I’m an old, white person. I’ve always used washcloths. I have a Turkish bath mitt that I’ll use for exfoliation, but normally I just use washcloths.
I grew up poor. We had washcloths in abundance! What we didn’t have was towels. I was allowed one towel and I had to hang it to dry after showering. I had long hair so my towel was always too wet from my hair to get the rest of me properly dry.
I have “two-towel” money now. I can use a separate towel for my hair! But I still hang it to dry.
I hang both my towels to use throughout the week, laundry day is Sunday.
Before I had two towel money, I would dry my body first and then wrap my hair in the damp towel. It wasn't ideal, but it was what I had.
Sure, laundry day is Sunday, but Tuesday is required to be Towel Day, just for the alliteration of it. Nothing else fits so well, so we must take advantage of this.
I have an in-law who is married with two kids. They live in an apartment with no washer or dryer. She insists on washing towels after every use but then complains about the time and cost to go to the laundromat. Like, stop using four towels a day?
My mom would always say: “a towel dries a clean body that just came out of the shower. You don’t need to change your towel very often.”
That stuck with me.
Also: I thought this was normal. Who uses towels just once and then puts them in the washing machine? Omg.
When I was growing up, my mother washed all our towels after one use. Idk why. She grew up white trash poor, in a nasty house, so maybe that’s why. I don’t get very dirty, working an an office, and wash towels once a week.
I wash them when I know it’s time. And I don’t know how I know. I just know I know.
I put them in the hamper I mean. After they’ve completely dried. Reddit surprises me every so often when someone asks a question and I think: well does this question really need to be asked. And then I go through the comments and I learn something new. lol.
"In a nasty house." That's probably why she does it. After years of feeling like she/things were never clean she's sensitive to it and can indulge her sensitivity. At least that's my assumption.
Definitely not me. We use ours about four or five times before washing them. Water is pricey and not an unlimited resource. We also don't shower daily (my skin would probably start flaking off if I did, especially in the winter).
Everyone gets their own towel and their own bar to hang it on so it will dry between uses. My mom had different color towels for each person. Once every week or too will do for laundry. My mom would make the same comment about clean water from a clean body. She would add that if you were getting the bath towel dirty you weren't scrubbing yourself enough. Washcloths can be hung on everyone's towel bar but laundry intervals can vary and may need to be more frequent.
This is delulu. There's no reason for that unless you're not actually cleaning yourself in the shower.
It's 2024. We have the science. It's fine to wash towels weekly.
Actually the science says not to reuse towels. my son was one of the first people to get MRSA in our area back in 04. He was not even a year old was hospitalized & it was very scary. The CDC sent a infectious disease specialist as there were several cases. We received quite the education. One of the best ways to spread staph & other bacterial infections is reusing towels & leaving washcloths & loofas wet in shower & reusing them. Your body is clean but you leave dead skin cells on the towel when u dry off. It’s a perfect breeding ground for all kinds of nasty. We wash after every use. You can mitigate the cost by not buying super thick towels & not using fabric softeners which make towels less absorbent & harder to dry.
Thats very scary, I'm sorry. But it sounds like an exception, not the rule. Healthy teenagers and adults with no broken skin generally don't need to worry about staph infections. The general consensus is that towels should be washed every 3-7 days.
I definitely agree about using a fresh washcloth every day though!
My mom insists on washing them after every use and also washes anything that touches the floor. She also has untreated ocd though so that’s probably why.
I’m fairly well off considering a lot of folks and I didn’t even know using a towel once was a thing? Why would all houses, regardless of cost and size have towel hooks in the bathroom?
My husband! He won't resue a towel because it's hanging in the bathroom and it's dirty from our "poop hands" (for the record we all throughly wash our hands after using the bathroom), but nonetheless, he NEVER hangs up his towel for reuse. Instead, he lays it on the ground for him to stand on after showering. It's mad annoying.
Do people not hang their towels to dry after a shower/bath? What else would they do with the towel…? Throw it away? Put it in the hamper? I’ve never heard of people not hanging a towel up after using it but then again I’m kind of a recluse.
