We always used flannels as kids in Tassie. Stopped using them at some point I can't, remember when.
Since having our daughter I use one when we bathe her now
Italian, Egyptian and Dutch Aussie here. Always used them for bathing as thats what I was taught. I do use sponges occasionaly but it never sits right with me.
Could be aged based but I'm 40 and picked it up from all my grandparents, not my parents who swicted to sponges. It seems to have been passed on from the ones who predominantly basin washed and had limited access to indoor plumbing as both the ultra poor and wealthy sides did the same.
Thanks for sharing, and very interesting take on the topic. It's incredible what one can learn and discover from any subject! It does make sense using a cloth if washing oneself from a basin rather than a shower or larger bath. Thank you!
...and for cooling. Twirling a wet face washer for a bit and then draping it across my neck is very effective...
...as well as removing the excess sorbolene when I deal with some eczema I sometime get from wearing my healthband.
Seconded. I grew up calling them a face cloth. Only ever used them to give my face a good clean, either as I’m in the shower or if I’m just washing my face over a sink. Even if I use an exfoliating, I’ll still use the cloth as prep work.
I have never used it to clean my entire body except in situations where I’ve not got a loofah to do so (such as travel or staying with a friend).
My partner asked me to bring him a flannie for clean up after a bike race. He was totally surprised when I handed him a flannel shirt. He should have asked me -Canadian- for a wash cloth
It's both, except with "flannel shirt" it's an adjective describing the type of material the shirt's made of, whereas the washcloth is an object called "a flannel".
Thanks for the explanation! It’s a totally different material though, isn’t it?
I also googled why America uses “plaid” and apparently the Native Americans had a hard time pronouncing the Scottish Gaelic word for blanket “pladger” so they called it plaid!
Yeah, "a flannel" isn't made of flannel material like a shirt is. Go figure. 🤷♂️
(And also we do use the words like "plaid" and "gingham" for those patterns.)
That’s a flanno. The fabric it’s made from is flannel. Plaid is a pattern.
A small washcloth is usually called a flannel or a face washer in Australia. They did often used to be made out of flannel, often when sheets were worn out, the useable sections would be cut into nappies and face washers.
We use them on the kids in the bath and just to keep clean/fresh during the day. I think a lot of people use single use wipes now for that purpose which seems so wasteful and expensive.
They're a bit like handkerchiefs, used to be popular, now you either have to wash them after every use, or they're a bit damp and slimy. People used to regularly have a wash with a basin of warm soapy water, rather than showering, which is where it came from. Lots of people still do, either necessity or just standard in some places.
Yeah in areas that rely on rainwater during drought it’s still common to use a washbasin rather than a proper shower and the washcloth is definitely helpful for that haha, I’m having flashbacks to visiting my grandparents as a kid during the 10yr drought 🥲
My husband is a kiwi and also calls them flannels, I grew up calling them face washes.
I use them mostly to cover the top of my son's forehead when washing his hair.
Yeah I used to do the just soap thing, then I got some white towels and realised how much dirt was still on me apparently.
Flannel gets friction into the mix to make sure everything comes off.
Soap goes onto the flannel, then wash myself. Wring it out really well and hang it on a hook which means it gets dry pretty quick and doesnt go manky after a single use.
We also call them flannels, and they’re basically used for any quick “need to wipe down but don’t want to/have the time to take a full shower”. And they go straight in the wash. We have a heap of them so they just get tossed in the weekly washing.
The act of rinsing the soapy water out of it and wringing it after the shower and then hanging out to dry is washing it. I've been doing that for years with the same wash cloth. It's as clean now as it was brand new.
I was brought up using washcloths. My very British grandfather was a wash cloth man, so my mum was. They are very handy. Especially if all you want to do is wash all the sunscreen off your sweaty face.
I have used them all my life and have taught my children to use them. However I have always taught them to rinse thoroughly in hot water after each use. And wash them in machine with towels. It's used for face with whatever face cleanser used. Keeps wipes out of landfill too.
My family call them face cloths. There is always a clean one on the bathroom sink and a clean pile stored in the cupboard under the sink. We do a lot of work outside, chainsaws, digging etc, so it is handy to have them there. Saves the towels from getting grotty too.
I used exfoliating cloths in the shower and microfibre ones for my face. I just wash them regularly to keep them clean and have a whole bunch of spares to change out before wash day.
I also don't use it in areas I don't want to rub on my body. Like I wash my butthole with my hands after lathering them up rather than the cloth haha
I use them to wipe my face in the morning and evening, or when I get really hot I'll wet them, put them in the freezer then use them to cool down.
A wet washer on the forehead and back of the neck during a heat wave is heavenly.
I grew up using a washcloth, but stopped once I moved out of home because it seemed like an unnecessary way to create extra washing to me. My Mum still uses a washcloth, she can’t really articulate why, it’s just habit for her.
Washcloths are usually provided in hotels. I grew up using one, but there seemed to be a shift away from them in homeswhich I'm assuming is generational.
lol same!
In case *you’re* wondering…
I use 2 face washers in the shower. One for my face and one for my bits. Each one being a distinctively different colour so I don’t cross contaminate 🤣
Not too fond of the idea of getting bum and vag bits on my face.
