Cleaning sponges are made of porous material to make cleaning easy and effective. They are usually made up of cellulose fibers, nylon or plastic polymers. They can make your cleaning task much easier and simpler. Your kitchen platform (countertop) or your messed up dining table can look spic and span with the use of the right kind of cleaning sponge. It is very important to use the right type of sponge for certain cleaning chores, because using the wrong type can only convert the whole job into a bigger mess. To know more about the types of cleaning sponges and their right usage, just keep reading. Cleaning Sponges #1 Cellulose Sponges Cellulose sponges are the most common ones displayed in any supermarket. They are perfectly hand-sized and are ideal for different types of cleaning purposes. They can be used to clean the kitchen platform or countertop mess, dining table, walls, utensils and to scrub the floor (to some extent). The softer versions of these are also used for car and window cleaning. Very importantly they are cheap, good absorbent and long-lasting. #2 Abrasive Sponges Abrasive sponges come from the family of cellulose sponges, just that they gave an extra abrasive material attached to it. This extra harsh material attached to it makes cleaning stubborn stains easy and quick. This type of sponge is usually used to clean barbecue grills, window and door grills, terrace furniture and to scrub out the stubborn stains on pots or pans. Although they absorb a lot of moisture when wet, the sponge hardens on drying, this action prevents the growth of bacteria or microbes and prevents the foul smell as well. #3 Nylon Sponges This type of sponges are non abrasive and won't scratch the cleaning surfaces. They are ideally used to clean stainless steel, glass, ceramic, porcelain, kitchen countertops, fixtures and non stick surfaces. They can be used to clean walls and cars. Now, they are not good absorbents but, definitely tend to hold thick liquid soap to make cleaning easy and effortless. The best thing about these type of sponges is that, they are scratch proof and leave no stroke marks on the surface. #4 Steel Wool Sponges Steel wool sponges are normally used in case of critical cleaning purposes. It is made up of steel, that undergoes fine processing. There are again two types of these, one of them being extremely harsh and hence should be used in case of cleaning grills, scrubbing the floor or getting rid of rusty surfaces. The second type is a little softer than the previous one, that can be used to clean glass utensils, the kitchen sink and some other stubborn stains as well. Using the harsh one for cleaning glass utensils would cause starches. So, be carefully! #5 Plastic Polymer Sponges Plastic polymer are specially designed to meet all the possible cleaning purposes. They are basically plastic sponges with polymer coating on top that ensures effective cleaning of dirt from the crevices of the surface to be cleaned. They are usually tagged as all-purpose cleaning sponges and are used in all kinds of cleaning surfaces. Their ideal usage being cleaning ceramics, utensils with Teflon coating, kitchen stoves and countertops, glassware, tiles, walls and other fittings. So, the next time around you are at the supermarket, make sure you buy or ask for the right type of cleaning sponge to exactly suit the requirement of cleaning.