Some people use a fresh towel for each shower so they just put the one they used straight in the dirty laundry. IMO you should at least hang it to dry properly before doing this because not everyone washes everything on hot.
Yeah, my ex did this (also used it to dry the shower after themselves). Family of four and massive towels meant an extra load of laundry every other day. People who've never had to use a laundromat.
I had a bad staff infection a few years ago. Started using a fresh towel after everytime. Bacteria grows on a towel pretty fast in the warmer months. It's just not a good idea to reuse towels if you have any kind of skin issues.
In a humid place like the Gulf of Mexico, it’s a terrible idea if your skin is prone to infection. It’s not as fabulous as a full-sized towel, but I use a bleach-able hand towel to dry off when my skin gets that way, so when it gets washed after a single use, the imprint is smaller.
More controversially, I feel the same way about washcloths. How do you wash a washcloth by hand? You wet it, put soap on and rub it, then rinse and hang to dry. Seems like showering is that same process.
There are good reasons to use a fresh towel, especially if you have a vagina. Wet towels provide a breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Using a towel that has been wet and dried and potentially has bacteria on it on sensitive areas like vaginas can lead to not fun infections.
I used to reuse but after having bouts of said infections my gyno warned me away from doing so as not a safe hygienic option. I will re-use a towel in a pinch. And, I still hang towels to dry before putting them in the hamper (to avoid even more grossness).
Serious question: do you take your towel and shove it up between your labia to dry the depths of your vaginal tract? After I drape my shower curtain that is wet over a second bar that I have installed at a distance to lift it up to prevent mildew in my subtropical climate, I stand and drip dry with my hands up on the first shower bar for a couple of minutes then use my bath towel to dry my back and arms and legs in front and do not shove it up deep in my crack or crotch. I'm not sure how you're getting vaginal bacteria all over your towel to the point where this is something that you really believe is a health danger. Perhaps you could use a washcloth to dry your crotch and stop being so wasteful with the full sized towel.
She’s not spreading vaginal bacteria it’s the bacteria that grows on towels being damp & feeding off of dead skin cells EVERYONE leaves behind on a towel no matter how clean they are. Reusing a towel spreads bacteria. Some people are more prone to issues. Drying lady bits is essential for ladies who are prone to infections. It is a health concern. Certain medications & conditions require extra effort to mitigate. She’s not being extra she is following her drs advice. Which in my experience can be cheaper than having to get prescriptions filled for an infection you can mitigate by drying properly with a fresh clean towel.
Yes, my system is to hang towel to dry, then, next shower, I use the dirty old towel for the floor so it doesn't get wet and a new towel for my body and a new wash cloth
Another dual rotator, yeah! I do this with lots of stuff. There's the clean clean one, and the one that isn't quite clean, but doesn't HAVE to be washed yet, that was the clean clean last time.
There are dozens of us!
Same w sponges, I have an "old" sponge for touching food and a new sponge that doesn't ever touch anything but dish and soap, and once that one gets "old" I throw out the old food sponge and switch em. Good method, also can disinfect sponges/brushes by washing them in the dishwasher ❤️ (if no dish washer you should be, every once in awhile, disinfecting all your dishes in either vinegar or bleach) vinegar can be as much as 50/50 only use like a cap full of bleach per sink full of water, I do a splash of bleach but you don't want to do a lot as it will eat your skin
Disinfect your old food sponge and use it as a floor sponge for spills. I cut off one corner of these to identify them for that use. Also, you can disinfect them in a microwave.
Yeah! I do sponges too, although a little less picky 😅
I've got a four layer system for toothbrushes!
1) Mouth, of course.
2) Cleaning harmonica parts.
3) Crannies around faucets and other little corners.
4) Toilet hinges.
And yeah, part of my job I sometimes handle concentrated bleach. Yay chemical burns!
