Eliminate ‘Grout Pout’ With The Red Devil Hydra Sponge
Written: Feb 21 '03 (Updated Jan 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Makes quick work of spills, a must have for touching up tile or grout.
Cons: Will retain a horrid smell if not rinsed well and allowed to completely dry.
The Bottom Line: More than just a tile and grout sponge, this has more household uses than you could ever possibly imagine.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Red Devil Large Hydra Sponge 2921 |
Insomnia has its advantages, especially when everyone else is asleep, the laundry is done and you have the computer all to yourself. Imagine my surprise when I came across the Red Devil Large Hydra Sponge listed in the Home & Garden section of the site – more to the point – listed in the Housewares category. Did you ever think you would see a review on a grout sponge? Well, I am here to tell you that this is for more than just cleaning up freshly placed tile and removing excess grout. I’ve found more uses for this sponge around the house than I care to admit – I do have a “freak” reputation to uphold here. One Martha Stewart joke and it’s all over ….
What Is It?
The Red Devil Large Hydra Sponge is a bit different than your average, run of the mill cleaning sponge. It is marketed as “the perfect” sponge to use when cleaning up excess grout [that has been allowed to properly set] from freshly laid tile. Since it is on the large side it can shave off some time from the clean up of home repairs as well as insuring that all the leftover grout is thoroughly removed. The size is what makes it great for both large and small jobs around the house. Measuring about six inches long, two inches high and five inches wide it can tackle large rooms as well as small craft projects. This shouldn’t be confused with the extra large size that measures eight inches in length, three inches high and six and a half inches wide. We’re dealing with the “large” one here and I’ll explain later why bigger isn’t always better.
Grout Removal
If you are planning on retiling an area in your house make sure you pick up one or two of these in advance. They will make the clean up process a lot easier on your back, arms and legs. Make sure you read the grout manufacturers instructions on how long it needs to cure / set up before you start to do the clean up of the left over material. Don’t get freaked out if you see a haze on your hard work – that’s normal. I have only worked in small areas with tile and grout and this sponge was a real God send when it came time to clean up. It removed the grout with ease and when rinsed under the tap, it didn’t take forever to get a clear stream.
I recently purchased some old wooden side tables at a garage sale, stripped them and made use of my mother in laws wedding present – some of the tackiest, most gaud awful dinner plates you could ever imagine. Breaking them to bits, I used a nice thick base of grout and started making my own design on the top of the table. After letting this set for twice the recommended amount of time [due to the thick under-layer] I used this sponge to clean up the grout that was uneven after pressing the pieces into place as well as to make sure that the surface was as even as possible. Because of the size of the sponge it was easy to maneuver around the edges as well as through the middle of the tables. Gripping the sponge while working on smaller project isn’t hard and you won’t get hand cramps from using this. I suggest that you don’t try to wring this sponge to get out grout or dirt, this damages the fibers and will result in less absorbency. That is just my personal experience with this so if you have conflicting information or wish to corroborate my statement, feel free to do so in the comment section.
Other Uses
This works great for washing vehicles, cleaning up large spills, washing walls that have a semi gloss paint [especially to remove crayon] and for craft projects. Since this sponge is pretty dense and the pores are very small you can cut it easily with a serrated knife if you want to use this for adding texture to walls when painting. I suggest laying this on its side and trying to make a straight a line as possible when cutting. From there you can either cut out designs [stars, circles, squares etc] or use it as is to apply paint to achieve a textured effect.
The Size Factor
Don’t be intimidated by the size of this sponge or think that it is too big for you to use. Even those with small dainty hands will have no trouble using this regardless of the application or task at hand. Since this has rounded corners instead of the block style sponges it allows you to smooth over areas that are uneven which is great for those who have older houses with rooms that aren’t perfectly square. Most of the time when this occurs you’ll need to cut tile to fit into the corners, having a large sponge like this allows you to create a surface that is as even as possible – even when the circumstances surrounding the placement of tile and grout is tricky. I have one sponge that I use just for cleaning up caulking when I need to touch up the back splash in the kitchen, kitchen counter top or tiles and surrounding moldings in the showers. Make sure that you use rinse the sponge well after using it to clean up caulking or you’ll end up with a ruined sponge.
You may need to purchase a small sponge to get under bathroom vanities, into tight corners or to clean up grout from behind the toilet. Instead of purchasing a smaller sponge I simply cut one of the larger ones into sections and used the other pieces in the kitchen or garage. When I saw the prices on the smaller sponges I had to laugh – most of them were the same price as this one or more so the five minutes I spent cutting the sponge up was well worth it.
Cost
These run about $3.00 to $4.00 and can be found at most retail goods stores that have a small automotive section. I came across this one first at Target right next to the car wax but have since found it and purchased it from hardware stores. Most home improvement places will carry a variety of sizes but I have found this one to be the best since it eliminates a lot of wasted time. If you are having trouble finding a retail location that sells this product you can check the Red Devil website for stores that carry the product line. I think that this sponge is well worth the suggest retail price because it allows you to clean up quicker, lasts a long time if taken care of and is easy to work with. http://www.reddevil.com/locator.cfm
Clean Up
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t suggest wringing out this sponge when you are done with it. I have gotten into a habit of rinsing it under the tap until the water runs clean, pressing it against the side of the sink to remove the bulk of the water then shaking it out a little. I prefer to toss this in the dish holder over the sink until it is completely dry. You can squeeze the sponge when you are in the middle of a project to remove the grout or dirt but wringing it tightly seems to severely impact the absorbency of the sponge over time. When cleaning up any type of paint – time is the key factor in getting it out of the sponge. If it starts to dry on it chances are you won’t be able to get it out. I’ve used this to clean up water based kids paint and had no trouble getting all the paint out of the sponge
The Bottom Line
I highly suggest this when you need to clean up any sized area after new tile has been laid. It can also be used for household cleaning, soaking up large spills, getting stains out of carpeting, removing pet stains and automotive care. If you try this out and like it you might want to purchase several of them and use them for specific purposes. No matter how much you rinse a sponge [of any kind] there is a chance that grout could be left over in the sponge – that isn’t something you want around you sparkling paint job on your vehicle. Since these are relatively inexpensive picking up several of them won’t break the bank and might just cut your cleaning time in half.
To see all the great products from Red Devil, please visit their website at http://www.reddevil.com/product.cfm
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Need some cleaning supplies for your Red Devil?
Easy Off Heat Activated Microwave Wipes
Clorox 1 Gallon Lemon Bleach
Casabella Grippee Fish Sponge
Clorox Soft Scrub Cleanser
Clorox Soft Scrub With Bleach
Recommended:
Yes
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