Our cellulose sponges are made from cotton, wood pulp & flax. The “holes” (or “pores”) in cellulose sponges are made from dissolved salt crystals.
Unlike some varieties of polyurethane (PU) foam sponge, cellulose sponge is hydrophilic, which means it readily absorbs water. Cellulose sponge can absorb, and retain, up to 10 times its’ dry weight in water.
An overview of the general production process and history of cellulose sponge can be found on the MadeHow website – click here.
Unlike PU foam sponge, cellulose sponge is made from abundant and renewable natural materials. Cellulose sponges can be used again and again. Provided cellulose sponges are treated properly they can last indefinitely. Cellulose sponges will fully biodegrade once disposed of, which means that they are very eco-friendly.
We offer moist (expanded) cellulose sponge, compressed cellulose sponge (which can also be referred to as expanding cellulose sponge), as well as both dry and moist cellulose sponge cloth.
Our compressed cellulose sponges are basically the same material as our moist (expanded) cellulose sponges. However, with the application of heat and pressure, they have been compressed to approximately one tenth of their original (expanded) thickness.
Compressed cellulose sponges save a lot of space in terms of both storage and transportation. This can therefore reduce storage and transportation costs, and also means a smaller carbon footprint compared to shipping and storing un-compressed sponges.
An example of the space saving properties of compressed sponges can be seen on our Storage Solutions page.
Once water is added to a compressed sponge it will expand back to its’ original thickness and it will also retain all of the properties you would expect in a regular moist (expanded) cellulose sponge.
The applications for cellulose sponge goes far beyond their probably best known use as a surface cleaning medium, or cosmetic removal product. Compressed (expanding) cellulose sponges in particular can be used for a varied range of applications, including;
• Bail-out sponges – used in life rafts and survival suits.
• Laboratory use in microbiological testing.
• Surface sampling with sponge swabs.
• Advertising / promotion.
• Electrostatic pinhole detection. To view the Elcometer pinhole detection manual click here.
• To see Dr Zoe Laughlin showing some of our cellulose sponges to Phillip Scofield and Holly Willoughby on the “This Morning” TV show click here.