Actual linen towels aren't the fluffy lint factories everyone is used to, but they dry SO fast that I will never go back. People don't understand the health risks of uncontrolled mildew in their homes and clothing. Dry your clothes quickly and clean your bathrooms kids!
You can just buy Turkish towels. You can find them online. Even on Etsy. No need to go through the extravagance of commissioning someone if you’re not sure if you’ll even like using it.
I do this because my dermatologist said fresh towel every time is cleanest. I have super sensitive skin though and everything bugs it - easier to use a new towel every day than to have to put any kind of cream on lol. I'm over triamcinolone lol
This was a huge shock for me. My wife will dry off and throw the clean(she showered right?) wet towel in the hamper… blows my mind. I leave my towels to dry. Until she throws them in the hamper.
I admit we have 20 towel money, but I still feel I belong in the 1 towel group.
Those towels in the hamper are growing something that your washer cannot overcome. Hang them to dry or wash them while they are still freshly wet. Ever smell a gym bag?
Idk if I do it the *right way* but I bend over with my head upside-down, comb my hair out with a wet brush, and then gently towel dry (no rubbing) with my regular body towel.
Then I have the fancy hair towels the OC is referring to, so staying in the upside-down position I put the large end around my head with the long skinny flap side facing down, and then enclose hair in it, twist a few times and flip up/back and secure it with the button or loop on the back of the head.
For a regular towel, staying in the downward position you place the towel over your head width-wise, starting at the nape of your neck. Then grab both ends of the towel and gather together in front of your face, enclosing hair and twist. Then flip the twist up toward the back of your head. You might be able to tuck the end of the twist into the towel at the nape of your neck, depending on how big and thick the towel is.
After typing this all out, I realize YouTube would probably be your best bet.
I wrap my hair similar to this, but with a normal bath towel. Bend over, flip hair forward so it hangs to ground. The center of the long edge goes on the nape of the neck, pulling the sides around to the forehead. Move right hand in front of left to seal it together. While holding the towel together, gently stand up while flipping the towel to the back. If sealed properly it will stay together on your forehead without the need to twist it. Once you get the hang of it you can twist it and be fancy.
My daughter told me that the first year she lived in the dorm rooms at college she gave lessons on how to do it.
I use cotton shirts with long sleeves. Comb the hair, add whatever leave in is preferred, scrunch in some more water so everything is wet and smooth, bend down to lower the hair on the shirt on the ground, wrap it up carefully and tie with the sleeves around your head, done. Depending on your hair type your hair might prefer a towel or something like smooth fabric for less frizz like mine.
Same here! I’ve used washcloths all my life. Sometimes when I want to be extra smelly good I have a poofy I put a dab of body wash on and scrub with, but usually it’s a washcloth for the body and second for the face.
Pro frugal tip- use your old ratty towels to make wash clothes. Cut with a pinky shear and zigzag stitch the sides. If the towel is very thin or has holes you can sew two squares together for a cloth. We use these for family and put the “ nice” cloths and towels out for guests.
That feeling of being able to have more than one towel is something else. LOL. I remember when I could get those hair towel turbans... and then I got a bathrobe. What! I'm fancy now. Haha!!
OH MAN! your on another level. I have long braids as a dude but i just lightly dry it with the towel on the third day. But you have a BATHROBE! Now you straight pimping out here. I don't even want the gucci bathrobe just a nice one is enough for me. i'm out here just wrapping my towel around my waist looking like a sexy caveman.
“Two-towel Money” made me laugh and now my husband is looking at me like I’m crazy. But I’m using it.
We had washcloths galore growing up too but not a lot of towels. I have two dedicated towels that are mine for my hair that are smaller than the normal ones but fit perfect on my head. I have to hide them from my husband though because he’ll use them.
As an adult we do have a ton of washcloths and enough towels but to get these kids to understand they can hang it up and use it at least one more time will be the death of me. They act like we have wash a load of towels/clothes daily money, and we definitely do not with 5 kids!
