Outside of the festive season, I’m not usually hand-washing much glassware, but I do clean my knives nearly every day. And let me tell you, this special sponge happens to fit perfectly around sharp blades too. It glides seamlessly along both sides of a knife (or kitchen shears) at once, neither tearing, snagging, nor slipping along the way. Once I realized it worked so well on my santoku (decidedly not a wine glass), nothing was safe. The Mitt left my little glass prep bowls, mini tongs, jiggers, measuring spoons, and thermometer probes sparkling clean. Honestly, the more I used it, the more uses I found for it. It’s like a precise extension of your hand in the sink. Bonus: it’s dishwasher-safe, so it’s a cinch to sanitize.
Now, you might be thinking, “I too can fold a sponge in half and approximate this utility.” And, yes, you can. But approximate is the keyword here. The Mitt’s open-cell foam structure means it dries quickly (less chance of mold) and, most importantly, it means it is precisely flexible enough to clean fragile things well. It doesn’t force you to squeeze too hard to fit the form of your glass. The shape is so intuitive to hold and use, it makes me wonder why all of my other sponges are just rectangles. It’s a Goldilocks sponge, not a unitasker, but it is still particularly great at the thing it is specifically designed to do.
So I will be keeping my Mitt sinkside, right on its handy little sponge rest, no matter the season. I will be spreading the word too. I think they make the loveliest hostess gift, paired with a bottle of your favorite drink, of course.

