Sea Sponge - Grout Sponge

C

CharlesW

The Rainmaker
It's been a while since we had a discussion on sponges and I thought some of you might have more comments by now.

I have been using a sea sponge for some time and have been happy with it.
After reading where several people have used grout sponges, I figured I would try one.
It was interesting to me that I really haven't seen any wash induced marring from any of the wash tools I have used.
I definitely have noticed a difference in price and I'm not 100% sure that the price difference is reflected in the performance.
Some of the products I have tried are listed in no particular order with the approximate price paid.

100% cotton chenille mitt. $5 Hard to find 100% cotton ones.

100% cotton chenille covered sponge, sometimes called a wash pad. $4 Also hard to find.

Sheepskin mitt. From $5 to $9

Microfiber wash mitt. $5

The Schmitt. $12

Sea Sponge. $20

Grout Sponge. $2 or possibly $3

Recently I have been using a lot of DP's 4 in 1 rinseless wash with the sea sponge or a grout sponge. Since I don't seem to be having any marring problems with either product, I'm not sure the sea sponge will be worth 10 times as much to me the next time I'm in the market for a sponge.

Comments?

Charles
 
I'm a sea sponge and sheep skin mit user and I've been hesitant to try the grout sponge. I know that a good sea sponge will last a life time if taken care of, and a sheep skin mit only lasts me a year or less. I would like to know how well the grout sponge is holding up for the people that are using them. I've been able to get pretty good sea sponges for $8-$12 dollars by shopping around, and I recently noticed a good deal on some in the paint section of my local Lowes store. They had some very small ones for use with textured paint, but they also had a box full of larger ones that I think were under $10. I didn't buy any because I have a good supply so I can't speak about their quality, but I'll check them out again the next time I'm in the store..
 
CharlesW said:
Comments?

Charles
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GearHead_1 said:
Yeah, I should try a grout sponge.:D
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I agree... I'll have to try some out

-I like my sea sponge but I'm going to order a larger one sometime

-I haven't used lambswool pad in a long time...

-The shmitt is what I've been using... its doing well

-Lake Country is releasing a new mitt: Ulti-Mit which I will need to test out as well...

-I had an old chenille mitt a few years ago that was actually very nice and held up really well...

-Microfiber mitts or brushes never sparked my interests....
 
GearHead_1 said:
Yeah, I should try a grout sponge.:D
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The Chee said:
What is a grout sponge? :hmmm:
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budman3 said:
I agree... I'll have to try some out
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Chee: A "Grout Sponge" is a synthetic sponge with rounded corners that is used to apply and cleanup the grout that is used with ceramic tile. It's sold at building supply stores and hardware stores in the U.S. If you don't have them in your part of the world, maybe you know someone in the States that could send one to you.

Those of you considering trying the grout sponge: Try it on a small area first and make sure you are satisfied that it doesn't mar your finish.
Also, any sponge should be thoroughly wet before using it. I soak mine in my rinse bucket before using it with the soap solution.
In fact, I soak all my washing tools before use.

Charles
 
I buy the grout sponges by the dozen..I have find that they are real absorbent when washing, wiping up..best applicator for tire shine stuff that I have ever used...they are cheap in comparison to other applicators, so throwing one away doesn't hurt.....you can get them in different sizes and shapes

Lowe's has them for about $3.00 each

I got introduced to them from a customer of mine that is a title layer...had one in his work truck I was detailing and thought this looks of use....that was about two years ago
 
pogo123 said:
I know that a good sea sponge will last a life time if taken care of, and a sheep skin mit only lasts me a year or less. I would like to know how well the grout sponge is holding up for the people that are using them.
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Good points. My sea sponge doesn't show any wear at all, but it is difficult to tell for sure since it has such an irregular shape to start with.
My grout sponge has a few nicks or cuts and I wonder if they will tend to hold dirt in them since the cuts close up when the sponge is not being squeezed.
:dunno:
Charles
 
It's really cheap if you buy in bulk, you could even throw away after each usage. :notme:
 

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I may try a Sea sponge has always been curious.

