Am I dirty?

[HouseyNousey]

Over at a friend's house the other day when dish cloths came up in the conversation (I know!). She said '"well no one keeps them for more than a few weeks before they have to be replaced,do they?"

Well .. er yes! I disinfect mine every few days and keep them for months.

Am I dirty?

Depends on the cloth.
I have some microfibre ones and put them in the washing machine every day or so. They're good for months.
When they wear out I am getting some more environmentally friendly ones which don't produce micro plastics.
I think if you clean them frequently and don't use the same ones for dishes and floors you're ok.

I change kitchen cloths daily,they go in a hot wash with towels,mop heads etc

The cloths I mainly meant was the white cotton ones.
I also use micro fibre which get put in the washing machine.
I never use the same cloth for floor as for everything else.

What you're doing is the equivalent of just using anti bac gel and not washing your hands.

I never use cloths for dishes, only sponges.

I've had 6 micro fibre cloths from
Poundland for about 15 years

That's absolutely fine. It would be very wasteful to throw them away every few days.

You've said you're washing them and disinfecting them and using them for designated uses - not dirty at all (although I suspect you will get some odd responses )

If they’re being washed and disinfected there’s no issue, is there? MrsPelligrino’s post makes no sense to me.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor You wash mop heads daily? And in the same wash as towels?

I don’t think it’s dirty at all. It’s not like they sit unwashed, festering for weeks on end. I think your friend is wasteful.

Wow I feel like a slattern. I use those washing up sponges until they wear out (could be months)

I soak them in boiling water and bleach once a day.

'What you're doing is the equivalent of just using anti bac gel and not washing your hands.'

Don't be ridiculous 🙄

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor sorry I'm confused as to how what she is doing is the equivalent of just using antibacterial gel and not actually washing her hands? She has stated that she puts them in the washing machine. Even if she only disinfected them, I would assume that would include putting them in a bowl of hot water and disinfectant.

I've had some of my dishcloths for years....

I've had my white cotton ones for years. I put them on to boil if I have a few or soak them in a bleach solution, then launder them with the towels. As long as cotton is kept clean it lasts until it starts to breakdown. I think the last time I bought a pack was in 2015!

i keep mine until they look/feel manky. This can be weeks tbh.

Its possibly somewhat unhygienic but on the up side, it takes a lot for any of us to get ill.

Throwing away perfectly usable dishcloths is wasteful and bad for the environment. I have a washing machine and I use it.

sorry I'm confused as to how what she is doing is the equivalent of just using antibacterial gel and not actually washing her hands? She has stated that she puts them in the washing machine

Our posts crossed.

**the OP washes and disenfects which is fine. Just using a bit of Zoflora or whatever isn't.

Cloths last until they fall apart in this house.

I wash cloths i rarely bin them I have some that are 10ish years old. So no you are not dirty

OMG OP you are filth!! [shocked]

Mine get the boiling water and bleach treatment, just do them when I clean down the sink after washing up. I haven't bought new ones in months. Have a scrubbing brush for tough bits. That gets the bleach too.

Dreaming of the day I get a dishwasher!

If I used a cloth for a particularly dirty purpose (lol!) would defo throw it out. For instance. I had to clean bird crap off the car the other week so that obviously was thrown, or wiping round guttering or cleaning up if my cat had an accident etc.

Yeah,some clothes are definitely NOT worth washing

I do the same as you op. Wash them every couple of days and chuck them out once they get too manky.