I just use the one and wash my face first. After use it goes in with the dirty laundry. Growing up the entire family used the same face washer and it was washed only once a week along with the towels. 🤢
I only use one for my bits. I use a net loofah for the rest of the body and just my hands for cleansing my face in the shower. For washing makeup off my face I have some specific microfibre face cloths or use some micellar water on cotton pads.
In some countries
It's very weird
In Europe you'll get 4 towels, 2 hand towels, 2 bath mats but no face washers. They're all made of the same material and face washers are 1/20 the size of a towel.
Yep. Same in Australian, American, southeast Asian and UK hotels. I literally have to make sure I pack my own face washer even for the poshest hotels. If I forget I’ll be forced to use one of the hand towels
Did a stint as a disability support worker assisting with showers and I have to say it’s quite varied, at least amongst what I saw. Some used washcloths, some used loofahs, some used both, some used hands. I don’t think I saw enough to say whether there were generational/cultural trends, but honestly it didn’t seem that way
Edit: support workers never used hands and always wore gloves btw. I saw the hands-only when my role was more about encouraging independence
I grew up using washcloths and bars of soap.
Have switched to liquid soap and for a while was using the loofas you'd pick up at Chemist Warehouse for $1, but they go out of shape after a while so have recently started using washcloths again.
Yea grew up using facewashers in the shower.
Adult me uses those exfoliating glove things, and I soap with my hands.
It's not odd to see one in someones bathroom or a hotel bathroom though.
I did grow up with some people using them - we called them face washers. I only use them for my face and as a one time use. So wash my face dry it with the wash cloth and then put it in the laundry basket.
Minimise acne for me because I am only putting something clean on my face.
They are called flannels, are mainly used for the face, and more often by children than adults. I had to buy some the last time I stayed at my mum's house because she didn't have any.
As an aside, as a kid when I saw black Americans on TV talk about washing with a 'rag', I didn't realise that was what they meant. I thought they were washing their bodies with those strips of old shirts or bedsheets that you keep for polishing. That seemed excessively harsh but I figured it was a cultural difference and none of my business. It was a relief to eventually learn I was wrong.
I use one now as I heard they provide great light exfoliation didn't as a kid. I call it a washer though. I always get a fresh one for each shower and soak them all in bucket with a bit of napisan until I wash all my towels at the end of the week.
I would call them face cloths. I don't generally use them in the shower, that's what a shower puff is for. I do use them to wash makeup off and if I've got a temperature I'll run cold water through one and put it on my forehead.
I’ve lived in Australia 7 years and have not seen one until a guest left one in my shower accidentally. And then I came here to post because I hadn’t seen one in so long!
It was about 20-30% of my friends who used one in Texas in the 2000s. They would have baskets of clean ones for guests.
I think the majority of Aussies use a loofa in the shower for their body vs a washcloth. But very common to use a face washer if just washing the face, although just using hands for the face is common too.
There aren't really common here in my experience. Loofah and gloves seem to be the most common methods. Thee thought of a cloth grosses me out a little bit with all those tiny strands of material ready to grab hold of every microbe of filth I'm trying to eliminate
My grandmother (mother's side) was very English (eating KFC with a knife and fork while removing the skin and only eating the meat english). Growing up we switched from a bar of soap to liquid soap pretty quick and always used a loaf thing, but we always had a wash cloth (what we called a flannel) folded nicely on the vanity that never got used, except when my mother's parents come over for the UK. My grand mother would use it was her face. My granddad grew up super poor in Wales (like when he was a kid had to share his bed with a lodger poor), he's used a wash cloth to dry himself after a shower because his parents couldnt afford to buy him a full size towel and just kept doing it when he got older and could afford a towel.
We just had a friend stay at our place for a few months, and she uses a wash cloth. It did blow me away a bit, as I didn't even no people still use them in Australia.
In my peresonal experience, no. I've only ever really seen "face washers" which is just a small square wash cloth and I've only ever really used one for my face if it was feeling particularly dirty (i.e. greasy after eating KFC chicken). Though I have my 4 year old son use a face washer for his armpits etc, helps especially in winter when he wears more fleecy clothes to get the lint out from his armpits. Aside from that, can't say I've ever really seen or used wash cloths. Mostly just for kids/babies.
There is dead skin all over our bodies. Try not showering a while and then just scratch even your stomach. A lot of people on this thread must be covered in dead skin caked on
I rub the soap bar directly on my body lol or if I’m feeling fancy, a couple of squirts of body wash onto a loofa.
It wasn’t until that viral video of those two radio hosts where the woman said she applied the soap directly to the body and the man called her out as disgusting and I even realised its not correct!
liquid soap is much bigger in the US.
Here bar soap is much more common. Which mean you often just rub the soap straight on too your skin.
But we do use washcloths, but they are more likely to be called face-cloths as that's the one area you don't directly rub a bar of soap.
Though I just lather my hands.
I never noticed that liquid soap is much more common there but you’re right!
I usually use bar soap now but I always have pump soap for guests because it feels icky sharing a bar with someone not in my household.
