s/o hand towels/kitchen linens

[Jen in PA]

So how often do you wash hand towels and kitchen linens? I change hand towels (kitchen and bath) once a day (sometimes twice if someone is ill), plus change my dishcloth once or twice a day. DH and I will reuse napkins within the same day, the DC usually get theirs too icky to reuse. Some of my friends have switched over to paper to cut down on germs, but that seems so..... expensive.

[6packofun]

I don't use dishcloths because they get so icky, but I get a new hand towel in the kitchen every day or 2 and usually every 2-3 days for the hand towels in the bathroom. They get washed at least once a week, usually twice.

 

(Btw, I run my kitchen sponge in the dishwasher a few times before tossing OR as soon as they stink and I can't get the smell out!)

Edited October 28, 2010 by 6packofun
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[Carrie12345]

I put kitchen laundry in the wet bag at the end of every day (or earlier for real messes) and wash once or twice a week, depending on how full the bag is getting. I don't like to run extra small loads, even with the HE washer.

[dirty ethel rackham]

We get out a new kitchen towel every day or other day, depending on how much we have been in the kitchen. When I am on a cooking or cleaning rampage (not nearly often enough), I can go through 3-4 towels in a day. I don't use a dish cloth, but a sponge that I microwave every other day or so.

 

In the bathroom, I would like to change the hand towels every day, but we don't have enough towels. I won't go to paper towels because that is just so wasteful (not just expense, but resource-wise.)

[Kathleen in VA]

Kitchen towels, hand towels, and dish rags get changed out at the very least once a day - sometimes more depending on the situation.

[Laura Corin]

Bathroom hand towels get changed once a week unless I notice that they are dirty/damp. Kitchen towels get changed a couple of times a week unless they are contaminated. Dish cloths get used for about a day before being washed and microwaved.

 

Laura

[Parrothead]

They get changed out every day. Sometimes more than once.

 

I basically wash a load of towels every day.

 

Laura, why do you microwave dish towels? Isn't that dangerous? A fire hazard?

[MaMa2005]

All kitchen towels/dish rags are changed each night when I disinfect the kitchen before going to bed. Hand towels in DS's and the master bath - once a week. The half-bath that is used many times a day - every other day.

[Mekanamom]

I change out the hand towels every other day (daily if someone is ill). While I am changing the towels, the kitchen sponges/scrubbies get microwaved on high for 2 minutes.

 

We have a huge number of cloth napkins that I bought from some wholesaler online... We have enough napkins to have a fresh one for every meal. (BTW, I do not fold them or iron them! They are no-wrinkle poly, and I just pop them in a large, pretty basket by the table. Easy to grab. The only time they get folded is while the table is being set, and sometimes not even then!)

 

I do the towel/napkin laundry once or twice a week... It works out well. The paper towel roll we have on hand lasts months and months. LOL.

[Dawn in OH]

I change bathroom hand towels, kitchen towels, dishcloths, and sponges daily. Sometimes more depending on the situation. For instance, when I've done a lot of baking things tend to get covered with flour. When I have enough for a full load, I run a load of laundry.

[Laura Corin]

 

Laura, why do you microwave dish towels? Isn't that dangerous? A fire hazard?

 

Something like this. I wash them by hand with ordinary clothes detergent, rinse them well, then put them damp into a plastic food box with a lid. Then I steam them in the microwave for five minutes to sterilise them.

 

Laura

[Britomart]

Dish cloths get changed once a day, right before I do the first batch of dishes (so, just after lunch, usually). Dish towels get changed every couple days, depending on how much they're used (we usually let our dishes air dry, so they aren't frequently used). Bathroom hand towels are usually once a week, but that'll probably go up once the kids start using them regularly instead of just letting their hands air dry! I do flip them around every day, so they stay dry, but I figure only clean hands are touching them, so I'm not too worried about germs there.