handwashing question

[Danestress]

When you wash your hands, what do you dry them on at home? How about all of your children?

 

I've always kept a hand towel in the hall bathroom, but it has always seemed kind of gross. Even if I change it twice a day, it gets used several times by several different people. I realize that theoretically it's getting used by people who JUST washed their hands, but I am not sure I totally trust my children to never wipe a face or eye with it or use it when their hands are freshly washed.

 

So I am wondering if I want to have a "use it once, put it in the laundry" rule, or just go to paper towels over the winter. Neither seem responsible environmentally, and yet, I really hate influenza and the common cold.....

[sweetfeet]

I made dozens of 12"x12" flannel wipes/towels. I serged all the edges so they won't unravel. We use cloth diapers so they get put in the pail and washed with the diapers. So they are single use, but not disposable.

[plain jane]

I use a hand towel for the same reasons you mentioned at the end. Instead of focusing on the towel, I have spent my time harping the dc on how to wash their hands properly and to never wipe any other part of their body but their recently hands on the towel. So far so good :D. I change mine once a day, twice if there is cold in the house, and if there's a stomach virus, the sick child uses paper towel and each "health" child gets their own color of towel. I know towels get dirty and part of the reason for drying hands after washing is to wipe off the germs that are left on our hands but it's the best I can do.- and believe me, I hate colds and flus too, so if I could live in a bubble, I would. :D

[Once]

I have a set up in our main bathroom. It consists of shower curtain rings (or ones for drapes) with clips in them. I took off the towel rod and slipped three rings on, one for each child. Next I simply clipped a color coded wash cloth onto each ring. They know which one is theirs and I can take the washcloths off to wash them as often as I want without much extra laundry. I buy colors for the season...like lime green for spring and Christmas colors for December. If you wait a bit they are usually on sale. Washcloths are cheap!!!

 

HTH!

[Laurie]

I decided that hand towels are too small for my dc's bathroom and now I use bath and beach towels instead. The larger towels don't fall off easily, and turning the towel around is almost like getting a clean towel. They've got a tropical fish theme going in there so the bright beach towels don't look out of place.

 

Mine also have color-coded hand towels to use on their faces. :)

 

Obviously I was naive when I registered for fingertip towels. :D

[Melissa in Australia]

we use the same hand towel for the whole family. I put up a clean one once a day. if someone is sick. I replace it more frequently.

I always put up a clean one if I have visitors.

[Dawn in OH]

We have one hand towel for the whole family which I change daily. I have stressed to the children to only use the towel to dry clean hands. If you need to dry a washed face, we have a stack of washcloths in the bathroom that you should use and toss into the laundry.

 

When someone in the family is sick I usually assign the sick person their own hand towel and the non sick family members continue to use the other towel.

 

I always put up a fresh towel when we have company. When we have guests with children over I always change the hand towel immediately after their leaving because I have no idea what their families "towel etiquette" is.