Sponge
Ocean Monument block that absorbs up to 65 adjacent water source blocks when placed, turning into a wet sponge that must be dried before reuse.
Description
After absorbing water the block becomes a wet sponge, which no longer absorbs anything. Drying methods: place in the Nether (dehydrates instantly), smelt in a furnace (returns the dry form and fills an empty bucket if placed above one), or place in a dry biome and wait.
Sponges are invaluable for draining Ocean Monuments before looting, clearing flooded caves, and setting up underwater construction sites. They are also used decoratively in aquatic builds. Each Ocean Monument has a dedicated room with up to 30 sponges.
Java & Bedrock Guide
How to use a Sponge to drain water in Minecraft
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1
Get a dry sponge
Defeat an Elder Guardian inside an Ocean Monument for a guaranteed sponge drop, or mine the hidden sponge room in the monument, which holds up to 30 sponges.
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2
Place the sponge in water
Set the dry sponge against the water you want gone. The sponge instantly absorbs every water source block within a 7-block radius, up to 65 blocks total.
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3
Pick up the wet sponge
Break the now wet sponge with any tool and collect it; the wet sponge will not absorb again until it is dried.
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4
Dry the sponge for reuse
Smelt the wet sponge in a furnace to get a dry sponge back (an empty bucket below the furnace fills with water), or place it in the Nether to dehydrate instantly.
A sponge only absorbs water connected to its placement point; pockets of water more than 7 blocks away or walled off by solid blocks remain. Always work outward from the center of a flooded area.
How to craft this block
Wet Sponge
x1
Frequently asked questions
Can you craft a sponge in Minecraft?
No. Sponge has no crafting recipe; you obtain it only by killing Elder Guardians or looting the sponge room inside an Ocean Monument.
How much water does a sponge absorb?
A single sponge absorbs up to 65 water source blocks within a 7-block radius of where it is placed, then turns into a wet sponge.
How do you dry a wet sponge?
Smelt a wet sponge in a furnace, or place it anywhere in the Nether to dehydrate it instantly back into a dry sponge.
Is sponge renewable?
Sponge is not truly renewable: each Ocean Monument has three Elder Guardians and one sponge room, and Elder Guardians do not respawn, so you must find more monuments to gather extra sponges.
Does sponge work in both Java and Bedrock Edition?
Yes. Sponge absorbs water and dries the same way in Java and Bedrock Edition, including the furnace and Nether drying methods.
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