How many clean facecloths/washcloths is unreasonable?

[SpookedMackerel]

If you are someone who uses cotton face flannels for washing, do you wring it out and hang it up between uses or get a fresh one every time?

We have always had a basket of them in the bathroom. Everyone takes as needed and they all get washed at the end of the week.

DH and I both usually have one on the sink for face-washing and one in the shower, and tend to take a new set every three or four days.

Teen Dc have started using multiple clean ones every day, the basket ends up empty and there are arguments.
So we’ve agreed everyone gets their own colour, nobody else uses those, if you use them all up before laundry day then it’s free for all with ones in the basket.

I was interested to gauge opinion on how many clean flannels one might use in a week. DH reckons at most 4, Dd thinks 20 at least.

I just use once, but having had acne as a teen this was part of my routine.
I have probably forty and a bucket in the bathroom, they go in and wash twice a week on a hot wash.
They like you are kept in a basket in each bathroom.
I find single use better as no danger of sharing a flannel.

Agree with your DH. A compromise might be 1 a day - perhaps a fresh one in the morning as your face is relatively clean, then use in the evening to take make up off, and into the wash?

Alternatively of course she can buy her own, wash them herself, and keep them in her own room.

How is she even using 20?! Surely you only wash your face twice a day?! Is she a coal miner?

Maybe what DD actually needs is a set of reusable make-up pads?

Gosh OP I've not used a face flannel since I was little girl many many years ago. That was in the days before showers and Sunday night was bath night.
I'm quite intrigued that you all use them and the amount of laundry it must generate.
If I did use one I'd be getting a fresh one every time.

Four or so here.

I bought lots of little things that are more like reusable makeup removing pads - they work as well as a full size face cloth, have loops to hang turn up to dry after use, and I can use them for soap or skin products as the fancy takes me. There are about a dozen around here somewhere...

Also useful for travel as they dry out quickly so don't go back in my washbag sopping.

We have our own coloured face flannels. Change them a couple of times a week. My teens don't wear make up though, neither do I.
Is your DD doing elaborate face cleansing routine?

One per week per person. Washed on the hottest wash weekly, rinsed out inbetween. Make up initially removed using cotton pad and micellar water though, rather than a flannel.

Each person has a different colour so no danger of mixing them up.

I use a fresh one every day sometimes more, I have about ten that I use in a week

DD uses them (she’s 5 and a messy eater). She has a clean one daily but not per use as she has to clean her face multiple times a day.

I don’t use them routinely but yes we have a basket of them to use.

I don't know. Are your dc using them to take off makeup or do they have acne etc? In which case I can see why they'd prefer a clean one each time they use one. As a PP said would reusable makeup removal pads be better?

I use a cloth per day for my face cleanser. They are left to dry on the bath tub and go into the wash.

DD has one in the morning to wash as she showers in the evening. In the evening she uses a washable make up removal pad to remove make up, so 2 a day. More if she has a full face and one is not enough (going out, theatre show etc).

I have a stack of white ones we use for washing and they go into the normal white wash with T-shirts and bras.

The one for make up are coloured and go into the respective colour wash.

If we needed some when DD had her acne, they would go into the hot wash.

I don't use them very often but when I have my daughter and small grandson here to stay he uses about 4 or 5 a day. One after every meal, maybe one after a snack, and one for his bath/shower. She doesn't use them.

I have a clean flannel each time I take makeup off - but don't wear makeup very often!!
Assuming DD is removing makeup, at least one per day....

I use them in the shower and use a clean one each day

I have a huge pile of flannels in the airing cupboard, mainly inexpensive ones from Ikea. I use a fresh one each time I wash my face/shower. Leave to dry over the top of the shower cubicle then it goes in the wash, and I wash them once a week. A couple of years ago I bought a pack of small muslin cloths from Amazon to take on holiday, which are easily packable and dry quickly. I also have microfibre cleaning pads from B & M for removing makeup.

You can buy throw away face cloths in a roll for around £2.50- may be worth looking at as I’m sure they are also environmentally friendly too

Nothing single use that could be reusable is environmentally friendly.

Sounds like DD needs to be on cloth washing duty, going through that many.

Tell her that every time the cloths run out, she can put a load on. Buy her a soctopus to hang them to dry.

Between 7 and 14 surely if they’re single use for face? I don’t use flannels on my face, I have reusable makeup remover pads and use my hands to wash my face.

Teen DDs and I have a fresh one every day. They hang to dry then go in the wash, I had to stop them putting soaking wet cloths in the wash where they sit for a few days. We all wear makeup so they are quite grim once used.

How is anything like that environmentally friendly when it's designed to be single use and thrown away, as opposed to something that can be used and washed for donkeys years?

My oldest normal facecloths are now in the garage and are probably 25yrs old!

Biodegradable

I’d say if they’re being used to take off make up then you need a fresh one each time.

Right, but how long does it take to become degraded? And what is the environmental cost of making it, packaging it, shipping it to the point of sale etc?

Biodegradable as a statement tells no one anything about it's environmental credentials.

I live alone and have around 20 face cloths. I only use them to take my makeup off though, as I hate face wipes. I use cleansing balm, smother my face, then wipe off with the flannel. I use one a day (as another poster has suggested) and wash my face with a clean one in the morning, then use it again in the evening before putting in the wash.