I've been making my first steps in baking recently. I usually knead the dough in the same large bowl I mix the dough in to minimize the mess but it's still a pain to wash the bowl and any sponge I use for it gets ruined afterwards. Any advice on how to make washing off dough? 
Alternatively (with respect to @GdD's answer), let it dry out completely.  Totally dry dough doesn't stick all that well to many surfaces (glass, plastic, non-stick).  It then chips/scrapes off quite easily.  If I get it on my oak worktops and don't notice immediately, that's what I do, scraping with a plastic scraper or a butter knife, even a fingernail on the last bits; the same approach works on my stand mixer bowl and dough hook.   With some containers you may need to soak a few stubborn bits especially if they're caught in corners, but oiled wood doesn't like that.  If you are clearing up wet, very wet is the way to go, and a brush clogs less than a sponge.  I hand-work my dough either on a pastry mat or if that's dirty non-stick sheet (which isn't non-stick against dough unless well-floured, but cleans easily).  These are both fairly easy to wash up. 