probably a daft question... but what do you do with dirty dishcloths/tea towels?

gemmaj

Ok, obviously wash them! :rotfl:but I mean't before then... In the interest of hygiene (baby on the way!) I have decided that I should make sure I start a clean tea towel and dish cloth every day, but I just can't figure out what to do with them before wash-day! I don't have a dirty laundry hamper downstairs, so I've been leaving them in the washing machine but they are making it smell.

What do other people do? Thanks!

Gingernutmeg

I hang an old carrier bag on the back of the kitchen door, put the dirty cloths in there and wash them when the bag gets full - I get through a lot of tea towels so they're rarely in there for longer than a couple of days.

Angelraesunshine

mine go by the washing machine to go in the next wash or they go in the wash basket though with 5 in our house i tend to do washing everyday.

i would leave them to dry though they wont smell as much if you are getting clean ones daily. hang over the oven door or the radiator and then put in the wash.

Zziggi

First thing, there's no such thing as a daft question! (hey i should know, i ask enough!)

I usually just bung them in a whites/light coloured wash. AS other have said, might be a good idea to let them dry first before putting them in the wash basket if it will be a few days before you wash. If there are stubborn stains, or if you want then really bright-white, then just before you go to bed fill your sink up and put a bit of ariel handwash in the sink with the cloths. Leave them over night and in the morning rinse them. Makes them bright white again (my mum's done this for years).

Justamum

I did mine this morning actually! I have a bucket which is tucked away in a corner of my kitchen. I put the towels and cloths in there, then when I've run out I stick them on the hottest wash with some tea tree in the final rinse. I've always been a bit fussy about mine - I get that from my mum. My in laws only ever seem to have one dishcloth and one tea towel which is also used as a hand towel and they only get washed occasionally. My FIL seemed to use the dishcloth as a general cleaning cloth too - he wanted it to wash the bath with it one day when I was there. Yuck!!! You would think my MIL being a nurse would have better standards of hygiene - then again maybe not.

Rikki

I put my dishcloth in the dishwasher.

snails's_pace

yup another vote for the dishwasher here....sponges..clothes...dusters..teatowels the lot

Gingham_Ribbon

Justamum wrote: »

You would think my MIL being a nurse would have better standards of hygiene - then again maybe not.

i knew a nurse who actually cleaned the baby's poo covered bottom with a tea towel. Needless to say I declined to eat there. :eek:

tanith

I bung my dishcloth in whenever I put the dishwasher on. I buy 3 for 27p at Tesco and throw them away at the end of each week not very money saving but its only 27p ... teatowels go in a hotwash once a week with the hand towels... I have plenty so its not a problem doing them once a week

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

I use microfibre cloths as dishcloths and put them in with the towels when I wash them.

moanymoany

I agree with the advice given about letting teatowels dry - then they don't smell. I wash them with my towels - about twice a week.

Dishcloths - I use the Aggie and Kim method. I have a small bowl which I half fill with hot water and a squirt of washing up liquid - add about a tablespoonful of bleach. I leave my dishcloths in that, I change the water every day. It means that when I wipe the surfaces with these cloths the surfaces are bleached enough to kill bugs.

I then put them in with the teatowels and towels.