Husband doesn't like touching a dish cloth

[Gointothesun]

My husband doesn't like to use a dish cloth. He seems to find them gross.

I have bought good ones and have asked if he's happy to use them. He says yes, but then hardly ever does.

When it's my husband's turn to clear up after dinner, he uses kitchen roll and those disposable wipes from packets to clean surfaces.

We didn't live together before we got married and I never realised.

AIBU to find this a bit of a turn-off? I actually find it quite unattractive when I see him getting the disposable wipes out!

He is nbu. Dishcloths are revolting I'm not surprised he won't use them.

Like others I grew up with a tatty dishcloth drying and stinking hanging off the tap.

I can only tolerate a scrub daddy or a brush to actually scrub dishes and then surfaces are wiped with a mopette I think they are called large flat sponge with some spray on it. I rinse these in boiled water often.

Dp tried to install microfibre cloths for dishes. They are not allowed. Cloths are for dusting and window cleaning not dishes.

I can only envision those disgusting white clothes with a coloured edge now 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

@pastypirate yes me too! I got the scratchy grey cloth wiped on my face more times than I can count as a child - the smell of mildew haunts me forever!

There is an episode of the Royale family where Barb is cleaning dog shit off Anthony’s shoes at the sink and the whole thing was just way too much for me in terms of childhood memories 😂

I'm ok with my own dishclothes because I know that they are washed & bleached regularly. Can't bare anyone elses. Never sure how hygenic they are. Also dishcloths that aren't rung out properly stress me out!
Nothing worse than a smelly dishcloth with bits of old food stuck on it 🤢

I'm with your dh. Dishcloths and tea towels are notoriously germ-ridden! Much more hygienic to use wipes and kitchen roll. I have a J cloth to wipe round the sink, but replace it regularly.

I don't like putting my hands in dishwater when washing the pots so I use one of them sponges on a stick hahahaha guess we all have our quirks

Wait, what's the difference between a dishcloth and a teatowel? We use the term interchangeably. In our house they're rectangular pieces of cotton, sometimes terrycloth, usually with a saying or design from a gift shop in a once-visited tourist destination. We wipe the sides down with a slightly soapy sponge, then dry them with these cloths. They're also used to dry veggies we've washed before cutting. Between uses they hang off the oven handle bars. Probably change them every day or every second day if we've not cooked much. What are they? If these are dishcloths, how are they disgusting?

Your dh is privileged to have this as a first world problem.

I hate dishcloths!! They give me the absolute ick 🤢 DH uses them and I use biodegradable Wipes, we would only really use them for surfaces anyway!

Are you sure he just doesn't know how to run a home?

How patronising.
Her husband cleans the kitchen his own way. Same result, different method.

No dishcloths in my house either, and it appears many others on this thread.

Kitchen rolls and wipes are an environmental disaster Imo.

You need a chat with your DH @Gointothesun .
Using wipes would be a No-No in my house for various reasons (DH sees the cost, I see the environment). You might have your own ‘rules or reasons ’ yourself.
On the other side, your DH might have his own reasons re dishcloths. I personally hate dirty dishcloths where crumbs got stuck on and haven’t been rinsed properly.
Then you need a compromise - using dishcloths but they are replaced everyday (they are added to the normal wash) is ours.

What I’d say needs more flexibility (possibly on both sides) is tte ‘I’ve always done it like and it’s weird not to’ attitude. Usually accompanied by false good reasons iyswim

Wait, what's the difference between a dishcloth and a teatowel?

Dishcloth is a small net like white cloth used for washing dishes, designed to get wet in the sink.

Tea towels, in my house at least, are used to dry hands or wipe hands on if cooking or dry washed dishes if needed, or hold hot plates etc. Washed every couple of days.

No dishcloths in my house either, and it appears many others on this thread.

Yes but this doesn’t mean the DH is right and the OP is wrong.
Its still up to the two of them to have chat, communicate and find a way that works for them both.
eg ‘I hate dishcloths. They are gross’ isn’t fir me a good enough reason because there are many ways to ensure dishcloths stay clean and nice.

Where I think the OP is going to struggle is the fact she has some wipes in her kitchen so is clearly using them herself at some point anyway.

Find it a bit odd to dry vegetables with the same cloths you dry plates and surfaces with...

When someone says dish-cloth to me, I see a damp cloth beside the sink. Generally one of those white/grey ones with red edging.

When someone says tea towel to me, I see a dry cloth hung up somewhere in the kitchen, generally cotton and patterned.

I'm the same! I can't stand to touch a dish cloth or washing up sponge with my bare hands. But I won't use disposable anything for environmental reasons - hence my every present pair of rubber gloves. I take them into work and on holiday with me, away on weekends. I really can't manage without them.

I think dishcloths are actually disgusting 🫣

I'm with your husband re wipes, kitchen roll etc!

The thought of touching a dish cloth makes me want to heave. Also the thought of all the bacteria it could be holding just being smeared all over the surfaces

So I always use kitchen towel. Don't think it's ick worthy!

Dishcloths are rank and full of germs and bacteria. I don't blame him for not wanting to use one. We use biodegradable wipes on our surfaces.

It's absolutely gross to keep reusing a dishcloth and not washing it. I have washable ones, because I find disposable to be wasteful, but I use them once. I can use several in a day so I have loads of them. I like microfibre, but I know a lot of people are bothered by the texture.

I am extremely unprecious about bacteria - I will eat food that has been left out overnight, I'm not fussy about handwashing (though agree it's sensible before food prep and after the toilet), adhere to the five second "rule" etc. But used dishcloths that have only been rinsed are disgusting.

My daughter is the same. Genuine sensory issue.

I increasingly feel like I have fallen into a parallel universe on MN ..
Dishcloths are disgusting..omg the germs..bleaching everything...
Someone actually uses thing scrubby sponges and throws them away after each use...?
We are doomed as a species. Seriously, where does all this germ phobia come from? How do you think we have survived up until now without single use cleaning products...

Yes but this doesn’t mean the DH is right and the OP is wrong

I didn't say it did.

Its still up to the two of them to have chat, communicate and find a way that works for them both

Seriously? OP can use dishcloths all she wants. Her DH can clean the kitchen using his own methods. It's a complete non issue that doesn't require a second thought let alone a chat.

@ChevyCamaro scarred from our childhoods of disgusting smelly dishrags!

Well, it's apparently a problem to OP who doesn't like him doing his own thing with cleaning.

Aww bless, using a dishcloth will obviously make his penis drop off.

Stop buying disposable wipes, they are terrible for the planet. Stock up on dishcloths instead, and have loads, so you can change after every use. I've got about 30 of the things, and I just sling them in the washing machine after they've been used (it is rather conveniently situated under the draining board).

Old dishcloths are a bit grim. Cleaning with loads of kitchen roll and wipes is also grim but in a different way, and I’m yet to be convinced that it does much more than push the dirt around. To get things clean you need hot water. Like the difference between using hand gel and washing your hands- the gel (wipe) is better than nothing but it’s not properly cleaning.

I have lots of cloths. They get used once and are all boil washed in one go. Really easy and saves a lot of money too. The initial outlay isn’t much as they’re just cloths.