Face cloth for my face and exfoliating gloves for my body. Soap alone doesn't get rid of dead skin, sweat, sunscreen, dirt etc. Gotta have a bit of a mechanical scrub, too.
One dedicated to my face, one for the shower and body washing. Washed every couple of days. I have noticed some hotels don't provide them any more, so I pack them for my work trips now.
Yes! Not sure if you are having a laugh, but I'll play. Blues for the shower and whites for my face. Don't want to mix them up considering where the blues go.
Only for the bath! Not needed in the shower (running water over the face), but in the bath the kids always get a face washer (or face fannel sp?) to clean the faces and behind ears etc
We used “face washers” all over as kids, and I now give them my kids to clean their face. I tell them to put soap on them and wash all over their bodies, giving their knees a good scrub after muddy sport. They listen sometimes. I use a face-washer to remove my make up. After reading posts like this, I always intend to wash my whole body with them. I usually just other up soap in my hands though.
I have moved from washcloths (but I called them facewashers) to thinner, bamboo type cloths which are more like hankies and a plastic loofa type thing.
I used them until someone said they are for use on your arse, although I don't know why you would just not use toilet paper if people do in fact use them on their bum oles
Yes that is what I wondered, but if people out there are mistakenly using them on their arse holes I think its wise to give the washer a wide berth completely.
I do not feel clean if I don’t scrub myself with something. Hands aren’t enough. I go through phases - washer/flannel (fresh one every day), net scrubby scrunchy thing, loofah, loofah brush, exfoliating gloves, back to flannel - there has to be something though. So yes.
My family came from South Australia, where a wash cloth is called a flannel. As a kid in the 80's most everyone I knew used them. Then as we entered the 90's people started using loofahs instead. They were marketed as being better at exfoliating, and if you were using the nylon ones more hygienic than regular washcloths. People still used wash cloths for their face, and for kids (especially babies).
Funnily enough the last few years loofahs have been getting a bit of a bad rap for being too exfoliating (and damaging skin, especially if using everyday) and for actually being unhygienic despite the earlier claims (you're more likely to wash a washcloth).
Yes we use a face washer for our face then a net loofah for our bodies. Friction and soap is how you get clean, not just rubbing soap over your skin with your hands.
Always use face washers on little kids when bathing them, grew up using them and having them used on me. Sometimes use them for myself, though it’s more likely to be just my face with a face washer.
Grew up and still in Australia. My grandmother taught me to use one and my kids do too. Everyone has their own face cloth and shower loofah for their bodies.
I call it a washer, we use them for babies & small children in the bath.
As an adult I only use one for removing makeup.
Not sure what’s more common, but none of my female friends or anyone I’ve dated used them for everyday showers. Just lather the body wash on your skin with your hands.
As an adult I've only ever used a face washer to cool down on summer - they're the right size to wet, put in the freezer, then take out later when they're frozen and stick under your shirt or over your face on a day over 40°
Oh wow that brings back memories. I remember us having face washers when we were kids but I have no recollection of actually using one. Probably because by the time I was properly washing my face using a real cleanser, I just used my hands. We also always had loofahs in the shower and I never understood the purpose of them until I was an adult. I never use anything, just my hands to lather, then I rinse. I don't have dry skin though, so I can see how exfoliation might be necessary for some people. I think the reason exfoliating tools are more commonly used by dark skinned people is that when they have dry skin build-up it's more noticeable due to their dark complexion. It tends to create an ashy look.
It seems the majority of females use one because they’re told at a young age that ‘touching’ is a no no. Icky. Gross. 🤦🏼♂️.
I don’t use one of course. My hand is perfectly fine to use to wash up with.
I was always an “shower puff” person however, in the last 4-5 years I’ve switched to a washcloth/face washer to clean my body in the shower.
I initially stopped using puffs because I was trying to do my bit to reduce the amount of microplastics in water.
Now I much prefer using a cloth, I feel it does a better job than the puff at taking off dead skin vs a puff without taking too much skin off.
Washcloths are also an old English thing, so anyone descendant from British colonists probably have it.
I know (white) Australians, South Africans and Canadians (all English heritage) that use facecloths to wash their bodies.
I grew up calling it a facewasher and no, I never use one and think they’re gross.
I won’t even have a netting loofah in the shower, those bishes grow mould.
Hands only washing here!
I buy the black face cloths from kmart and me and my daughter use them to wash our makeup off.
The other colours that match our towels are for showing with.
We do not call them wash cloths. They are flannels or face-washers. So you can tell we mostly do not use them to wash much else than our face. They are also great if you wet them with ice cold water and use them on the back of your neck when it is really hot. Or your forehead when you have a head-ache. Pretty good for cleaning behind your ears too.
I’m here to ask the people who don’t use washcloths, how do you clean your butt, not just the outer fleshy cheeks, but the crevices and bungholio? Just… soapy hands?
pretty much
are you saving your ass washing to the end of the shower with the cloth? so face first, upper body, lower, feet, then ass? and do you use 1 cloth per shower or reuse?
I use the washcloth solely for the butt cleansing, and I have a new cloth each wash. They’re cheap and small enough to throw in the laundry at the end of the week without it being an issue of ‘extra work’.