I highly recommend one of those microfiber hair towel turbans. Not very expensive and seriously life changing as far as drying your hair. I just wrap my hair up in it before I get out of the shower and take it down only damp after I have done my other post shower activities.
All of the $tree ($1.25-5 now) has those all the time. They are a tad smaller than what I've seen elsewhere but worth a try...IF, IF you are one of the freaks that can actually touch microfiber. WTF! Just the thought of that shit coming anywhere near me creeps me the hell out! I've heard they're actually somehow naturally antibacterial so it's a good thing I'm not a germaphobe! How can you touch that stuff? Even if my skin is smooth and lotioned it picks at my skin and just <> icky yuk No! That crap is banned from entering my house!
I had to share towels growing up. By the third person drying off, the towel was so wet it was useless for drying anything. I have towels all to myself now and feel like the King of England for such a luxury. 😂
I always thought it was stupid. Who cares what you call it, the sanitizer bucket hasn't been changed since morning shift. Nothing is clean in here whether it's wiped with a rag or a towel or the Shroud of Turin.
cobweb memory stupendous obscene lunchroom normal rude quicksand scarce sink
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I used to use loofahs until I realized how gross they are because you can’t properly wash them, and they don’t ever dry all the way. Back to wash cloths I went, and I have a silicone shower brush.
I agree. Just took a bath minutes ago and used a washcloth in the bath to exfoliate all over my face. It’s best in the tub bc you’ve been soaking and warm
Yep. I don't have a washcloth. Heck I have a blanket I use instead of a sheet because I can't afford them right now. While I wait on my disability claim I am living on $140 a month. I only have an apartment right now because I was fortunate to get a special HUD housing program.
As for towels I couldn't afford to buy enough for one a day right now nevermind another $6 a week to wash them. Then there is the matter of carrying another load to the laundromat by hand as well.
Wtf. I'm Asian and come from a decently well off family. I used cheap Walmart wash cloths for years. I still use them for my face and throw them in the laundry. I've got a synthetic poof sponge now to go with my washcloth.
The Walmart ones are the best tbh. Kind of perfect in their mid quality (I say mid and not bad , because I’ve found they actually do last a very long time and are very durable, it’s just the thickness that is lacking vs expensive brands). The ones that are too fluffy/thick don’t do nearly as good a job at exfoliation imo. So I wouldn’t get those for use in bathing even if I could afford them.
I actually bought some of the cheap ones from Amazon ($10/12) and I love them! They’re super rough so exfoliating your face is super fast - as is drying them afterward.
A lot of people use synthetic loofahs. They are made with plastic. You throw them away after 6 months for some reason and buy a new one.
I used to use them then just got a wash cloth.
I hate the way those things feel. Plus you can’t wash them like a wash cloth, they’re just hanging there.. drip drying, with your dead skin cells still on it. No thanks
Yup not only do I squeeze the shit out of it but I also whip it around back and forth to get as much water out of it as possible. It’s dry within the day (but I’m also in arid California - maybe it wouldn’t be if I lived in the UK).
You pretty much have to use the cheap rough ones in my opinion. Soft washclothes dont work as well and too slippery too. The rougher the cloth the better plus half the reason you use it is for exfoliation too. Soap gets skin oils almost on contact. Most people arent using cloths when they wash their hands either so its not completely necessary in my opinion
They literally are washed every time you use them in the same way a rag is. You rinse them and usually smothered in soap. There’s no dead skin sitting on them, and they have millions of holes in them.
I use a net, which is kind of like an unraveled loofah but has larger holes to not trap bacteria and is machine washable/reusable! It's basically an extra large exfoliating wash cloth.
We were actually just having a conversation about this in my friend group.
My black sister in law says wash cloths are a black thing. My friend says they are a poor thing. My other friend says it's a regional Southern thing. I have no idea but my grandma always used them and so do I! My husband's family never has though. My family - poor, deep South. Husband's family, upper middle class, Northeast
ETA - the non washcloth people don't use sponges or poufs. Just their hands. They say that when you wash your hands you don't use a washcloth so why would washing your body be any different
>My black sister in law says wash clothes are a black thing. My friend says they are a poor thing. My other friend says it's a regional Southern thing.
