The Best Sponge Holders

Spacious, airy, and solidly constructed, with a firm attachment to the sink, this sponge holder looked good and performed perfectly in our testing. Two oversize suction cups (2½ inches across), set far apart, helped it keep a better grip. (It was the only model where the suction cups sat on the edges of the holder and extended well beyond the basket, providing support to the lightweight aluminum cage.) We loved being able to toss the sponge and see it drop right into the wide-open basket. One of the top performers in our drainage test, it helped sponges stay dry between uses. It’s also available in a range of finishes.

With its minimal design, this lightweight, simple holder did one of the best jobs helping sponges air-dry between uses. It needs an upright item to attach to, such as the faucet or a soap dispenser. Rubber-covered “arms” hold it in place, and rubber bumpers keep it from sagging against the side of the sink, so sponges get plenty of air circulation. Its sponge-holding slot is narrower than we’d prefer, meaning that we had to take an extra second to insert or remove the sponge. When we struck the holder during the abuse test, a rubber foot fell off. (It was very easy to pop back on but small enough to get lost, which would make the device hang unevenly.)

This wide, airy, shiny stainless-steel basket, held in place by two suction cups measuring 1⅞ inches across, did a fairly good job of letting sponges drip-dry between uses. Its large opening is an easy access point for inserting and retrieving a sponge, which fit with room to spare. When we struck this holder in our abuse tests, one of the suction cups slid, so the basket sat askew, but it was easy to reposition. The steel rim showed spots from soap residue.

This bouncy, bendable silicone holder has a long loop that allows it to be hung from a vertical sink part such as a faucet or soap dispenser. The loop can also be bent so that the holder stands alone or drapes across a sink divider. The slot can be shaped to fit most sponges, but the sponge bounced out if it wasn’t carefully placed. The perforated holder drained very well, and the device looked brand-new at the end of testing; however, it took effort to get this model to hold a shape, and it protruded into the sink area and got in the way. When struck, it bounced around and dropped the sponge. “Very annoying,” griped one tester.

Despite this device’s big, 2½-inch suction cup plus an impressively firm clamp to hold it on the sink wall, twice we found it lying in the bottom of the sink when the attachment spontaneously failed. (The holder can also stand alone, but we found it tippy.) The sponge-holding slot is a bit narrow for our favorite sponge, so we had to take care when inserting and removing it. The holder’s hard plastic is perforated by oval holes, but these didn’t drain well, coming in second to worst in our air-drying test.

This model’s four smallish suction cups (1¾ inches across) and big, bent metal bar to support its weight firmly anchored the caddy in the sink, but its tall, unventilated steel walls; fairly narrow, deep box; and poorly placed drip holes (located only on the plastic bottom) trapped moisture and bits of food, making it the weakest performer in our air-drying test. A bit large, it can hold two sponges inserted vertically. The brushed finish showed fingerprints, and it was spotted with soap film by the end of testing.