What Can You Buy With A Quarter? A Kitchen Scrubber Pad!

This is a really neat project that I learned from a friend at Church. For my birthday last year, she gave me a jar of homemade grape jelly (from homegrown grapes) and a kitchen scrubber pad. 

The jelly was fabulous! It didn't last long. The kitchen scrubber lasted almost six months. When it was time for a new one, I asked her how she made them. It is so easy and inexpensive I just had to share! 

I must state here that you will need to know how to make a simple single crochet stitch to make these scrubber pads. If you don't know how to crochet, you can get a book from a craft store or even a big box store. My crochet hook is a size J but the size really doesn't matter, use whatever size hook you have. If you have a really small crochet hook, you may need to make more rows.

Start with a medium size netting. I got mine at Hobby Lobby. It was on sale for 77 cents a yard. (Hobby Lobby also has large and small netting, but I liked the feel of the medium size the best.) You will need nine to ten yards. 

When you get it home, lay it out on a table folding it on itself so you can cut it. Mine came folded in fourths. It was 18.5 inches wide when folded, for a total of 74 inches wide. I kept mine folded in fourths and folded it lengthwise on my kitchen table. Smooth it out as you go and be sure to line up the edges. When you have folded the entire 10 yards, pin it so it will stay put as you cut it. Here is a picture of mine.

Using a ruler and a permanent marker, mark the netting every two inches. I got a total of nine rows from mine with a 1/4 inch left over on each end to trim up.  Mark the entire length of the netting. Here is a picture of mine.

Cut out the two inch strips. I have opted to only cut out the number I am going to make at one time. The rest of the netting I will fold back up and store with my quilting fabric. I cut out one strip. Here is a picture of mine.

Remove the pins and separate the netting. Remember, it was originally folded in fourths. That means for every strip you cut, you will have four strips of netting, each of which is 10 yards long.

You will use one strip for each scrubber pad. Make five slip stitches. Connect the slip stitches together so they form a circle. (This will make a round scrubber. You could also leave it flat and crochet it flat like a pot holder. If you make a flat one, it may not last as long since it is only a single layer.)

For the first row, make two single crochet stitches in each slip stitch.
For the second row, make two single stitches in the first stitch, one stitch in the next. Repeat until you have 22 to 26 stitches. (This will depend on how big you want it.) Mine had 22 stitches. You should have a total of three rows. (Generally, you should have about three rows. It is no big deal if you have more.)

Continue crocheting with 22 stitches for five or six more rows. How many rows you make will depend on the tension of your stitches and how much netting you have left.

The next row, crochet a single stitch, skip a stitch, crochet a single stitch.  Repeat. Continue skipping every other stitch until you close up the scrubber pad.  Here is a picture of my new one, almost finished, along with the old one I was replacing.

When you get to the top, finish off with a slip stitch and a knot. Here is the new scrubber pad, side by side, with the old one I will be discarding.

Total crochet time was 45 minutes for the first one, 25 minutes for the second. Total cost for the netting was $8.24 (with tax). The 10 yards of netting will make a total of 36 scrubber pads. That puts the cost of each scrubber pad at slightly over 22 cents!! How frugal is that!

Depending on your use, each scrubber pad will last between four to six months. These things make great gifts! I know I was delighted when I received mine. When your recipient asks you where you got it, you can answer, "I made it myself!"