Off Topic, but by popular request, here is the essay I wrote a few months ago for a college composition class. It is about the kitchen sponge. :) I'm sort of proud of this one, so if you share it, please link back to this blog.
Liberty and Peace,
PolitiKrys - aka Krysta Walker
From Spongia to Kitchen Sponge:
Sponges throughout History
If you have no knowledge about sponges,
you can usually surmise that they are two things: sea creatures and a cleaning
product. Does that mean that sea creatures were used for cleaning products? Who
came up with this idea? WHEN? Did pilgrims use sponges to clean their kitchens
or loofa themselves at bath-time? Why do we synthesize them now? Looking out my
kitchen window one morning, the bright yellow and green sponge caught my eye
and sent my mind whirling with questions.
Growing up sponges were not something my
parents had in the house. We used ‘dish rags’. Wipe the counters and throw it
in the wash. This could be a southern thing. I’m not sure what inspired me to
purchase my first sponge; I’m not even sure when it was that this happened. I
buy them in bulk these days. With three small children, the messes never cease.
I’d much rather soak up a spill with a sponge than a dish rag; sponges are much
more efficient to this end. Others debate that sponges are a breading zone for
nasty germs. This seems to be a new debate on the sponge-time continuum. Sponges
have definitely been around longer than man’s knowledge of microbiology.
The oldest (and perhaps most amusing)
example of sponge use is the sponge on a stick. In the history of toilets and
toilet paper, this was cutting edge technology. Not for hundreds of years would
man again have such an advanced system. As early as 315 AD, Romans used public
toilets. These were made of stone benches with holes, and a running trench of
water on the floor. Romans had a high
tech water system comprised of aqueducts, and piping made from terracotta. After
doing his business, Joe Roman would use his spongia
(or sponge on a stick) to clean himself. In an article on the Roman spongia,
author Caroline Lawrence explains, “And that's why the handle of the sponge-stick is so
long. After a good wipe, you would rinse it again, stand up and leave it in the
basin for THE NEXT PERSON TO USE. Now you know where we get
the expression he got the 'wrong end of the stick'! (“So What’s With the Sponge
on the Stick?”)”
Over the centuries sponges have been
used for everything from personal hygiene, to dental work, to birth control,
and more. The sponge has been a widely used tool in human history. It is hard
to say exactly when man first began diving for sponges. Sandra
Hendrikse and André Merks note that even Plato mentioned the sponge in his
writings (“Diving the Skafandro Suit”). In the 1800’s the sponge diving industry was
booming. The focal point of this industry was Kalymnos Island, off the coast of
Greece. Originally this was done using a
method called “skin diving”. Later, a suit was developed which helped increase the
efficiency of the sponge divers. While sponge diving was profitable, it could
also be dangerous and even fatal for divers.
Finally, after two World Wars, and multiple
global sponge infections, the sponge industry began to decline. According to
the online Encyclopedia “How Products Are Made”, Dupont, the company also
responsible for the invention of Nylon, came up with an artificial alternative
to the natural sea sponge in 1942. In 1952 Dupont finally sold their sponge
know-how to General Mills (“Sponge”). Sponge divers still operate today with
specialized diving equipment. However, the artificial sponge is by and large
more popular than its predecessor.
So what is an artificial sponge made
from? The first and main ingredient in an artificial sponge, such as the one I
use to clean up all those spills my children supply, is cellulose. According to
Fred Senese,“Cellulose
is a long chain of linked sugar molecules that gives wood its remarkable
strength (“What is Cellulose?”).” Today we get our cellulose from companies
such as Weyerhauser, headquartered in Federal Way, WA. (That’s just south of
Seattle.) Through a multi-step process, workers at Weyerhauser take trees and turn
them into sheets of cellulose ready to be made into cleaning sponges.
Next,
the cellulose sheets are submerged in water and chemical softeners (such as
sodium hydroxide). A Siemens article which advertises their temperature
measurement equipment, touts providing the key to efficient sponge production.
“Accurate temperature measurement and tight temperature control is critical to
the sponge manufacturing process. If the temperature is not controlled
properly, an entire batch can be ruined, resulting in a loss of thousands of
dollars (“Synthetic Sponge Maker Relies on Siemens”).”According to the article,
Siemens has made a temperature measurement device to ensure the right water
temperature for the cellulose and chemical softener mixture (“Synthetic Sponge Maker Relies on Siemens).
