees. It was always much better, if you didn't get them wet, but they'd do the job. 😊

 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Higgs

[jonathanA]

I bought an Easi dri sort of artificial chamois for the car something like this:

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173003528978?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1ss8L54VcTU2TbR95LhBG0Q85&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=173003528978&targetid=1816181030139&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1007000&poi=&campaignid=19090194174&mkgroupid=147009364227&rlsatarget=pla-1816181030139&abcId=9303860&merchantid=137673671&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqJ33jbT2_AIVC4BQBh0KCwChEAQYAyABEgJgd_D_BwE

 

 

Seems to have lasted a fair few years cleaning my cars

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by jonathanA
Corrected link I hope

[Sea Dog]

I've had a common or garden car wash type sponge under the bench in my cratch for years so, whilst I have seen the sponge break up phenomenon before, I haven't had it on the boat. I can only assume it's a storage issue rather than that I've found a magic sponge. I'd start with avoiding UV as already suggested, cos it's hard to beat the ubiquitous (and cheap) big yellow oblong sponge for so many purposes, not least mopping up.

[Jon57]

5 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I've had a common or garden car wash type sponge under the bench in my cratch for years so, whilst I have seen the sponge break up phenomenon before, I haven't had it on the boat. I can only assume it's a storage issue rather than that I've found a magic sponge. I'd start with avoiding UV as already suggested, cos it's hard to beat the ubiquitous (and cheap) big yellow oblong sponge for so many purposes, not least mopping up.

And baby disposable nappies for the odd emergency. 

[magnetman]

3 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

And baby disposable nappies for the odd emergency. 

Or if in a real emergency adult disposable nappies can be used. 

 

 

As for the thread title I keep reading it as some sort of admonishment but it doesn't quite work. 

 

[Jon57]

6 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Or if in a real emergency adult disposable nappies can be used. 

 

 

As for the thread title I keep reading it as some sort of admonishment but it doesn't quite work. 

 

I'll exchange you a Tenna for an adult nappy 👍

[BEngo]

Try a cellulose sponge.  Halfords sell them,  or did,  but no doubt they are on the net. They are dearer than the bright yellow type, but wonderfully absorbent, last well and even survive oil. 

 

They go hard when dry but soften up as soon as they are wet.

 

N

[Lily Rose]

1 hour ago, BEngo said:

Try a cellulose sponge.  Halfords sell them,  or did,  but no doubt they are on the net. They are dearer than the bright yellow type, but wonderfully absorbent, last well and even survive oil. 

 

They go hard when dry but soften up as soon as they are wet.

 

N

 

Agreed. 

 

Also known as hydrophilic sponges. I've had one on my boat for years to use for window condensation.

 

I've recently bought several more (sponges and cloths) for the house. Brand name is Spunj. These and other brands and non-branded are easily available on eBay and Amazon but if your nearest B&M stocks them then they are probably cheaper at £1.49 each.

 

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/spunj-ultra-thirsty-sponge-371230

 

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/spunj-ultra-thirsty-sponge-cloth-371231

 

They need to be stored in a bag so they stay moist. Not completely airtight though or it may go smelly. If they dry out they go hard and need to be left in water for a while to become absorbent again.

 

[magnetman]

What would happen to one of these if left in a canoe? This is what the OP wants it for. 

[rusty69]

I have a hole in the bottom of my canoe that let the water drain out. 

[magnetman]

I have a hole in my canoe that let the water drain in. 

It was the exist for a prop shaft when I converted it into a wonderful electric powered duck punt. The ducks have gone and the boat is on the canal bed. 

[Lily Rose]

1 minute ago, magnetman said:

What would happen to one of these if left in a canoe? This is what the OP wants it for. 

 

Dunno but it's worth trying at only £1.49.

 

I would imagine that if it's in a bag to keep it moist, and kept out of sunlight/UV rays, it will be just fine. The very old one on my boat (not Spunj brand) is kept in the plastic container (with a small hole to let air in) it came in and is probably at least 15 years old. It has never dried out, never smells and still works fine. No sign of disintegration.

 

[BEngo]

One of mine lives in the engine bilge.  Does the weekly mop out of recip waterpump gland drips.  Rarely, if ever, dries out.

The other lives on  the weed hatch, handy for mopping up the annoying dribbles off the bottom plate.  This one regularly dries out, but soon gets soft after I dip it in the cut down the hole.

I can't see why there should be a problem in a canoe or a kayak.

 

N