Scrub Daddy review: durability is the deal breaker

First published on May 29, 2016

I decided to try the Scrub Daddy kitchen scrubber, which became famous mostly through Shark Tank. It cost $6 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond — it’s cheaper in bulk packs, but still at least 2-3 times the cost of normal kitchen scrubbers.

Scrub Daddy box front

Scrub Daddy box back

The Scrub Daddy is very good at scrubbing, and should not scratch most materials. Things don’t generally stick to it, so it’s easy to get the Scrub Daddy itself clean as well. However, I have 2 main problems with the Scrub Daddy:

1. It does not last long. After 2 weeks of normal, daily use on kitchen dishes, it started to fall apart. This is in contrast to a standard kitchen scrubber, which lasts for at least 1 month before I consider replacing it.

Scrub Daddy falling apart after two weeks

Once the Scrub Daddy starts disintegrating, little yellow pieces of the scrubber come off pretty much every time you touch it. While this deterioration happens to normal kitchen scrubbers and sponges, the rate at which the Scrub Daddy falls apart is significantly faster than any other scrubber I have used.

2. It does not hold soap well. This is probably a side effect of the Scrub Daddy’s scrubbing effectiveness, but if you’re used to putting soap onto your scrubber, you will probably find that you end up using much more soap with the Scrub Daddy.

When I Tweeted about Scrub Daddy’s durability issues, I got a quick reply from them, suggesting that I contact their customer service. Customer service over e-mail was very friendly and prompt. Basically, they asked for more information about how I used and cared for the scrubber. My use was nothing out of the ordinary, and the care instructions for the Scrub Daddy are no different than any other scrubber. They kindly sent me another Scrub Daddy, suggesting that I should get better results than with the first one. However, I found the same disappointing durability as before. When I searched online for other reviews of the product, I found that most people have a similar experience. I was impressed by Scrub Daddy’s customer service, although customer service is not something you expect to need for a kitchen scrubber.

In short, the Scrub Daddy is smiley, good at scrubbing, and a great success in marketing, but I cannot recommend it over a standard kitchen sponge. You could keep it on hand as a special-use scrubber for a small percentage of your dishes, but that seems like a lot of trouble, not to mention the cost!

This entry is filed under Consumerism and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

13 Responses to “Scrub Daddy review: durability is the deal breaker”

May 29th, 2016 at 8:29 pm
Timothy Chu says:

First time I’ve heard of this scrubber, but the smiley face almost seems designed for a shorter life. I can’t imagine that lower lip holding together very long.
May 19th, 2018 at 10:50 am
Ruth Sweetman says:

Very disappointed in Scrub Daddy. for the price and performance of the product. Started to fall apart and not holding soap in less than a month. I’ll stick with the old reliable Dobie pad, package of two for less than $3.00.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Natasha says:

I wish I was the one basking in the riches of a product that sucks! It comes down to great marketing. The scrub daddy is great the first few uses, then it falls apart, bit by bit. You can actually see your $4.99 go down the drain, literally!
February 27th, 2019 at 7:31 pm
Dright says:

I started using Scrub Daddy as soon as it hit the market when they were sold in single units. It lasted for 6 weeks. Matter-of- fact, I wrote the company for a replacement when the 3 pack sponges lasted less than 2 weeks. I only do dishes. One topic that comes up is reducing cost and increasing profits. This is accomplished at the cost of quality. Too bad.
June 21st, 2019 at 8:36 am
S.E. Tranquilli says:

I concur with above Scrub Daddy deterioration as noted in previous posts. Another concern is adding to micro-plastic pollution as the thing falls apart!
January 19th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
Barb says:

I’ve used Scrub Daddy since they were first introduced. I also agree that they don’t last long. Very disappointing. Do not plan on purchasing any more.
May 14th, 2020 at 2:15 pm
RuthDuey says:

I used Scrub Daddy from the beginning. Now they just fall apart and are cheap. I no longer buy them. Just not worth the cost overall.
June 17th, 2020 at 2:08 pm
Brian says:

Noticed the same thing – 3 weeks in and the scrubbing portion is falling off and deteriorating.
Pretty poor at the price – never again!
July 7th, 2020 at 2:34 am
Tracey says:

Same here, disintegrating rapidly after not many uses. Definitely won’t buy again. Disappointing!
November 8th, 2020 at 4:06 pm
Patricia Ann Marshall says:

I love my OriginalScrub Daddy, couldn’t find them in Canadian Tire..but had a couple saved as I have moved to anew Town, will search there..

Just Love and Miss ScrubDaddy when it comes to its last legs, but nothing lasts forever
April 28th, 2022 at 1:31 pm
Michael says:

Couldn’t agree more with above comments. Original Yellow lasted for weeks. A new 3 pack started falling apart within days. Very disappointing. They lost a fan plus the many friends and family I told about my experience. Penny wise, pound foolish company!
October 28th, 2022 at 6:48 pm
Kyle says:

Weird. I bought a 3 pack of them… a year ago. I have been using all 3 for a year… I was wondering if I should be throwing them out but I wash them. I must have gotten a good batch surprised to see that everyone’s fall apart. I wouldn’t say I take care of them and a lot of times I leave them in the sink overnight with water I accidentally forget to drain.
October 16th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Bohemen says:

I’m so glad we gave up putting microplastics in the soaps so we could all start using Scrub Daddy and pollute microplastics that way! UGH!

Thank you for being so conscientious of this degradation issue! There’s just no way it can tolerate the back and forth of soften and harden without breaking down entirely.