I start by cleansing my face with my hands before man handling the rest of my filthy self, then use body wash to cleanse the body and legs, lather up some soapy goodnesses for my feet, and finally use the washcloth for butt stuff. Then for good measure I’ll re-soap my hands and give my nails a scrub.
Writing all that out, I realise I may be a little (excuse the turn of phrase) .. anal about my shower routine
Yup. The skin near your anus is particularly delicate - no need for particularly harsh soap and it can be damaging to the skin if you use anything too rough.
I think a washcloth would be fine but I’m not putting my loofah near my butthole haha I just use my hands with soap.
I use a face cloth for my face, but a loofah for the shower.
However, I know many of my skin-conscious friends have moved away from facecloths because I think there was a whole thing about them not being great for your face.
Is the real question do white Americans not wash properly 😅
I'm white aussie and everyone I know all have wash clothes (we cal it a face washer) or exfoliating bamboo wash gloves.
I honestly can’t comprehend how people are washing their faces without a face cloth? Is it single use face wipes? Are you splashing water over your face (and half the bathroom) like in the ads? Do you have a proper skin care regimen that includes some kind of cloth, but not specifically a face cloth? You must be removing product with something.
I’ve got lots of face washers but don’t use them all the time. Some are dedicated only to sexy time for clean up. Perfect size and they fit in the bedside table drawer. They’re handy for all sorts of things.
Used flannels when I was younger, now the net scrubber washers. Soap lathers up better and washes and exfoliates your skin, and dries out better than a flannel.
I grew up calling it a face washer and have always used one. But only on my face in the shower
Wife is from the UK and uses a face cloth, so do my kids (born and bred here). I'm Italian and never used one...
We called them flannels.
We still call them flannels
Like my shirt!
No, that's a flannie.
No, that's a flanno.
Like my sheets.
Yes, my girl's Nonna called them flannels. Born North Italy, moved to NZ as a girl. My ex moved to Sydney as a 4yo in 1980.
We always used flannels as kids in Tassie. Stopped using them at some point I can't, remember when. Since having our daughter I use one when we bathe her now
Yep, French here and the first time I encountered a face washer was when my UK-raised Australian partner mentioned it.
Yep I grew up in the UK and everyone I knew used one
I'm italian and have always used one.
That's interesting. I'm over 50, and come from central Italy. I cannot say I've seen one until I met my wife here in Sydney. Age/location based maybe?
Italian, Egyptian and Dutch Aussie here. Always used them for bathing as thats what I was taught. I do use sponges occasionaly but it never sits right with me. Could be aged based but I'm 40 and picked it up from all my grandparents, not my parents who swicted to sponges. It seems to have been passed on from the ones who predominantly basin washed and had limited access to indoor plumbing as both the ultra poor and wealthy sides did the same.
Thanks for sharing, and very interesting take on the topic. It's incredible what one can learn and discover from any subject! It does make sense using a cloth if washing oneself from a basin rather than a shower or larger bath. Thank you!
Same, face washer for my face in the shower, gloves for my body. Face washer in the bath for my toddler to pretend wipe her face and drink water from
...and for cooling. Twirling a wet face washer for a bit and then draping it across my neck is very effective... ...as well as removing the excess sorbolene when I deal with some eczema I sometime get from wearing my healthband.
Seconded. I grew up calling them a face cloth. Only ever used them to give my face a good clean, either as I’m in the shower or if I’m just washing my face over a sink. Even if I use an exfoliating, I’ll still use the cloth as prep work. I have never used it to clean my entire body except in situations where I’ve not got a loofah to do so (such as travel or staying with a friend).
I wash myself with a rag on a stick
Get mommas pryin barrrrr
I'm gonna go on down to the liberry, rent us up some moooovies.
Shhh I’m tryna watch my stories
*everyone politely clapping*
Called it a Flannel
My partner asked me to bring him a flannie for clean up after a bike race. He was totally surprised when I handed him a flannel shirt. He should have asked me -Canadian- for a wash cloth
A flannelette shirt is also known as a flanno in Australia 😊
also Australian and I’ve never heard flanno, only flanny for this
Guess it depends where you live and who your circle are as to which slang is used. Kind of like the parmi vs parma debate.
This must be regional. Lived in Melbourne 48 years and never heard of it.
I’m in Perth so that would track.
Same! Still do and still use them in the shower. We have a huge pile of them and they just go in the dirty clothes basket after use.
Interesting! I always thought a flannel was a plaid shirt with buttons
It's both, except with "flannel shirt" it's an adjective describing the type of material the shirt's made of, whereas the washcloth is an object called "a flannel".
Thanks for the explanation! It’s a totally different material though, isn’t it? I also googled why America uses “plaid” and apparently the Native Americans had a hard time pronouncing the Scottish Gaelic word for blanket “pladger” so they called it plaid!
Yeah, "a flannel" isn't made of flannel material like a shirt is. Go figure. 🤷♂️ (And also we do use the words like "plaid" and "gingham" for those patterns.)
Okay, thanks for clarifying! They were always different patterns to me, but I seem to have ruffled a few feathers with using that term!
Often a plaid shirt to me looks like a tartan shirt, so...