I have heard that a Grout Sponge needs to be bought individualy and not wrapped in platic but those are the only ones I can find at Home Depot will also look at those real Sea sponges on the paint section.

> how do rinse those sponges out they probably hold soap and water like nothing else rinsing it out would be a a pain.

mongo
 
mongo said:
I have heard that a Grout Sponge needs to be bought individualy and not wrapped in platic but those are the only ones I can find at Home Depot will also look at those real Sea sponges on the paint section.
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The only grout sponges I have seen have been wrapped. I have also heard that the bulk ones are better quality, but being wrapped or not doesn't seem to me to be a mark of quality.
Sea sponges are also of differing qualities or so I have been told. I ended up ordering a large Acme Sea Wool Sponge on the advice of another member.

mongo said:
> how do rinse those sponges out they probably hold soap and water like nothing else rinsing it out would be a a pain.

mongo
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The grout sponge does retain soap and water and requires more squeezing to rinse it clean. If you compare the sea sponge to the grout sponge, you will see why. The grout sponge is much more dense. Neither one is difficult to clean, though.
In use, both sponges seem to hold lots of wash solution with the sea sponge tending to drip a little more. The grout sponge needs to be squeezed a little to have the wash solution released on the vehicle.
Both seem to work good, it's just a slightly different method of use.
As I mentioned earlier, my grout sponge is showing some nicks and cuts while the sea sponge still looks like the day I bought it. If I were to have to choose buying the grout sponge for $2 or less and paying $20 for the sea sponge, I would probably buy the sea sponge. :crazy:

Charles
 
CharlesW said:
I were to have to choose buying the grout sponge for $2 or less and paying $20 for the sea sponge, I would probably buy the sea sponge. :crazy:
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Charles we must both be crazy. I too have not regretted spending $20 for my Sea Sponges. I use them all the time and like them alot. I still intend trying a grout sponge.
 
I picked up a grout sponge a year or so ago based on a post by Mike Phillips (IIRC). While it works fine for paint washing, I still prefer my sea sponges, sheepskin mitts, or chenille sponges. But what a grout sponge is particularly excellent at is washing your windows (including those on your house). As already mentioned they hold copious amounts of soap and water, and also takes a bit of rinsing to get the soap out. Once rinsed it makes a nice first pass when it is time to dry the glass.
 
I picked up a sea sponge about a month ago, and will never stop using it...I wonder why I had never made the investment before.
 
how do you preclean a Natural sea wool sponge to get all the shells and items out of it.

also how do keep it clean just rinse it out with water or wash it some shampoo?

aslo can you order from hpassociates.com

thanx mongo
 
The Chee said:
Charles you still using grout sponge or move on to something else? :howdy
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Using the grout sponge would not be a problem, but I seem to use the sea sponge most/all of the time.
It is probably just a personal preference thing since I had no problems using the grout sponges.
The sea sponge still looks new after several months of use.

It was mentioned earlier in this thread that I must be crazy. To back up that statement, I have new and unused:
2- good sheepskin mitts.
2- ShMITTs
1- Meg's MF wash mitt.
The sea sponge keeps them on the shelf. It has worked good enough that I haven't even tried the others.

Charles
(aka as Crazy Charlie) :D
 
pogo123 said:
I washed mine out by hand first and then just washed it in the washing machine (a tip from someone else on DC). Some come pre-cleaned very well, and some need alot of cleaning. I bought one of mine from Autogeek but I got my best one from Victoria Wax. I think it was about $16.00 before shipping. I posted my Autogeek sponge cleaning pictures in this thread:
http://www.detailcity.org/forums/car-wash-soap-accessories/16716-natural-sea-sponge.html
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Home depot here in Toronto sells them very cheap but I stay away from them because of that picture you had in your original post showing all the dust like ground sea shell that was trapped in the sponge.
 
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