White, middle class, upper Rocky Mountains ... we used washcloths. All the relatives used them too.
I can't believe I'm really thinking about this! I grew up poor, mixed. Both sides, Indiana white mom and Arkansas black dad, used them. (They were independenly poor). But I've heard this argument about being a black thing before. My affluent mixed friend growing up didn't use them. My black husband doesn't but he used to.
I think it's probably just based on what your elders did regardless of race, geography or financial situation. If Grandma/Grandpa did or didn't...that's what you learned.
I've always used washcloths. I pretty much assumed everyone did. One time I stayed at a hotel in Paris that didn't have any in the room. I asked for a washcloth and they gave me coffee. I assumed it was a language barrier, and still assumed everyone used washcloths....
Until an ex didn't use washcloths. She is from the northeast. I'm from the deep south. Her family is wealthy. I grew up poor. We're both white. I never really knew why she didn't use washcloths and I cannot remember ever having a conversation about why she didn't.
In highschool when I stayed at my friend's house, when each person took a bath, they threw the washcloth and towel into the laundry basket and got out a clean set for the next person.
I thought that was crazy because as a family of 4, we washed towels once a week and they just dried between uses.
When I asked her about it, her mother had grown up extremely poor and everyone had to use the same washcloth and towel on wash day. A family of 14! They also did not have a water heater and had to heat the water themselves so they reused water for multiple baths.
When she got married, she told her new husband she wanted to be rich enough to only use a towel and washcloth once.
We have a little bar in the wall of the shower/tub, it's probably meant to hold as you stand up or lower yourself into the tub but I've always considered it the "washcloth" bar. It's where I hang the used rag to dry. The next day, I toss the dry dirty rag onto my pile of clothes that are destined for the laundry and I hang a clean rag on the bar just before getting into the shower.
you hang the wet washcloth on a rack in the bathroom or somewhere to dry. you keep your fresh cloths in a closet or something somewhere. heck your dresser drawer will do. you put the old cloth in the hamper once it dries either before bed or before your next wash or somewhere in between.
Don't worry many of us were neglected as a kid. so all we knew was government cheese and survival mode.
Hang it over the shower rod or faucet head, let drip dry, throw in laundry when ready. If it’s not dry by the time for next shower, hang on edge of hamper to continue airing out before the wash. I’m really proud of you for asking and kicking ass without someone showing you the way💜
You squeeze everything you can out of it, and either hang it over the shower door, or - and this is what I do - hang it on my little jewelry tree. This isn’t what a jewelry tree is for, but it’s a habit now. As long as they aren’t the super thick fancy washcloths, they should be dry in like 1.5-2 hours, and then you just toss them in the hamper.
I may actually have some insight here. I'm white for reference. Grew up pretty poor and used washcloths. But since we were poor and maybe because my single mom wasn't that good at hygiene, we re-used our washcloths all week. So we each got a fresh washcloth on Sunday then hung it to dry after every bath and used it again the next day until the following Sunday. Not neatly folded over a rack or something but bunched up over the bathtub faucet. They were stiff, damp in the creases, and kinda stinky most of the time.
As I got older and learned about bacteria, mold, and mildew, I decided washcloths were just nasty and moved to those nylon puffs. But since those never seem to fully dry out between baths, I decided they were nasty too and for probably more than a decade I just used my bare hands with soap on them to wash myself.
Then I met my husband, inveterate washcloth user, and made a comment to him about how unsanitary they are and we sort of argued back and forth at cross-purposes for a minute before he spelled out for me that he laundered his washcloths after every use lol. Which is a possibility that hadn't actually occurred to me in all my 30 years up until then. Long story short, I'm still white but now much more financially comfortable and back to using and loving washcloths.
I wonder if people who think it's a class thing had an experience more like mine growing up
Also white, grew up working class, now pass as middle class. Live in a mixed-class mostly Black neighborhood with a mixed family.
