Go back to good old fashioned Dish Cloths!!!

System

You can wash J cloths and reuse them quite a lot of times.

Yes but they aint quite as abrasive and absorbent. I use a clean dishcloth every day and throw it in the washer with my whites.

buffers

I always put my dishcloth on top of the dishes in the dishwasher. This sterilises it and keeps it nice and white and is NO TROUBLE!

Magentasue

buffers wrote:

I always put my dishcloth on top of the dishes in the dishwasher. This sterilises it and keeps it nice and white and is NO TROUBLE!

What a clever idea! Must try.

MATH

16011996 wrote:

the button in the corner is also great for running along the grout between tiles.

Where, Oh Where, do you get these tips

student100

Yes, you can wash a cotton dishcloth in the washing machine, but the energy and water etc used to wash & dry it probably costs more than a disposable cloth (which can be bought for less than 5 pence each).
Unless you bleach them or wash them on a boil wash cotton cloths will still retain some bacteria even after washing. Disposable cloths dry out a lot quicker when you're not using them, so they're less likely to harbour bacteria.
Cotton cloths may be preferable for non-food uses (like cleaning the bathroom sinks where they may be a bit more abrasive & therefore remove limescale a bit better, and as you don't eat from the bathroom sink it doesn't matter so much how clean the cloth is) but for washing up and cleaning food contact surfaces disposable cloths are best.

raeble

Is it just me or are we overly obsessed with germs these days? Back in the day long before I was born people were using dish cloths, and all manner of things that have been deemed potentially hazardous to our health and were nowhere near as sickly as we seem to be with constant colds, allergies etc(I'm not discounting that a lot of people would have suffered and possibly died with things that we are routinely vaccinated for). Of course I could be looking back with rose tinted glasses on something I never experienced.

I think I'll get some dish cloths in, I can't be doing with those j-cloths giving up the ghost when I decide to do the slightest bit of cleaning.

buffers

I have a pack of 5 cotton dish cloths purported to have 'anti-bacterial properties which remain in the cloth no matter how many times it is washed or bleached'. Has anybody else found these? They are advertised in a well-known catalogue from the north. (I still put the cloths in the top of the dishwasher!).

student100

buffers wrote:

I have a pack of 5 cotton dish cloths purported to have 'anti-bacterial properties which remain in the cloth no matter how many times it is washed or bleached'. Has anybody else found these? They are advertised in a well-known catalogue from the north. (I still put the cloths in the top of the dishwasher!).

It's debatable whether anti-bacterial products like this are necessary, or even if they may acually be counter-productive. They will be impregnated with an 'antimicrobial' agent, (normally Triclosan, also known as Microban) which works in a similar way to an antibiotic. Overuse of weak antimicrobials in household products etc. could theoretically lead to increased bacterial resistance and eventually the creation of so-called "superbugs". Also use of these antimicrobial agents can be counterproductive since people think that because products are antibacterial they don't need cleaning properly when in fact they do.
See Wikipedia: Triclosan.


If you do want to use traditional cotton dishcloths in the kitchen then you can keep them hygienic by changing them frequently and washing them on a very hot wash (60c minimum, preferably hotter) or rinsing through then soaking in dilute bleach solution before washing.

You're right, generally we are rather paranoid about bacteria etc. nowadays. However, good kitchen hygiene is important. People do get ill from poor food hygiene and may not even realise the cause. It is fairly easy to prevent foodbourne illness just by practising basic kitchen hygiene but for some reason some people still can't manage to do this nowadays.

Magentasue

I have similar from Lakeland and although I avoid antibacterial products I recommend these because they have lasted a couple of years even though they go in the wash after one day's use (or less). They also come in red and blue in the pack - red for kitchen, blue for bathroom. I only use Jcloths for decorating use when they're going to get paint or something on them.

buffers

They're the ones. I take the all points that student100 makes and would not normally go for antibacterial products, but these cloths are very good quality and last a long time. I have also had mine for nigh on two years. Soaking them in a bleach solution overnight or putting them in the dishwasher is infinitely cheaper than continually buying disposable cloths - we are on a 'moneysavers' site aren't we?