This mixture turns the sheets of cellulose into a “jelly like substance” (“Sponge”).
The gelatinous goo then needs a couple more ingredients: sodium sulphate crystals,
hemp, and dye.
Hans
Loningher explains that sodium sulphate (also known as Glauber Sault) was
discovered in the 17th century. Sodium sulphate is a mineral found
in lake beds, but today it is also found as a chemical byproduct. It was
initially used as a laxative. (“Sodium Sulphate”) The grade of sodium sulphate
crystals used in production determines what use the sponge will have. Large crystals
are used to make course sponges; small crystals for softer, less abrasive
sponges. As the salt crystals dry during the production process, they leave
behind the holes we associate with sponges (“Sponges”).
"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!"
-George Washington
Hemp
today is closely associated with marijuana use and marijuana advocates. Hemp,
however, does not come from the same plant as marijuana. Hemp was a major crop
in the United States during its founding. Ironically, hemp production is no
longer legal in many states. I have actually worked at Hempfest in Seattle, to
collect petition signatures for this and other causes, so I was intrigued to
learn that this was in my kitchen sponge. This leads me to wonder if it is
imported from Canada or China, or if it was grown in one of the ten states
where it is legal to produce hemp. Each manufacturer has its own source.
As
with most manufactured products today, dye is also added to sponges to make
them more appealing to consumers. Sponges come in a variety of colors, and we
usually associate one color with a certain brand or type of sponge. The sponge
in my kitchen is yellow. This may be an ode to the natural yellow sea sponge.
Other sponges are brightly colored pinks, blues, and greens.
Once
all the ingredients are mixed together with the wood pulp jelly, they are put
into a mold and heated. This is when the sodium sulphate crystals melt away and
give the sponge its most defining feature. The sponge is then bleached, and
washed multiple times in water. Some sponges have added features, such as a
scouring pad. This varies, and depends on the company producing the sponge.
Due
to worries over the sponge’s capacity to harbor nasty germs, another modern addition
to the sponge manufacturing process is the addition of antimicrobial agents.
Manufacturers usually use Triclosan for this purpose. This sounds great, but
many medical professionals actually warn about its use. An article by Rose
Marie Williams, M.A. highlights the dangers of Triclosan stating, “Consumers
would certainly enjoy the benefit of preventing mildew odor on damp towels, but
might not be so easily seduced if fully cognizant of the health risks
associated with exposure to the controversial chemical.” She continues to warn that “It is chemically similar to Agent
Orange (“Triclosan – A Controversial Antibacterial”).” That’s a scary thought.
The
sponge is a tool that seemingly has always been in man’s employ. Over the
centuries it has evolved along with man, to reflect his needs. The great sponge
debate has been going on for decades: Natural vs. Artificial. Would you prefer
to loofah with a dead sea creature, or a mass of wood pulp treated in salts and
bleached to perfection? What about the use of Triclosan to keep your sponge
germ free? Our Roman ancestors certainly did not have this dilemma when
choosing a spongia. In our consumer
age, however, the possibilities are as endless as the uses that we have for
them.
Works Cited
Hendrikse, Sandra and André Merks. “Diving the Skafandro
Suit” DivingHeritage. Iain
McQuarrie, 12 May 2009. Web. 18
November 2011.
Lawrence,
Caroline. “So What’s with the Sponge Stick?” Roman Mysteries and Western Mysteries.
Caroline Lawrence, 15 October 2008. Web. 18 November 2011.
Lohninger, Hans. “Sodium Sulphate”. General Chemistry. 29 March
2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2011
Senese, Fred. “What is Cellulose?” General Chemistry Online. Dept of Chemistry,
Frostburg State University, 15
December 2010. Web. 19 November 2011.
Williams,
Rose. “Triclosan – A Controversial Antibacterial” Townshend Letter, Sandy
Hershleman
Designs. 14 April 2006. Web. 19 November 2011.
“Sponge”
How Products Are Made. 2011.Web. 18 November 2011.
“Synthetic
Sponge Maker Relies on Siemens Temperature Transmitters in Manufacturing
Process.”
Process Instrumentation and Analytic News.
Siemens. Siemens, Inc., January 2011. Web. 19 November 2011.
