Anyone ever use a salad spinner to clean filter media?

[KittenFishMom]

I know this is a long shot, but the cold weather make my hands grumpy, so I figured I would ask....

After in being a computer wrangler for too many decades, my hands aren't what they once were. I am trying to think of a cheap easy way to clean filter sponges and such without hurting my hands or the filter media. I thought a salad spinner might do a good job. I want to leave some bio filtration in the media, but get the mulm and curd out. I was thinking dunking them in a bucket of tank water, then spinning the water out and repeating a few times might do the trick. Before I mess up a salad spinner, I thought I would ask if anyone has tried this or found a better way to clean the media.

[Guppysnail]

I have wrist issues so totally get what you are saying. I put mine in a bucket of used tank water and use an old school potato masher and smash the sponge up and down. If it super gunky I repeat the process then just shake out the extra water. It gets the job done. Some floating debris appears when i reintroduce them to the tank but it clears up in 5 minutes and is not enough I concern myself over. 

[TeeJay]

On 1/20/2023 at 8:24 AM, Guppysnail said:

I have wrist issues so totally get what you are saying. I put mine in a bucket of used tank water and use an old school potato masher and smash the sponge up and down. If it super gunky I repeat the process then just shake out the extra water. It gets the job done. Some floating debris appears when i reintroduce them to the tank but it clears up in 5 minutes and is not enough I concern myself over. 

This also helps when you really have that craving for mashed taters while doing aquarium maintenance. 😆

[KittenFishMom]

I found an old salad spinner and gave it a whirl. It wasn't as effective as I had hoped it would be, but I will keep it on hand in case I sprain a wrist of something. I am now keeping my eye out for some small version of a wringer washers wringer. Maybe something that rolls dough out dough out in strips. Maybe something for pasta or puff pastry? Maybe some toy for playdough?  Maybe a rolling pin on a drain board? Never know what one will find in a thrift store or a yard sale.

[Theplatymaster]

to not have to squeeze anything i will put my dirty filter media in a bucket and than water change into that bucket, doing my best to hit the filter media with the high stream of water coming out of the tank. It works great for me. @TeeJay@Guppysnail

[Cory]

I haven't done a salad spinner, however I have seen a washing machine dedicated to sponge filters. No soap, just warm water and spinning them dry.

[KittenFishMom]

@Cory I like it!  I wonder where I could put one in this little lake cottage? We had to remove an unused chimney to get a place for the RO system. Had to take a door and frame out in January, to get an apartment sized stacked set into the furnace room.   

I know, we could keep used ones seal in a bag in the fridge and take theme home to was in a second washer there 8-)