to not understand how people use a dish towel and dish cloth interchangeably?

[MolyHolyGuacamole]

(light-hearted...somewhat) Help me settle this 'debate' with a friend: dish towel/dish cloth. So, you have you dish towels, cotton and sometimes patterened, usually found hanging on the oven handle next to your oven mitts. Then you have your dish cloth (also known as a j cloth). Can range anywhere from cheap and disposable to micro fibre and washable. WHAT do you use each for? I use the dish cloth for cleaning up any spills/messes, wiping down counter tops etc. dish cloth for drying hands and dishes. But numerous people have come to my house, made a spill (most memorable was red wine) and before I could do anything they quickly dash up and grab my beautiful dish towel to clean up the mess. So now, not only does it have to go in the wash, but it's stained I've also witnessed people use it to mop up spills by the sink or sauce (with a dish cloth being within reach) then hang it back all damp and yucky like that's the norm so...is it?? Am I just abnormal? Surely as soon as you use it to clean up a mess it can't be used again, as it's now dirty? I only have a couple, so it's not like I run the machine the whole time

@MarianneAgain fair enough dirty hands don't get near tea towels in my house! lol I did mean both ways but wasn't very clear. Tbf though you'd think me a slattern as I don't clean my sponge that regularly. Tends to just get binned and replaced more often - but then I usually have to as my dh uses it to clean the dog bowls who have the stinkiest most disgusting fish oil additive and once that's in a sponge there's no saving it.

Definitely dish cloth for mess and tea towels for drying hands etc. I also have a display tea towel which matches the oven glove (has little cats on it). My DH used it to mop up tomato sauce (apparently he didn't know). Gutted.

I think I have quite a complicated arrangement... Dish cloth for washing dishes, yellow/white sponge for wiping/washing really dirty things first in the right-hand sink (no dishwasher). Jay cloths for surfaces. Tea towel for drying dishes. A thicker tea towel for hands and a thinner one for drying fruit and veg! I never realised but writing it down sounds a bit OTT! And of course festive tea towels for Christmas.

We have tea towels. When clean they are used to dry dishes, then they get hung up and can be used for spills or hands. If dishes need drying then a new clean one comes out, we never re-use one for drying dishes. All used tea towels and rags go in a hot wash and a hot tumble dry.

Popfan yes I have matching ‘displays’ as well, for the festive occasions 😂

OneWildNightWithJBJ I like your set up 😉

My aged step-mother has a hand towel and a dish drying towel. Both hang next to each other (touching- but that’s a whole ‘nother family drama) and look almost identical. Wow betide anyone who uses either for the wrong purpose. She is in high alert whenever anyone approaches them. It has caused major ructions hidden under veneer of ‘humour’ when the WRONG ONE has been used. I’ve suggested having them different colours etc. Honestly what are families like, eh ?

op sorry i missed the point totally and got carried away thinking of kitchen roll antics lol. But yes your way i how i do it i dont use tea towels for spillages etc lolx

Oh my days amen to you op!!!! this is one of my pet peeves!! OH regularly wipes up tea or coffee spills with tea towels and it drives me crackers!!! Arrrgghhh!

Thank you @MolyHolyGuacamole !

I can’t remember the last time I used a dish cloth. I use scouring sponges for washing up and for washing the high chair & tables. We have tea towels, but we don’t actually dry any dishes with them. Why do we even have them 🤔? I think we mainly use them to dry our hands after washing them. I occasionally dry my sterile breast pump with a tea towel, if I don’t have time to let it dry on its own.

I’m with you OP, towels are for drying dishes only.

Use dishwasher for most pots. Dishcloth , sponge and brush used for doing things I don’t want to go in dishwasher. Three tea towels are put out daily. There’s are used for wiping pots and then get used for cleaning counters with copious sprays of detox antibacterial spray. Tea towel then goes in washer. Hand towel - changed every other days for hands only. I cannot bear to see a person wiping their hands on a dirty teatowel. Or a clean one for that matter!!! Tea towels are cheap and dead easy to wash and iron. Absolutely no excuse for not changing tea towels regularly.

I use my tea towels for everything, but we have loads so I always chuck them in the wash if I've used it for anything dirty. We don't wash up by hand, so it's rare we dry things on a tea towel anyway. I tend to use dish cloths to wipe up things which need a bit more grit so hot water and/or cleaning spray, and again, chuck in the wash after one use. I don't care if the tea towel gets stained, to me that's the point of it. As long as it's washed it's clean and it doesn't matter to me. I can't abide sponges, you can never get them dry so they just fester away, DH keeps them for months

There was a study showing that microwaving your sponges makes them worse.

We have lots Bertie too and don't handwash much at all, sometimes we will go through several in one day. I think it is more grim to re-use them over and over, just pull a fresh one out!

Dishcloths are for wiping up spills and cleaning countertops. Tea towels are for wiping hands while cooking. Each is changed daily, the latter, several times day if lots of cooking is happening.

Dishwasher for dishes but also a washing up brush for odd bits. Clean tea towel every morning and glasses and cups coming out of the dishwasher go straight on to finish drying - glasses upside down to dry rims, mugs right way up to dry bottoms where water collects. Yesterday’s draining teatowel gets moved to sink for use that day. Older teatowel used to wipe crumbs off table then into utility room wash basket. Wipe surfaces with a clean dishcloth changed every day. Also have a hand towel which gets changed every day or so.

Wiping up messy spills with my nice tea towels would annoy me too. DH has been known to do that. He is learning slowly.

I have show tea towels which are NEVER to be used and tea towels are all hot pink to go with my decor. Saddo I know. Washed every day and never to be used for anything other than drying dishes. I seemingly collect dish cloths as I have so many but once used and washed they will then go in a pile to be used again. Scruffy looking ones are used as rags. I do have OCD which centres around cleaning and order but I'm not overly bothered by germs per se. Dp uses my tea towels to wipe up spills and I've told him if he continues then he's out of the door seriously though it winds me up. Tea towels shouldn't be contaminated with spills etc.

Washed every day and never to be used for anything other than drying dishes. washed every day?! What’s the point, surely you can’t be drying up so much stuff you need to put a load on daily?

Australian here. I have a fluffy hand towel which has a lot of sentimental meaning so is for drying hands only, nice tea towels for drinks dishes and old ones for wiping up messes. I also have sponges for washing dishes

We have a dishwasher, so very little washing up needs to be washed with the dishcloth or dried with the tea towel. Generally we use the dishcloth to wipe down surfaces and spills, and the tea towel for drying (more often hands that dishes, due to aforementioned dishwasher). Both get chucked in the washing machine at least daily. We would always use a fresh dishcloth for washing and a fresh tea towel for drying pots and pans.

For the past 20 years my husband has ignored the hand towel and dried his hands on the tea towel. I gave up years ago and just passive aggressively chuck it in the wash the moment he's finished now.

Hmm, I'm not proud of it, but I go through more paper towel than is reasonable.

So - sponge for wiping down surfaces and cleaning, say, the oven top.

Brush for hand washing.

Tea towel for drying dishes. Not for wiping, and never for the floor!

And paper towel for everything else - mopping up spills, especially on the floor - you can't use a cloth on the floor, drying hands and all sorts of cooking and baking needs as well.