# Are you..."spongeworthy"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040 "2005-09-16T21:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Flipstrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Flipstrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipstrip)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/21 "2005-09-17T07:08:12Z")
> [@Giant\_Spongess](#): > > Actually, despite my name I’m not spongeworthy. I’m allergic to nonoxynol-9 and would probably get an infection just looking at the thing…sigh. Same problem. Unfortunately, the sponge was _how_ I found out I was alllergic. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/22 "2005-09-17T13:08:59Z")
Hmmmm I think I **have proven myself spongewothy**. Roughly ten odd years ago, I endured the wrath of my boss to go home and help my live-in babe extract her sponge. You see, the elastic band had gotten tucked in there too far (no doubt because of my enormous cock), and she couldn’t retrieve it. A forty-five minute drive and 10 seconds later I achieved what she could not, and received oral pleasure for my efforts. She did get a little pissed off when I told her that I leveled with my boss, however. Hey he was only a couple years older than me, and when you are earning four times your age… ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Gremlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Sue\_Gremlin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Gremlin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/23 "2005-09-17T14:11:01Z")
Ew. Not being able to feel the difference between my innards and the sponge is not a good experience. Knowing what to yank on is sort of important. I am reminded of a day in the bathroom at a pizza joint (why I felt it necessary to exract the sponge there escapes me), It was a small room and I had to contort myself to the point where I was almost stuck because my knees were lodged between the wall and the toilet and…well, you know. And if you don’t know, trust me, don’t go there. That being said, it is a fabulous thing, I do have my own stash that I got from a Canadian internet pharmacy. It’s nice cause you can leave 'em in for a day and you can do as much rutting as you want. I think we’re gonna get my husband neutered though so we don’t have to worry about that 12% failure rate. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/24 "2005-09-17T15:03:39Z")
I used them once or twice, and always found that after the festivities had ended, that the sponge had flipped over inside, with the concave side facing out. I figured having an internal dancing sponge was not all that conducive to the intended purpose, and didn’t use them again. However, they were nice to use. Easy to get in, and the partner at the time couldn’t feel any difference. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/25 "2005-09-17T16:27:16Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > Kinda like an internal, contraceptive version of [these](http://www.webundies.com/images/kp3476.jpg) :dubious: I think we’ve finally arrived at a working definition of “contraceptive underwear.” ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/26 "2005-09-18T01:47:58Z")
> [@Lucretia](#): > > I used them once or twice, and always found that after the festivities had ended, that the sponge had flipped over inside, with the concave side facing out. I figured having an internal dancing sponge was not all that conducive to the intended purpose, and didn’t use them again. However, they were nice to use. Easy to get in, and the partner at the time couldn’t feel any difference. You might want to try the Canadian Protectaid sponge. It’s not concave/convex the way the Today sponge is. It’s harder to put in the wrong way. It is, however, a little harder to reove unless you’ve got long fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/27 "2005-09-18T05:25:15Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I nearly had to go to the hospital to remove my sponge once. I simply couldn’t snag the little ribbon, nor could I even feel any difference between my innards and the sponge. Horrible. > > I eventually had to have my MOTHER pull it out for me! How embarrassing can you get?! :smack: I had the same problem, except it wasn’t my mom who removed it - I eventually managed to extricate it, but I must have been in the bathroom, trying, for a good half hour. A guy friend (not the one who was reason for the sponge - oh God no!) had stayed over the night before, and he was worried that I’d been gone so long, but had no idea what I was doing in there. He yelled through the door to ask if I was OK, and did I need any help. I told him no thanks, I was OK, and trust me, there wasn’t anything he could help with. He kept asking whether I was really sure. The prospect of having this particular friend aid in this endeavor is even weirder than having my mom do it - it would be like incest. Yeah, no more sponges for me. Plus I’d never rely on them as a sole contraceptive method - they do have a pretty high failure rate. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/28 "2005-09-18T13:03:52Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > You might want to try the Canadian Protectaid sponge. It’s not concave/convex the way the Today sponge is. It’s harder to put in the wrong way. > It is, however, a little harder to reove unless you’ve got long fingers. Oh, this was many years ago, and I’m quite happily surgically altered now, but thanks for the suggestion! ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/29 "2005-09-18T13:45:02Z")
