Wetting Sponge Balls
- Thread starter Daniel Montoya
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- sponge
There are two reasons for wetting sponge balls: Reason (1) to make them plump up and appear larger, because with usage, they get kind of compressed and look quite a bit smaller and lose their round shape. It is much more impressive to vanish a ball that looks big and also equally impressive when the spectator opens their hand and two or more huge looking balls pop up; Reason (2) to clean them once they get dirty after continued use.
To wet them for reason number (1), fill your sink with luke warm water (never hot because that will make the color fade). Immerse the balls in the water for about 5 minutes or so, pushing them down occasionally to make sure they are fully saturated. Then take them out and squeeze gently to wring out the water. They will now be plump. Place them on a towel to fully dry out before using them. For reason number (2) (cleaning), add some mild dish detergent to the water in the sink and let them soak, occasionally squeezing them and putting them back. If there are stains, rub gently with a soft towel or washcloth. Rinse them thoroughly, gently squeeze out the excess water, and place on a towel to dry.
To wet them for reason number (1), fill your sink with luke warm water (never hot because that will make the color fade). Immerse the balls in the water for about 5 minutes or so, pushing them down occasionally to make sure they are fully saturated. Then take them out and squeeze gently to wring out the water. They will now be plump. Place them on a towel to fully dry out before using them. For reason number (2) (cleaning), add some mild dish detergent to the water in the sink and let them soak, occasionally squeezing them and putting them back. If there are stains, rub gently with a soft towel or washcloth. Rinse them thoroughly, gently squeeze out the excess water, and place on a towel to dry.
Al's post is spot on!
Also, sometimes, if you leave them in a dry place idly for a long time, they can get kinda dry, which is another reason to run water through them. Also, if you use them too much, they can get dry.
Sometimes, if you don't need to fully run them through, you can just run your hand under some water and work it into the sponge ball. Not saturating it, but just adding a bit of moisture to it. I do it every now and then, and it makes them much easier (and frankly pleasing) to work with.
Also, sometimes, if you leave them in a dry place idly for a long time, they can get kinda dry, which is another reason to run water through them. Also, if you use them too much, they can get dry.
Sometimes, if you don't need to fully run them through, you can just run your hand under some water and work it into the sponge ball. Not saturating it, but just adding a bit of moisture to it. I do it every now and then, and it makes them much easier (and frankly pleasing) to work with.
There is the Steve Darci method of putting them in the pocket of your suit jacket and then jumping in a pool.
I finally got around to wetting them today (I did option 1 in Al e Cat Dabra's post), and it worked beautifully! They look a lot more plump now, more than I expected. Thanks to you All! I might try the Steve Dacri method RealityOne posted in the summer...
That method is taught and demonstrated by Steve in the Sponge Ball Toolbox DVD. Suit, pool, everything.