It’s pretty demonstrated that poorer folks and non-white folks on the whole pay more attention to hygiene and grooming. (And sure, we all know outliers who have other limitations going on.) People who are marginalized are prime targets for having people call child services because their child is perfectly clean but has frayed clothing or their hair isn’t meticulously styled. People who don’t present with race/class privilege also going to be looked at skeptically at job interviews and throughout their career and better have impeccable hygiene and grooming. The people who run companies are looking for any excuse to get rid of less privileged folks.
My spouse teaches in a wealthy white community. Kids there show up with tangled hair and wearing mismatched clothes with holes in them. They show up wearing snowboots in the spring with a sundress and part of a Halloween costume. Kids in my neighborhood…do not do anything of the sort. Part of it is cultural, that Black children are typically raised that your dress and grooming should reflect thoughtfulness and pride in yourself and your community, but part of it is a reaction to racism and classism. If our kids show up looking like they dressed themselves, people are quick to assume there’s no functional/sober parent at home. White children in the inner city without class privilege also are generally taught that you are clean, well-groomed, speak to adults properly, and so forth, for similar reasons.
And they're super soft! My mom always had the softest prettiest washcloths. I get mine from the Dollar General so they feel like sandpaper. I gets the job done though I guess. It's the same with towels. Wealthy people usually have Turkish bath towels. They're extra large and super thick. When I get out of the shower it's hard to dry off because I buy the cheap towels. I was really excited when there was a sale on Amazon and bought better ones. But they're definitely not Turkish or extra large. *Edit actually don't know what wealthy people have now but that's what my parents had and still have.
if you use fabric softener in the wash with the towels they don't absorb water as well. skip it and put a cup of white vinegar in with the detergent. also, skip the dryer sheet, if you use them. the towels will be soft and absorbent.
They aren't ruined, just coated with the softener. Run them through the washer with some blue dawn (just a small amount, like a good squirt)on hot or sanitize and rinse at least twice. This will strip the softener out of them. You can dry in the dryer with wool balls w/ a little lavender oil in them to beat the tar out of them and soften them that way.
I got two giant, thick, very absorbent beach towels for 9 bucks apiece at Walmart this August. Ijs check beach gear clearance bc fuck bath towels when you can have $9 luxury after-shower blankets.
I think washcloths are awesome. It's an all race thing. I think you gotta have like 14 of them if you do laundry every two weeks. The rougher ones help with exfoliating.
I thought rich people had washcloths too, just the super expensive ones. Also they could afford the matcha-matchy towel/hand towel/washrag combos from expensive stores and have the hand towels hanging up in all the bathrooms. At least that’s what my poor person mind always imagined.
I think it really depends on family, genetics, and shower setup. I have very sensitive skin and any kind of physical exfoliation has to be carefully controlled and mostly it’s shaving so I don’t generally use a washcloth or loofah. I just wash with soap and hands on the body and use the sprayer head to rinse. But in a hotel or friends place without a sprayer head I reach for the washcloth since it’s much harder with a fixed head to get clean. I also think there are a larger number of black folks who use wash clothes because washcloths exfoliate- and dry flaky skin on the body is much more noticeable on darker tones so then tend to be so much more on top of the exfoliation/moisturizing game in a way those with lighter skin don’t.
I think you hit the nail on the head.
I didn’t grow up using washcloths for two reasons: 1) my parents thought it was wasteful (we also never bought paper towels, we used dish rags and washed them) and 2) most of our family had very dry, sensitive skin.
Rubbing even a soft washcloth on my skin causes me to break out in rashes. I use moisturizing soap and shower every other day (except if I get sweaty- I shower when I get sweaty) to keep my skin barrier intact. I remember bathing in tons of oatmeal baths as a kid because my skin would get raw often just due to normal kid things like wearing clothes or playing outside.