Still too small to wash the car with afterwards, but an improvement on the original sponge as I remember it. Is the Femidom (female condom) still around? That was a very effective contraceptive, in that by the time you’d worked out what to do with the plastic ring, at least one partner would have fallen asleep. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/30 "2005-09-18T18:09:49Z")
> [@silver1](#): > > Are you (ahem) a Sponge connoisseur? > > I was ticked when they took it off the market all those years ago, and now I’m tickled pink that they’ve brought it back. I’ve become Elaine Benes - buying up boxes of the Sponge wherever I see them. 😃 > > So, do you - uh - do the Sponge? Why do images of SpongeBob SquarePants pop into my mind? ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/31 "2005-09-19T02:15:10Z")
> [@Lsura](#): > > Probably not. They’re squishy and round - no square edges at all. You can see pictures [here](http://anbcanada.com/images/today_sponge_3.jpg) (likely safe for work - I don’t see anything in the image or the website name that would stand out). Yikes! The way the woman’s hand is holding that sponge all kind of squished, it looks like a pair of lips, like she’s going to start a Señor Wences act or something. “S’alright?” “S’alright. Close the door!” On a side note, I was using a dandruff shampoo a while back that made my scalp extra tingle-y. What provided that tingletastic essence? **NONOXYNOL-9**. WTF?!?!?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/32 "2005-09-19T07:38:06Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > What’s the deal with the little strap? Looks like you could stretch it over your head to make a cool pink eyepatch…Yarrrrrrrrr. Am I the only one that saw this? Damn funny. ---
**Author:** ![Electrical\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac8455/32.png) [@Electrical\_Storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electrical_Storm)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/33 "2005-09-20T14:50:39Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > I had the same problem, except it wasn’t my mom who removed it - I eventually managed to extricate it, but I must have been in the bathroom, trying, for a good half hour. A guy friend (not the one who was reason for the sponge - oh God no!) had stayed over the night before, and he was worried that I’d been gone so long, but had no idea what I was doing in there. He yelled through the door to ask if I was OK, and did I need any help. I told him no thanks, I was OK, and trust me, there wasn’t anything he could help with. He kept asking whether I was really sure. The prospect of having this particular friend aid in this endeavor is even weirder than having my mom do it - it would be like incest. > > Yeah, no more sponges for me. Plus I’d never rely on them as a sole contraceptive method - they do have a pretty high failure rate. Actually, I had a couple of alarming instances in which I couldn’t find the little loop to pull the thing out. I consulted with a friend by phone who was a longtime user of the sponge, and took her advice: Bear down like you’re doing your business or, for the mommies, like you’re about to give birth. I tried it, and the sponge popped out into the potty, and voila! Problem solved. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/34 "2005-09-20T15:05:29Z")
The sponge is so gross. As I recall, the box actually told you to dispose of it in the outside garbage (and don’t flush it), but didn’t say why. I lived in a hot apartment when I used it and found out why pretty much overnight. It stinks! Plus, it’s very hard to get out. AND, in the little indentation had all like yellow snot in it. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/35 "2005-09-20T15:34:05Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Hmmmm I think I **have proven myself spongewothy**. > > Roughly ten odd years ago, I endured the wrath of my boss to go home and help my **live-in babe** extract her sponge. … Bolding mine. I read this as **live-in baby sitter** :smack: . ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/36 "2005-09-20T16:29:11Z")
> [@Daithi Lacha](#): > > On a side note, I was using a dandruff shampoo a while back that made my scalp extra tingle-y. What provided that tingletastic essence? > > **NONOXYNOL-9**. WTF?!?!?!?!? It’s so your hair won’t get pregnant. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040/37 "2005-09-20T16:38:52Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > . The prospect of having this particular friend aid in this endeavor is even weirder than having my mom do it - it would be like incest. Because having your mom do it _wouldn’t_ be like incest? :dubious: :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-spongeworthy/322040.md?page=1)