if you use dishrags instead of sponges

[sassenach]

I have a door into the garage from our kitchen. Inside the garage, right next to that door, we have a hamper which all of our towels and rags go into. Our washer and dryer are in the garage. 

[ashfern]

I hang them on the sink to dry. Then they go in the basket with dirty towels. I don't use bleach. I just wash on hot. With 7 of us, I always have a load of towels.

[SKL]

If I used a dish rag on something nasty, I would wash it out right away (in the kitchen sink) rather than wait and put it in the laundry.

[ashfern]

16 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

I'm definitely thinking that living in Florida may be effecting how quickly things get mildewy or at least stinky.

Also, using one a week? If I'm washing a pan that had chicken gook in it, I'm not reusing that cloth until it has been washed and bleached! 

Hanging to dry makes sense...except doesn't it drip all over your floor then? I'm obviously missing something there, lol.  And no way would it dry hanging in the cabinet, it would get stinky first I'm pretty sure. 

We use multiple cloths each day. Minimum two, one for dishes & one for wiping the table & counters. Mine are all cotton and handmade (combination of knit and crochet). I can't even close the drawer that they're in because I have too many (at least 40). Ours are hung on the edge of the sink, over the faucet, or on the drying rack. Some of the kids will leave them wet in a ball in the sink. 

[Chris in VA]

Not here, but back home, I got 10 red-checked ones and kept them in a pretty little basket by the sink. When I finished with one, I washed it with dish soap and hot water, wrung it out, and hung it over the faucet of the sink. I'd just pick a new one later in the day if needed, and tossed the wet one down the stairs. I kept a plastic laundry basket (a little one) on those stairs. I washed towels or sheets or whatever frequently enough that I just threw them in. 

Here I wash even more frequently bc the washer is so small. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Chris in VA

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, sassenach said:

I have a door into the garage from our kitchen. Inside the garage, right next to that door, we have a hamper which all of our towels and rags go into. Our washer and dryer are in the garage. 

 

26 minutes ago, SKL said:

If I used a dish rag on something nasty, I would wash it out right away (in the kitchen sink) rather than wait and put it in the laundry.

 

14 minutes ago, Chris in VA said:

Not here, but back home, I got 10 red-checked ones and kept them in a pretty little basket by the sink. When I finished with one, I washed it with dish soap and hot water, wrung it out, and hung it over the faucet of the sink. I'd just pick a new one later in the day if needed, and tossed the wet one down the stairs. I kept a plastic laundry basket (a little one) on those stairs. I washed towels or sheets or whatever frequently enough that I just threw them in. 

Here I wash even more frequently bc the washer is so small. 

Replying to all of the above - washing it by hand in the sink first is pretty brilliant, lol. And totally obvious. Oops. I'm good at missing the obvious! I might even keep a bit of bleach under the sink for such purposes. 

I do have a door to the garage, and hmm...could maybe put a basket out there. Except I might forget about it. 

Really, it's the drying issue I need to figure out I think. Last night I tossed two, still wet , in the washing machine and this morning they already smell funky. So instead of washing the comforter I was going to wash now I'm doing a load of towels on hot with bleach, because I don't think a normal warm wash without bleach will get the funk out. 

It's ridiculously humid here...the other day the temp was 76 but the "feels like" heat index was 89 because it was SO humid. Even with the AC running it just stays humid and things take forever to dry. 

[LucyStoner]

On 11/14/2018 at 5:04 PM, Katy said:

 

You deep clean your kitchen once a week?  *hangs head in shame* I don't think I've deep cleaned mine in two months.

 

It’s very small and my “deep cleaning” just means:

Wiping off all surfaces (counters, fronts of cabinets and drawers, outside of appliances, table, open shelves)

Steam mop the floor

Cleaning anything dicey in the fridge, wiping down the fridge 

Scrubbing sink

Making sure all counters and tables are cleared and cleaned

If it needs it, I’ll clean the oven and drip pans or wash the filter on the range hood or deep clean the fridge or clean the inside of the microwave.  

Seasonally, I get behind the appliances and inside the cupboards and drawers.  

I’ve been working more which makes this mostly a weekend endeavor.  Which I hate.  I am considering hiring a service.  

A lot of what I now do weekly, I used to do daily do this is progress for me.  ?

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by LucyStoner

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I have plenty to get me through a week because I like a clean one everyday.  I lay mine in the laundry room sink area to dry completely and then I put them in a basket of dirty dish rags and dish towels.  I don't wash my kitchen towels and rags with our clothes because it seems gross to me.

ETA: I don't use dish rags on my dishes.  They are for wiping down counters and the table etc.. I use a sink brush to clean off all the dirty dishes and then they go in the dishwasher. Every couple days or so I put the brush in the dishwasher to sanitize it.

Edited November 16, 2018 by 1GirlTwinBoys

[Ellie]

On 11/14/2018 at 3:49 PM, Ktgrok said:

How do you handle the laundry aspect - or rather, storing the wet/dirty ones until you launder them? I keep ending up musty mildew ones because they sit wet and don't get washed. I don't want to do a load with bleach every darned day to wash dishcloths. And I don't want to throw them in with my clothes to get buried and gross. So??

I put out a clean dishcloth every morning. I take the "old" one into the laundry room and drape it over the clothing rack to dry. It's dry the next morning, and I put it in a small basket with other little white things.

[BlsdMama]

We have a septic tank. Bleach is not an item I use. ?

 

i do a load of towels everyday and wash on hot and dry on hot. No smells. 

[Pawz4me]

2 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

We have a septic tank. Bleach is not an item I use. ?

 

i do a load of towels everyday and wash on hot and dry on hot. No smells. 

FWIW -- I've spent most of my 55 years with a septic tank and have always used bleach in moderation. It's never once been a problem. Your average family is putting way more bacteria down a septic tank than the occasional bit of bleach is going to be able to affect.

[Scarlett]

On ‎11‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 8:07 AM, Ktgrok said:

ok, confession time....this was what I WAS doing...but figured it was wrong, lol. Like, maybe I shouldn't be washing the dishcloths with the clothes or something. But that IS easiest - to keep the lid of the washing machine open and toss them in during the day, then they get washed with whatever else that day. 

I still will set aside those that are used on raw meat or anything really gross but for most of them, that's the easiest thing. 

I was washing my dishtowels with other white clothes but dh asked me to stop because he said it made his white t shirts smell like a kitchen.  

[ElizabethB]

You need to get a dehumidifier!

We have lived a bunch of different places; in a place with that level of humidity, we got a large dehumidifier after living there a year without one, it made a huge difference.

I drape my washcloths over the edge of my plastic laundry basket, then move them in with the rest of the clothes once they are dry.  This is necessary even in very dry locations but imperative in a humid environment.  A drying rack over the washer might be the best location for your rags.  If you wring them out really well before hanging, that helps.  You could also put a drying rack in a bathtub you don't use often.

[ElizabethB]

The reasons for getting a dehumidifier are not just for your dishrag problem.

Optimal humidity levels are better for preserving the structure of your house (can cause foundation problems if foundation is too dry or too moist) and also for keeping everyone in the house healthier, there is a band of humidity that is best for people and worse for bacteria, mold, and allergens.  Our current house, we probably need to get a humidifier, we are in the lower band of what is good, it is dry here.