If you use reusable/washable cleaning rags.....

Emcat1980@yahoo.com · February 2011

- What are they made of? cotton? microfiber?

- Do you use separate ones to clean the bathroom or kitchen or floors? Do you keep them separate in laundry or wash them together? Do you use anything special to sanitize them? (bleach, etc) Do you wash them with bath towels?

We're moving soon and I'd like to switch to all reusable cleaning rags but unless I bleach every load of them, I'm going to feel weird about cleaning the bathroom with one then the next time cleaning the kitchen counter...KWIM?

dairygirl19 · February 2011

I keep some in each kitchen and bath, but I launder them together, so they never get back in the same place.

Hot wash and bleach. Clean enough for me.

In the kitchen though they're for floors and fridge spills etc. I keep actual dishrags for dishes and counters, so I don't feel squiky.

I don't wash them with bath towels. No real reason, it's just not how the system is set up.

jen5-03 · February 2011

- Mix of stuff - a pack of microfiber towels from the automotive section (I find these are a better (smaller) size than more $ kitchen microfiber towels), terry cloth bar mops, dish rags (the ones that look like washcloths but are sold with the kitchen towels)

- Yeah, I guess I do use separate ones for different areas, but not really because I'm grossed out by it. I use dishrags to wipe down the kitchen because a) they match my kitchen towels; and, b) they live in my kitchen while the others are in the laundry room. I do not actually wash dishes with them. I use my blue automotive section microfibers to clean the bathroom or to wash the car or scrub patio furniture or other random stufff. The bar mops are what I used pre-microfiber and now are mostly for general spills and such.

I wash the rags along with the kitchen towels and cloth napkins. I do use hot water but I don't use bleach or anything special. I have a milk crate in the laundry room that I use for this stuff. Any wet towels get draped on the side of the crate and nudged into the crate when they are dry (or when I have another wet rag to hang there).

Mrs07 · February 2011

I don't have a problem using them to clean both kitchen and bath, but I don't wipe the toilet or floors with them, so I just wash them with a regular load (but I wouldn't wash them with good work clothes). So they are more for wiping counters and glass for me and are mostly picking up dust and small food crumbs.

I rinse them in the sink as I am using them and before throwing them in the wash. I f I really have to do some major deep cleaning and know I am going to destroy the cloth, I try to use something like an old ripped up tee shirt that was on its way to the garbage anyway - if the rag gets beyond filthy I trash it. But that was like when I first moved into my house, not for day to day use where I'm rinsing the rag and not scrubbing under the oven or something.

If you want to do the dirty stuff like toilet and floors, maybe get two different color rags, so say the white ones do the dirty areas and get bleached in the wash, the pale blue ones are for counters. I just grab a pack of cotton washcloths from target or wherever when they are on sale - often under $5 for a pack of 8-16.

jjenkins · February 2011

I use reusable cloths for dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. I don't typically use them on my counters though. I always wash them as a small load with the covers for my shark steam mop and the handheld steamer with just regular detergent and oxi clean.

At Costco last weekend we picked up a large pack of microfiber towels (in the automotive section) for both cleaning and car care. I think they were under $15 for a large pack of towels.

Emcat1980@yahoo.com · February 2011

Thanks ya'll. Some good ideas....esp the car section for microfiber!

krissytee007 · February 2011

I have a few microfiber cloths from the company Norwax. They are pretty pricey, but really good quality and you dont need to use any product with them. They have sets of ones just for kitchen, bathroom, dusting, etc. Then you just wash with normal detergent (and I wash them in hot water with other towels, sheets, etc) and then hang to dry. I was hesitant to spend a ton on cleaning products, but I think they are worth it. Or maybe if you didn't want to spend a lot, you could ask for them as a gift...although unless you're totally OCD like I am, that might not be a fun gift to open

Daisy07gray · February 2011

3M makes amazing microfiber cloths. Don't have a lot so I mostly use cotton, but I keep my eye out for them. I really like Kitchaide rags for the kitchen (not a lot of those either... but eventually they'll be on sale agan!)

belovedbride07 · February 2011

Crash*Into*Me:
Emcat:
- What are they made of? cotton? microfiber? Microfiber-auto section of Target.

- Do you use separate ones to clean the bathroom or kitchen or floors? Nope
Do you keep them separate in laundry or wash them together? Wash together.
Do you use anything special to sanitize them? (bleach, etc)Nope, I trust my detergent to do its job.
Do you wash them with bath towels? Yes.

We're moving soon and I'd like to switch to all reusable cleaning rags but unless I bleach every load of them, I'm going to feel weird about cleaning the bathroom with one then the next time cleaning the kitchen counter...KWIM?No, you use detergent in your laundry right? How is hairspray buildup more offensive than raw chicken juice?

Ditto most of this. I also have some old kitchen towels that I use for cleaning. I actually don't wash my microfibers with my bath towels because I read that they would collect the lint from the regular towels, but maybe that isn't true. (They were also bleeding color in the wash when I first bought them, so I'm a little paranoid of turning all of my light towels orange).

MontereyBride · February 2011

Basically everything Crash said.

I have a mix of microfiber and plain old cheap cotton washcloths.

I cut up a couple huge microfiber cloths and use the pieces for my dry swiffer.

The cotton ones are used for everything from dusting to cleaning the toilet.

They all go in one load with the rest of the towels with my detergent (Kirkland EF), Clorox 2, a big scoop of baking soda, and distilled white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.

The vinegar takes the place of dryer sheets to keep the towels fluffy and absorbent.

And they all get dried on the highest heat my dryer has.

saladandfruitgirl · February 2011

I use cotton cloths. I use 2 for the sink - one to wash the dishes and one to clean the sink and surrounding counters. They are different colors so they never get mixed up (i.e. dishes are done with a blue cloth, sink is done with a beige cloth). I have a separate set for other cleaning, which are also a different color - red. The ones that I mentioned above that I use for the dishes and sink cleaning get demoted to use for other cleaning once I feel that they don't look like they should be used for the dishes any longer. I wash them all together with the towels.

ecleptic · February 2011

I picked up a 60 pack of terry towels for something like 20$ at Sams Club. They're super thin and nothing special, but they are very reusable. I use them for everything around the house, including cleaning up my acrylic paints. I just send them through the sanitize cycle on my washing machine with some bleach and I don't really worry about which ones go where.

I don't wash them with anything else though- I toss them in a hamper until I have enough for a load and do them all together. That's more of a convenience though- the sanitize cycle takes over two hours and I don't want to be doing it over and over.

If you use reusable/washable cleaning rags.....

Re: If you use reusable/washable cleaning rags.....

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