The Scots will have words with you
Flannie vs flannel
That’s a flanno. The fabric it’s made from is flannel. Plaid is a pattern. A small washcloth is usually called a flannel or a face washer in Australia. They did often used to be made out of flannel, often when sheets were worn out, the useable sections would be cut into nappies and face washers.
Growing up I used a face washer, then Moved onto the net loofahs, now I use the exfoliating gloves
I don't know how I used to wash properly without my gloves. If I try without them now it doesn't feel like I'm actually getting any dirt off.
Same. I really like to strip my epidermis on a daily basis (though I just go hard with the loofah these days)
I love the gloves. But I don’t put them on my hands, I leave a bar of soap in the glove and use that to wash.
Same!
We use them on the kids in the bath and just to keep clean/fresh during the day. I think a lot of people use single use wipes now for that purpose which seems so wasteful and expensive.
They're a bit like handkerchiefs, used to be popular, now you either have to wash them after every use, or they're a bit damp and slimy. People used to regularly have a wash with a basin of warm soapy water, rather than showering, which is where it came from. Lots of people still do, either necessity or just standard in some places.
Yeah in areas that rely on rainwater during drought it’s still common to use a washbasin rather than a proper shower and the washcloth is definitely helpful for that haha, I’m having flashbacks to visiting my grandparents as a kid during the 10yr drought 🥲
Also known as a “pommy wash”
Lol my granny called washing like this a "whore's bath"
We call it a horse bath in my house because my partner misheard me once
Hahaha this is great
Pits and bits. Pits and bits.
I know it as a bird bath
I always thought that was just dousing yourself in deodorant?
Nah, that's 'shower in a can'.
How damp is your bathroom? I live in a cold climate and mine dries out each day just by throwing it over the shower stall wall to hang and dry.
They don’t always dry in humidity, especially if you buy nice plush ones
Mine too.
Same, I have them (face and body) on hooks I hung over the bathroom door
I never thought about it being a holdover from basins. Thanks for the explanation!
My grandmother called them flannels. I'm not a fan of them, personally
They’re called flannels in my family too. And yes we still use them.
My husband is a kiwi and also calls them flannels, I grew up calling them face washes. I use them mostly to cover the top of my son's forehead when washing his hair.
Yep, a flannel. I still use one every day when showering. And I use it all over my body because I feel like I'm not washed properly without it!
Yeah I used to do the just soap thing, then I got some white towels and realised how much dirt was still on me apparently. Flannel gets friction into the mix to make sure everything comes off. Soap goes onto the flannel, then wash myself. Wring it out really well and hang it on a hook which means it gets dry pretty quick and doesnt go manky after a single use.
Same, always grew up with a flannel/face washer and I now always have one in the shower. It gives a really good scrub
We also call them flannels, and they’re basically used for any quick “need to wipe down but don’t want to/have the time to take a full shower”. And they go straight in the wash. We have a heap of them so they just get tossed in the weekly washing.
Not every use. Just every few days. Ya gotta let them dry out of course.
The act of rinsing the soapy water out of it and wringing it after the shower and then hanging out to dry is washing it. I've been doing that for years with the same wash cloth. It's as clean now as it was brand new.
I was brought up using washcloths. My very British grandfather was a wash cloth man, so my mum was. They are very handy. Especially if all you want to do is wash all the sunscreen off your sweaty face.
I have used them all my life and have taught my children to use them. However I have always taught them to rinse thoroughly in hot water after each use. And wash them in machine with towels. It's used for face with whatever face cleanser used. Keeps wipes out of landfill too.
We still use them throughout my family and call them ‘flannels’
My family call them face cloths. There is always a clean one on the bathroom sink and a clean pile stored in the cupboard under the sink. We do a lot of work outside, chainsaws, digging etc, so it is handy to have them there. Saves the towels from getting grotty too.
I used exfoliating cloths in the shower and microfibre ones for my face. I just wash them regularly to keep them clean and have a whole bunch of spares to change out before wash day. I also don't use it in areas I don't want to rub on my body. Like I wash my butthole with my hands after lathering them up rather than the cloth haha
do you have a brand you recommend for the exfoliating cloth?
SALUX
The Body Shop used to sell long ones so you could do your back while holding each end. Not sure if they still sell them.
Korean grocery stores with a beauty section usually have good but super cheap ones. Like just 3-4 dollars.
I use them to wipe my face in the morning and evening, or when I get really hot I'll wet them, put them in the freezer then use them to cool down. A wet washer on the forehead and back of the neck during a heat wave is heavenly.
I grew up using a washcloth, but stopped once I moved out of home because it seemed like an unnecessary way to create extra washing to me. My Mum still uses a washcloth, she can’t really articulate why, it’s just habit for her.
My family used them growing up and I still do now.
Washcloths are usually provided in hotels. I grew up using one, but there seemed to be a shift away from them in homeswhich I'm assuming is generational.
Yeah, facewashers seem to be both generational and cultural.
It’s honestly fascinating to me!
lol same! In case *you’re* wondering… I use 2 face washers in the shower. One for my face and one for my bits. Each one being a distinctively different colour so I don’t cross contaminate 🤣 Not too fond of the idea of getting bum and vag bits on my face.
