Dishcloth Dilemma: AIBU to ask my mum not to wipe baby's face with a dishcloth?

[WednesdayRebel]

AIBU to ask my mum not to wipe baby's face with a dishcloth?

Let me start by saying that my mum is NOT what you'd call a germphobe. She genuinely believes in the beneficial properties of exposure to healthy doses of all sorts of grime. Builds the immunity and all that.

Now let me say that I don't disagree with her - to an extent. I'm aware of theories that suggest rising allergies and so on are the fault of us living in overly sterile environments. And my house is hardly pristine.

But one thing Mum's been doing is beyond my capacity to cope with. She uses her dishcloth from the sink, the same one she uses for doing the dishes, to wipe up ANYTHING around the kitchen/dining/living areas of the house. Off floors, tables, surfaces, whatever. And she has a dog. And a cat.

It's not what I'd do, but it doesn't bother me.

Until she insists on using the same dishcloth to wipe my baby's hands and FACE every time she eats.

Did I mention that she uses this same cloth to clean up dog spillages from the floor?

I recently asked her not to, then pointed out that she was still doing it after I'd asked her not to, and that this was upsetting both me and my husband.

She got all shirty, defensive and aggressive, and told me that she does some things out of habit and can't be expected to change. I've spoken to her a couple of times since and both times she's been really off.

So AIBU in asking her not to use the dirty dishcloth to wipe my baby's mouth with? Or am I being pedantic?

In normal circumstances I'd say if the cloths clean enough to do the dishes, it's OK for baby's face. It's probably more "worrying" that germs are being transferred from baby to the dishcloth than vice versa. However, a dish cloth in this house is immaculately clean, changed at least once a day and never used on anything relating to a pet.

So on balance, I don't think it's terrible to use a dish cloth on baby, but I wouldn't use it on the dishes afterwards and your mum's dishcloth sounds vile.

I had a similar issue. One of my DD's has very mild eczema so I used it as an excuse. I presented DM with a pack of different coloured cloths to hers & explained they could only be used on the DDs, as anything other than water on a freshly washed cloth would upset her skin. It worked.

Good god. That's horrible. I would put my foot down.

Where's the dilemma? Dishcloths aren't for faces, and with good reason. That's it really.

hmmm, I'm coming from another viewpoint. I'm a grandparent, and my ddil wipes my dgdc hands and faces with the cloth from the sink.

I'd never do it, and I'm when ddil does. However, none of them ever have got sick as a consequence.

I removed all dishcloths from our kitchen due to my MIL and DM doing this. We just let everything drip dry now and use kitchen roll for everything else.

Both complain about the lack of a dishcloth and I ignore them.

It's not generational, my mum had a cloth for kitchen sides/washing dishes etc, one for the floor, one for bathroom, and one for toilet, and a facecloth for each person. She also used a separate hand towel and drying towel in the kitchen (they don't stay clean long enough to bother with two of them in this house).

My MIL who is older than my mum was, has used a kitchen cloth to wipe the children's faces/hands when visiting us, doesn't bat an eyelid. They haven't caught anything from it, but it's still yuck.

perhaps don't let her wipe your child's face but do it yourself before she does? Maybe carry some baby wipes or something.

Yanbu at all, that's gross

YANBU, obviously. This is utterly disgusting and dangerous.

I don't understand how some people think. Just because it's a dishcloth doesn't mean it magically absorbs and eliminates bacteria/dog shit/spillages. You wouldn't wipe a baby's face with a used tissue you've just blown your nose in, but somehow it's OK to do it with a dishcloth you've wiped the floor with?

Wish I had read this before eating. Feeling a bit ill!!

I am no way near a clean freak in the house but would never use the dishcloth on the children. Even now it would freak me out and they are 16 & 20

Dm did this too, though i assume hasnt used hers on floor and they have no pets.
At uni i saw another student use communal dishcloth on the floor ergh!!
We certainly dont change ours daily
But do have separate hand and tea towels.
Fil used the tea towel to demonstrate something he was saying - with hands used in the garden (im pg) .. Tea towel straight in for a wash.
I think wipes or flanels
But at nursery i saw them wiping dds face with a cloth..ergh no wonder germs spread like they do. What about cold sores or serious illnesses like maybe menigitis that might not spread easily. And often kids have snot running from their nose in a line
I wouldnt use dishcloth as it would spread germs from dc back to everyone else, im a bit phobic about d&v. Plus i might not catch say slapped cheek from her etc. most things are contagious before symptoms.

Is she related to my husband. I follow him at weekends as he uses tea towels, dish clothes, washing up sponge to clean stuff off the floor and spills - then just puts them back :o. I then put them in the wash or bin.

Iv given up tbh. I hide all clothes/sponges on a weekend and leave out a huge roll of kitchen roll - saves arguments

My nursery use flannels after each meal but each child has a freshly boiled washed one then they go straight into a dirty bucket to be boil washed again.

Thats interesting purple. I would hope that would be the case, though dd did get ill a lot..., but she was just 1 so possiblly putting stuff in mouth stage

Your mum cleans up dog shit with the cloth she uses for her dishes? And wipes your child's face with this same cloth.

How utterly disgusting and I worry about someone who needs you to explain WHY this is disgusting!!!!

It is annoying to keep 'nagging' about not washing dirty hands in kitchen sink, possibly over the dishes, spraying on drying area.
We use kitchen towel for floor.
I guess environmentally friendly i should prob get a diff colour cloth for floor. But then would probably rinse in sink so not solving issue.
But then supposedly half men dont wash hands after loo, or something like that, so even touching the dishcloth, tea towel.,
Can you imagine if restaurant kitchens wiped up spills on floor with dishcloth
My nan used kitchen scissors to cut hair around dogs bum.. Then put them back
It makes me wonder if this is the cause of some of the d&v that goes around. People just not having good higene.

Ask your mum to wash her own face and hands with it! Bet she won't.....

I wipe my dds face and hands with a dish cloth BUT I keep it separate to the dishcloth I use for dishes and wiping sides. It is only for her hands and face and gets thoroughly rinsed out and replaced often .

The reason I do it because I can't afford to buy so many baby wipes it was getting a bit ridiculous and also I think it's a bit better for the environment rather than keep throwing wipes away.

Yanbu though as it's your baby and your decision and it sounds like her cloth is probably not hygienic either.

Oh and I do wash her hands with soap before she eats or use a baby wipe!

Yanbu.

Both DMil and DM did this and I was inwardly horrified. Don't even think they wiped stuff off the floor with them...

I overcame it by asking for a face cloth at the start of every meal (to wash hands before eating, mil deeply approves of this), which is then used throughout the meal as necessary and at the end for major child cleaning. Now each grandmother (and grandfather) will automatically provide a proper facecloth at each meal. Bless them.

At home and at DM's there is a dedicated hand towel in the kitchen although DF is a farmer so I'm sometimes suspicious about how clean their hand towel really is. DMil just gives us a freshish tea towel. This doesn't bother me - other than the idea of drying dishes with a towel that has wiped the children's faces. But that is PIL's choice.

yadnbu yuck, yuck, yuck.......

I'm quit laid back about this sort of thing but even this is a step too far! Totally NBU.