How to Get Sponges in Minecraft

Sponges are found inside ocean monuments in Minecraft. They appear in sponge rooms (not all monuments have them) and can also drop from elder guardians. Sponges are used to clear large areas of water — one sponge absorbs up to 65 water blocks.

Finding an Ocean Monument

Ocean monuments spawn in deep ocean biomes. Use /locate structure minecraft:monument with cheats, or explore deep oceans and look for the teal-colored prismarine buildings. Bring potions of Water Breathing and Night Vision.

Sponge Rooms

Some monuments contain sponge rooms filled with wet sponges. These rooms are randomly generated — a monument may have zero, one, or rarely two sponge rooms. Mine the wet sponges with any tool (they break fastest with a hoe).

Drying Wet Sponges

• Place a wet sponge in a furnace with any fuel to smelt it into a dry sponge.
• Place a wet sponge in the Nether — it instantly dries due to the dimension’s heat.
• Dry sponges can absorb water again, making them reusable.

Tips for Raiding Monuments

• Kill the 3 elder guardians first to remove Mining Fatigue.
• Bring Night Vision potions and Water Breathing potions.
• Use doors or magma blocks for emergency air pockets.
• A Respiration III helmet extends underwater breathing time.

Finding Ocean Monuments

Ocean monuments are the primary source of sponges in survival Minecraft. These large underwater structures spawn in deep ocean biomes and are guarded by elder guardians and regular guardians. You can locate ocean monuments using the /locate structure minecraft:monument command, or by exploring deep ocean biomes and watching for the distinctive dark prismarine structures. Explorer maps sold by cartographer villagers also point to nearby monuments.

Clearing an Ocean Monument

Each ocean monument contains three elder guardians that inflict Mining Fatigue, making it nearly impossible to mine blocks. Kill all three elder guardians first to remove the debuff. Bring potions of Water Breathing and Night Vision, a Respiration III helmet, and an Impaling trident or strong sword. The sponge rooms inside the monument contain wet sponges on the ceilings and walls — each room has about 30 wet sponges. Not every monument has a sponge room, so you may need to explore multiple monuments.

Drying and Reusing Sponges

Wet sponges collected from monuments must be dried before they can absorb water again. Place a wet sponge in a furnace with any fuel source to produce a dry sponge and a filled water bucket (if you place an empty bucket in the fuel slot). You can also place wet sponges in the Nether, where they instantly dry due to the heat. Dry sponges absorb up to 65 water blocks in a roughly spherical area, making them the most efficient tool for clearing underwater spaces and draining guardian farms.

Sponge Uses in Building

Beyond their primary water-clearing function, sponges are essential tools for several building projects. Draining ocean monuments for guardian farms is the most common large-scale use — placing a dry sponge removes 65 water blocks in a sphere, dramatically speeding up the clearing process. For underwater glass tunnels and dome bases, sponges let you clear water room by room during construction. Place the sponge, build walls to seal the area, then remove remaining water with sponges before finishing interior decoration.

Sponges in item frames serve as decorative blocks with a unique yellow texture. Some builders use them for bathroom designs, kitchen sinks, or as accent blocks in modern-style builds. Wet sponges have a slightly different texture with a greenish tint and water dripping particles that add atmospheric detail to underwater-themed rooms.

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