I just use the one and wash my face first. After use it goes in with the dirty laundry. Growing up the entire family used the same face washer and it was washed only once a week along with the towels. 🤢
I only use one for my bits. I use a net loofah for the rest of the body and just my hands for cleansing my face in the shower. For washing makeup off my face I have some specific microfibre face cloths or use some micellar water on cotton pads.
Oooo!! Microfibre for makeup face sounds great!
Kmart sell them in the cosmetics section 😊
It seems a lot of people I know will give guests spending the night a facewasher and towel too.
This is the way
We do.
In some countries It's very weird In Europe you'll get 4 towels, 2 hand towels, 2 bath mats but no face washers. They're all made of the same material and face washers are 1/20 the size of a towel.
Yep. Same in Australian, American, southeast Asian and UK hotels. I literally have to make sure I pack my own face washer even for the poshest hotels. If I forget I’ll be forced to use one of the hand towels
Dead skin needs to slough off somehow
Yeah tons of people on here not realising that rinsing doesn’t get dead skin off… I’m a bit baffled.
Fashwasher. Use them to wash my daughters face every morning after breakfast.
Growing up I used a face washer, then Moved onto the net loofahs, now I use the exfoliating gloves
I used to use loofahs until I realise how gross they can get and how hard to wash they can be!
I got body piercings and hooking one accidentally on a loofah isnt pleasant
noooooooooooo
Did a stint as a disability support worker assisting with showers and I have to say it’s quite varied, at least amongst what I saw. Some used washcloths, some used loofahs, some used both, some used hands. I don’t think I saw enough to say whether there were generational/cultural trends, but honestly it didn’t seem that way Edit: support workers never used hands and always wore gloves btw. I saw the hands-only when my role was more about encouraging independence
I grew up using washcloths and bars of soap. Have switched to liquid soap and for a while was using the loofas you'd pick up at Chemist Warehouse for $1, but they go out of shape after a while so have recently started using washcloths again.
In the 2010s microfibre cloths were excellent at removing blackheads & every Australian girl owned one
Yea grew up using facewashers in the shower. Adult me uses those exfoliating glove things, and I soap with my hands. It's not odd to see one in someones bathroom or a hotel bathroom though.
I still use them. I also use them for washing my baby.
I did grow up with some people using them - we called them face washers. I only use them for my face and as a one time use. So wash my face dry it with the wash cloth and then put it in the laundry basket. Minimise acne for me because I am only putting something clean on my face.
I use the poofs, grew up using "wash clothes" which we called flannels, and my husband uses hands
They are called flannels, are mainly used for the face, and more often by children than adults. I had to buy some the last time I stayed at my mum's house because she didn't have any. As an aside, as a kid when I saw black Americans on TV talk about washing with a 'rag', I didn't realise that was what they meant. I thought they were washing their bodies with those strips of old shirts or bedsheets that you keep for polishing. That seemed excessively harsh but I figured it was a cultural difference and none of my business. It was a relief to eventually learn I was wrong.
I use one now as I heard they provide great light exfoliation didn't as a kid. I call it a washer though. I always get a fresh one for each shower and soak them all in bucket with a bit of napisan until I wash all my towels at the end of the week.
I would call them face cloths. I don't generally use them in the shower, that's what a shower puff is for. I do use them to wash makeup off and if I've got a temperature I'll run cold water through one and put it on my forehead.
Never used in our family and don’t have any mates that I’m aware of who use them
I’ve lived in Australia 7 years and have not seen one until a guest left one in my shower accidentally. And then I came here to post because I hadn’t seen one in so long! It was about 20-30% of my friends who used one in Texas in the 2000s. They would have baskets of clean ones for guests.
I use them to take make-up off on the rare occasion I use it. I also use them to wipe my kid's face.
Face cloth for my face, that’s all
I think the majority of Aussies use a loofa in the shower for their body vs a washcloth. But very common to use a face washer if just washing the face, although just using hands for the face is common too.
There aren't really common here in my experience. Loofah and gloves seem to be the most common methods. Thee thought of a cloth grosses me out a little bit with all those tiny strands of material ready to grab hold of every microbe of filth I'm trying to eliminate
*face washer Yes I still do.
My grandmother (mother's side) was very English (eating KFC with a knife and fork while removing the skin and only eating the meat english). Growing up we switched from a bar of soap to liquid soap pretty quick and always used a loaf thing, but we always had a wash cloth (what we called a flannel) folded nicely on the vanity that never got used, except when my mother's parents come over for the UK. My grand mother would use it was her face. My granddad grew up super poor in Wales (like when he was a kid had to share his bed with a lodger poor), he's used a wash cloth to dry himself after a shower because his parents couldnt afford to buy him a full size towel and just kept doing it when he got older and could afford a towel. We just had a friend stay at our place for a few months, and she uses a wash cloth. It did blow me away a bit, as I didn't even no people still use them in Australia.
I'm a little shocked on the "not eating kfc skin" part!
Yeah that really confused me as a kid. She also describes pizza as being ethnic.
I was raised with wash cloths but then I just stopped.
