Sponges are an often neglected part of your kitchen. They're essential, of course, but they're not the sexiest of cleaning tools, as they can be grimey and sometimes stinky. So they're not something you often hear people speaking passionately about — though actress and entrepreneur Eva Mendes does.
"The sponge is something that is so incredibly visible [in a home], you go to even the nicest houses and you see this awful green and yellow sponge,” Mendes tells Shop TODAY during a recent phone call. “I've had a sponge intervention many times when I go to a dinner party, because I’ll be like, 'What is this?' So I’ve learned to carry sponges with me."
There's a pretty good reason why the mom of two is more vocal than most about the cleaning tool: In 2022, she joined Skura Style, the company behind the viral Skrubby Sponge, as a co-owner. She was inspired to join the brand after discovering the product on her own and loving it.
It was a natural fit given her love of cleaning (yes, really, love). She shares with us that the process holds a lot of nostalgic family memories for her. "I grew up in a very, very Cuban household. It’s a beautiful thing, as small as our kitchen was, we would — like most people — congregate in the kitchen," Mendes says. "But we were always cleaning. Somebody was cooking, the other person was doing dishes. Somebody was doing something, the other person was cleaning up — not after them, but with them."
And even now, in her own home, which she shares with her partner, actor Ryan Gosling, and daughters Esmeralda and Amada, that tradition continues.
"Ryan, he was like, 'Wow, this is so cool.' It’s like a cleaning crew comes in, because it’s my mom and my sisters," Mendes says. "They come in and they bring food, they start cooking rice right away. Even if there’s two dishes in the sink, they’ll do the dishes. It’s always kitchen first, let’s get it done. And it’s just this really, I guess, unique thing that we have. With my Latin friends, I know their families do that as well. So I wasn’t sure if this was just cultural, but whatever it is, that’s how I grew up and I love it."
Even though Mendes reflects fondly on all the memories she associates with cleaning, that doesn't always mean she loves to do it. "I don’t always want to clean, of course. I have two little kids, the sink is constantly full." But she knows the end result is worth it. "I feel so much better after, it's tied in with my mood for sure."
For our Shopping Diaries series, we asked Mendes to walk us through some of her current must-haves, from the products that she uses to clean her home to the item that's essential to her morning routine.
Shopping Diaries: Eva Mendes
Mendes' latest collection is a three-piece set featuring the brand's Very Skrubby scouring pads, Skrubby Sponges and new Cloth Envy reusable Swedish dish cloths, all with Mendes' signature touch (no ugly bright yellow sponges here).
"What you see in my packaging is the color palette that I just love, and it’s pretty much my home," Mendes says. "I don’t know if it maybe has something to do with the color palette of Havana, where you see the faded blues, greens and the pinks. Maybe it does, but it’s inherently something that I’ve always gravitated towards, that kind of color palette ... so what I’m creating is what I want in my house, and hopefully other people will want."
The star is, of course, the brand's popular Skrubby Sponge, which features a made-to-fade pattern that lets you know when it's time to replace the sponge. (One of our writers determined that out of 10 kitchen sponges she tested, this one had the best technology.)
"It is a superior product," Mendes says. "I mean, it’s amazing technology that the Skura team has come up with."
You can also shop all of the individual products from the edit at Target — including the new Swedish dish cloths, which were designed with her mom in mind. "When I grew up, my mother would hang the paper towels," Mendes says. "She still does, I’m just not around to see it as much. And it’s the cutest thing, she’s an OG recycler, repurposer. And I thought, well, wait, we need these [reusable dish cloths], and we need them in some fun, cool, colors and patterns."
And yes, she did give some to her mom — but she hasn't stopped hanging up her paper towels just yet. "She has them displayed and she’s not using them. So I have some work to do on her ... right now, she thinks they’re too pretty to use."
Given her passion for sponges, you might be surprised to hear that her biggest cleaning pet peeve actually has to do with an entirely different part of the kitchen. "I can’t stand when people don’t wipe handles — and I’ll say people, so I won’t call out anyone in my family — but like refrigerator handles, door handles, drawer handles, any kind of handles. There are handles all over the place!"
These wipes make it easy to clean all of those and more. "[Skura's] are great because you just can put a little bit of water, or not, or a tiny bit of vinegar, whatever it may be, and just wipe. I just go around wiping handles — especially the fridge," she says.
Since we were on the topic of Target essentials, we had to know what Mendes' go-to Target purchase is (aside from Skura products, of course) and her answer was super sweet: "Notebooks for my kids."
"My 9-year-old — she just turned 9 — she’s officially over unicorns. Like, officially. Every Christmas, everything’s been unicorns for like three years, so she’s over it. So now, it’s just about notebooks. And it’s great because I don’t feel like I’m wasteful, because they use them, they write and they draw."
She prefers to do her Target runs solo for a very relatable reason. "I love doing most things with my children, I’m crazy about them. But when it comes to shopping for house stuff or for basics, I’d rather do that alone ... it gets done faster."
But she still wants them to know she was thinking of them. "I have the great memory of my mom, she’s incredible. We didn’t have any money, I don’t know how she did it, but she would always bring back something wherever she went, even if it was like a gumball. I just remember how that feels so special, even if you get just a pencil or a cute pen. So I always do like to bring something back to them."
As for her other cleaning essentials, Mendes says that she's always looking for new products that will deliver an effective clean at an affordable price point and this spray is one of her go-tos. "[They have] the most amazing scents ever," she says of the brand.
Mendes also likes to make her own multi-purpose cleaner using white vinegar and water, this concentrate is a great DIY alternative. "Because of the kids and because I’m always wiping [things] down, I usually like something homemade. And that’s why I like Branch Basics, because you can make your own, in a way."
All you have to do is add the Concentrate along with water to a reusable spray bottle and you'll be ready to start cleaning. According to the brand, you'll get up to 13 refills from the one bottle.
Mendes says you can always find a book on her bedside table, and this is her current read. "It’s this book on Joan Didion and Eve Babitz and their relationship, their friendship and how it turned sour. But it’s really fascinating because this writer, she hit the jackpot. She was Eve’s friend for the last few years of Eve’s life, maybe the last 10 years. And in [Babitz's] apartment, she found boxes, sealed boxes of untouched letters that were never sent and memorabilia and things. So she brings this book to life with all these letters. So I am so in."
"I went down a rabbit hole on YouTube like three weeks ago and I found this woman, her name is Lisa. I’ve already met with her and everything, she has a couple of spas, but she’s been a facialist for 30 years. Her skincare [company] is Peaches Skincare ... and everything is very on the natural side, no chemicals."
The brand offers an entire regimen, which ranges from cleansers to an eye cream and night serum and Mendes has been committed to the whole routine. "Now that my kids are a little older, I’m 51, I just feel like OK, I need to do something differently. What worked for me before isn’t going to work the same. So I’m really committed to this like nine-step process ... this is so not me — I'm literally like face wash, moisturizer, out the door!"
However, she says it's been working. "I love her products, you can feel the difference." Out of all the products, her favorites are the brand's vitamin C serum and Renew Facial Oil.
Like so many of us, Mendes’ morning routine always starts with coffee. “I really try to do warm water and lemon before my coffee. It doesn’t happen every day ... It’s only when I haven’t pre-prepped my coffee and I have those extra four minutes and then I feel so guilty, so I have to make myself do it.”
And this robe makes her mornings feel so much cozier. “I got it last year ... it’s fuzzy on the inside and it’s like wearing a blanket to go get my coffee, which is just so fun. And no matter how hot it is, I’m always cold in the morning.”