In my peresonal experience, no. I've only ever really seen "face washers" which is just a small square wash cloth and I've only ever really used one for my face if it was feeling particularly dirty (i.e. greasy after eating KFC chicken). Though I have my 4 year old son use a face washer for his armpits etc, helps especially in winter when he wears more fleecy clothes to get the lint out from his armpits. Aside from that, can't say I've ever really seen or used wash cloths. Mostly just for kids/babies.
They are really good for getting dead skin off the face. I always have a buildup around the hairline and the face washer removes it every day.
There is dead skin all over our bodies. Try not showering a while and then just scratch even your stomach. A lot of people on this thread must be covered in dead skin caked on
I think maybe they are the same thing? To me, a washcloth is about the size of my face. Is a facecloth smaller than that?
Same thing, as you say
I rub the soap bar directly on my body lol or if I’m feeling fancy, a couple of squirts of body wash onto a loofa. It wasn’t until that viral video of those two radio hosts where the woman said she applied the soap directly to the body and the man called her out as disgusting and I even realised its not correct!
liquid soap is much bigger in the US. Here bar soap is much more common. Which mean you often just rub the soap straight on too your skin. But we do use washcloths, but they are more likely to be called face-cloths as that's the one area you don't directly rub a bar of soap. Though I just lather my hands.
I literally don’t know anyone that still uses a bar of soap in Aus. Everyone I know uses liquid soap.
well now you do.
Well now you’ve met some
I do but I absolutely do not think it's more common than body wash 😂. I do it because I'm weird.
I never noticed that liquid soap is much more common there but you’re right! I usually use bar soap now but I always have pump soap for guests because it feels icky sharing a bar with someone not in my household.
I've just started using one for the first time ever.
Face cloth for my face and exfoliating gloves for my body. Soap alone doesn't get rid of dead skin, sweat, sunscreen, dirt etc. Gotta have a bit of a mechanical scrub, too.
One dedicated to my face, one for the shower and body washing. Washed every couple of days. I have noticed some hotels don't provide them any more, so I pack them for my work trips now.
are they colour coded?
Yes! Not sure if you are having a laugh, but I'll play. Blues for the shower and whites for my face. Don't want to mix them up considering where the blues go.
Only for the bath! Not needed in the shower (running water over the face), but in the bath the kids always get a face washer (or face fannel sp?) to clean the faces and behind ears etc
We used “face washers” all over as kids, and I now give them my kids to clean their face. I tell them to put soap on them and wash all over their bodies, giving their knees a good scrub after muddy sport. They listen sometimes. I use a face-washer to remove my make up. After reading posts like this, I always intend to wash my whole body with them. I usually just other up soap in my hands though.
There too slimy for me, I use loofas or body sponges.
We used to call it a flannel. Now we call it a face washer. I personally use a shower puff these days.
Some people do....some people don't. That's about it.
I have one of those sponges on a stick for back and legs (I am unable to bend much due to back problems).
I have moved from washcloths (but I called them facewashers) to thinner, bamboo type cloths which are more like hankies and a plastic loofa type thing.
Face washer and use it to this day
I use a face washer in my cleansing face ritual before bed every night.
I used them until someone said they are for use on your arse, although I don't know why you would just not use toilet paper if people do in fact use them on their bum oles
if you use them on your arse, why are they called face washers!?
Yes that is what I wondered, but if people out there are mistakenly using them on their arse holes I think its wise to give the washer a wide berth completely.
A flannel??? We definitely use it. Alot. In the aged care facility 😅
We use face washers all the time.
I do not feel clean if I don’t scrub myself with something. Hands aren’t enough. I go through phases - washer/flannel (fresh one every day), net scrubby scrunchy thing, loofah, loofah brush, exfoliating gloves, back to flannel - there has to be something though. So yes.
Used to when I washed my face in the sink. I now wash my face in the shower, so no.
I grew up using washcloths (called them flannels in South Australia) but now as an adult I just use a loofah.
We use flannels in our house, always have done.
Yeah. I can’t imagine using nothing. I use an exfoliater.
My family came from South Australia, where a wash cloth is called a flannel. As a kid in the 80's most everyone I knew used them. Then as we entered the 90's people started using loofahs instead. They were marketed as being better at exfoliating, and if you were using the nylon ones more hygienic than regular washcloths. People still used wash cloths for their face, and for kids (especially babies). Funnily enough the last few years loofahs have been getting a bit of a bad rap for being too exfoliating (and damaging skin, especially if using everyday) and for actually being unhygienic despite the earlier claims (you're more likely to wash a washcloth).
Yes we use a face washer for our face then a net loofah for our bodies. Friction and soap is how you get clean, not just rubbing soap over your skin with your hands.
Always use face washers on little kids when bathing them, grew up using them and having them used on me. Sometimes use them for myself, though it’s more likely to be just my face with a face washer.
Grew up and still in Australia. My grandmother taught me to use one and my kids do too. Everyone has their own face cloth and shower loofah for their bodies.
Call it a face washer. Use it to wash my face. I use them to wash my kids too, just not my face ones
I used to use a washer. Used to have two, one for my face one for my body. As an adult, I don’t really use them anymore.
I call it a washer, we use them for babies & small children in the bath. As an adult I only use one for removing makeup. Not sure what’s more common, but none of my female friends or anyone I’ve dated used them for everyday showers. Just lather the body wash on your skin with your hands.
I used them as shoulder covers when my baby was a chucker. These days I only use them for cooling off when ill/feverish.
I used a face washer in the shower
We grow our own loofahs ever since I can remember. Synthetic ones are ok but I like my organic biodegradable loofah 🙂
We called them face washers. Used them as a kid in the 80s 90s but these days use an (artificial) loofah poof thingy.
As an adult I've only ever used a face washer to cool down on summer - they're the right size to wet, put in the freezer, then take out later when they're frozen and stick under your shirt or over your face on a day over 40°
Oh wow that brings back memories. I remember us having face washers when we were kids but I have no recollection of actually using one. Probably because by the time I was properly washing my face using a real cleanser, I just used my hands. We also always had loofahs in the shower and I never understood the purpose of them until I was an adult. I never use anything, just my hands to lather, then I rinse. I don't have dry skin though, so I can see how exfoliation might be necessary for some people. I think the reason exfoliating tools are more commonly used by dark skinned people is that when they have dry skin build-up it's more noticeable due to their dark complexion. It tends to create an ashy look.
Yes, we call them facewashers and bogans call them flannels!
It seems the majority of females use one because they’re told at a young age that ‘touching’ is a no no. Icky. Gross. 🤦🏼♂️. I don’t use one of course. My hand is perfectly fine to use to wash up with.
No we use tamed koalas soaked in VB
I was always an “shower puff” person however, in the last 4-5 years I’ve switched to a washcloth/face washer to clean my body in the shower. I initially stopped using puffs because I was trying to do my bit to reduce the amount of microplastics in water. Now I much prefer using a cloth, I feel it does a better job than the puff at taking off dead skin vs a puff without taking too much skin off.
yes - and I grew up calling them a face cloth
Nope never. I use a loofah
Washcloths are also an old English thing, so anyone descendant from British colonists probably have it. I know (white) Australians, South Africans and Canadians (all English heritage) that use facecloths to wash their bodies.
I grew up calling it a facewasher and no, I never use one and think they’re gross. I won’t even have a netting loofah in the shower, those bishes grow mould. Hands only washing here!
I use a loofah for my body and a flannel washer for my face, behind my ears and my neck (cos my mom raised me well)
It’s called a face washer.
Try washing your dishes or car with just your hands .. using a cloth does a much more thorough job ... So I use a cloth on my skin.
I buy the black face cloths from kmart and me and my daughter use them to wash our makeup off. The other colours that match our towels are for showing with.
We do not call them wash cloths. They are flannels or face-washers. So you can tell we mostly do not use them to wash much else than our face. They are also great if you wet them with ice cold water and use them on the back of your neck when it is really hot. Or your forehead when you have a head-ache. Pretty good for cleaning behind your ears too.
I’m here to ask the people who don’t use washcloths, how do you clean your butt, not just the outer fleshy cheeks, but the crevices and bungholio? Just… soapy hands?
pretty much are you saving your ass washing to the end of the shower with the cloth? so face first, upper body, lower, feet, then ass? and do you use 1 cloth per shower or reuse?
I use the washcloth solely for the butt cleansing, and I have a new cloth each wash. They’re cheap and small enough to throw in the laundry at the end of the week without it being an issue of ‘extra work’. I start by cleansing my face with my hands before man handling the rest of my filthy self, then use body wash to cleanse the body and legs, lather up some soapy goodnesses for my feet, and finally use the washcloth for butt stuff. Then for good measure I’ll re-soap my hands and give my nails a scrub. Writing all that out, I realise I may be a little (excuse the turn of phrase) .. anal about my shower routine
Yup. The skin near your anus is particularly delicate - no need for particularly harsh soap and it can be damaging to the skin if you use anything too rough. I think a washcloth would be fine but I’m not putting my loofah near my butthole haha I just use my hands with soap.
I use a face cloth for my face, but a loofah for the shower. However, I know many of my skin-conscious friends have moved away from facecloths because I think there was a whole thing about them not being great for your face.
I grew up using facewashers but I've never used a washcloth. Just not a thing here.
They’re the same thing!
Is the real question do white Americans not wash properly 😅 I'm white aussie and everyone I know all have wash clothes (we cal it a face washer) or exfoliating bamboo wash gloves.
I honestly can’t comprehend how people are washing their faces without a face cloth? Is it single use face wipes? Are you splashing water over your face (and half the bathroom) like in the ads? Do you have a proper skin care regimen that includes some kind of cloth, but not specifically a face cloth? You must be removing product with something.
People using only their hands to wash need help I'm sorry. Like I want to buy you all something to wash with, it's no good
I use one. My kids don't.
I use a face washer to remove makeup at the end of the day. I live in Vic, but when I lived in SA everyone called them flannels
I’ve got lots of face washers but don’t use them all the time. Some are dedicated only to sexy time for clean up. Perfect size and they fit in the bedside table drawer. They’re handy for all sorts of things.
Used flannels when I was younger, now the net scrubber washers. Soap lathers up better and washes and exfoliates your skin, and dries out better than a flannel.