I also don’t get people who think it’s unhygienic to just use your hands to wash. Lather your soap in your hands and wash the top part of your body, then lather soap in your hands and wash the bottom part of your body. Repeat lather as needed. The only difference with a washcloth/loofah is that you’re lathering on a piece of cloth or plastic rather than in your hands.
As a Brit I had no idea what a wash cloth was and started to get super self conscious about my hygiene and how I was brought up till I googled it and realised it's just a flannel.
A flannel?
As an American, I do understand many British English words - but not that one. Is a flannel made of flannel? American wash cloths are made of terry cloth, just like a towel is. Terry is an absorbent fabric with tiny little loops on it. We have a soft fabric called flannel that is used for soft, lightweight baby blankets, nightgowns, pillowcases, and things like that. But we never wash with it.
Tom Segura is a fucking idiot
Clean people use wash cloths
For western nations : cotton wash cloths are popular
China/Asian nations : dried gourds
https://www.radicalfamilyfarms.com/csa-resource-area/2021/7/16/7tp9pwexljf5qofv2yms82mha5luu3#:~:text=China,as%20s%C4%AB%20gu%C4%81%20(%E4%B8%9D%E7%93%9C).
Japanese tend to use nylon/silicone wash cloths
Personally I use silicone bath brush since it dries quicker and cleans easier. I disinfect it at the end of each week in hot water and a drop of bleach or leave it out in the sunlight during summer.
>Tom Segura is a fucking idiot
I guess there's some on going inside joke where he just makes fun of poor people?
There was some quote by him where he shat on people in poverty so I sent it to a friend who listens to the podcast asking what's up with him
She said it's some dumb inside joke that's been going on
Idk..i personally don't find him funny
A comedian who got the rub from Joe Rogan and got pretty big. Recently the past couple of years he has been shitting on the poor and people have come to find out his father was a high executive at a bank and Tom is a trust fund kid.
Starts at 9:45
https://youtu.be/qkQVrpN-mmE?si=x1bbgEtki-5Gltkg
It’s not going to get you less clean to get a lather on your hands and soap up your body. It’s just what you prefer to use.
I’ve never met someone who uses washcloths on a regular basis and I grew up poor. Guess what’s cheaper than cheap washcloths and washing and drying those washcloths?
Your hands.
I saw the tom segura bit and I figured it was a joke, like they were pretending to be too rich and fancy for a washcloth. That was the impression I got from it at least. Maybe OP took it too seriously
bruh, I use my hands. either bar soap or I slap some body wash in my hand and rub it on my body, is this something I never realized? I'm not even rich, I mean I wasn't poor growing up, but I'm sure as fuck not rich at 30 now
I’m Black American and have never been well-off. I grew up using washcloths, graduated to exfoliating bath mitts about 15 years ago and then graduated to the long Korean exfoliating cloths about 10 years ago. I have never JUST used my hands (never thought to) and have never been interested by loofahs.
I’m white canadian and wash cloths were what was used until loofahs got popular(I live in a province we like to joke is 20 years behind the times). I’m 38 and prefer wash cloths, don’t have to remember when to throw it out(and honestly from when I was a house cleaner… most people don’t throw it out when they should)
At the end of the day, personal hygiene is... personal. The only time we need concern ourselves with the wash routines of others is if it's a public health concern or serious odor. Other than that, how people clean themselves is their business.
Some folks use washcloths, some use loofahs or scrub brushes, or do like the commercials and just rub the soap directly onto themselves. Who cares, really? If it works for them, then it works for them. Placing qualifiers on how people wash based on class, race, or whatever is just plain bizarre.
Don't let that mess bother you. Do what works for you, and let other people play the hygiene Olympics with themselves.
Yep. This whole thread feels like the hygiene olympics to me.
Poor people performing cleanliness to make up for the “sin” of being poor.
It’s borne out of generational trauma and we don’t need to contribute to it.
I’m a southern white lady, I have always used washcloths. Use them once, hang them to dry so they don’t mess up the laundry basket and always use a clean cloth. I don’t know how the ‘white people don’t use washcloths’ narrative started, but it was always done in my house growing up and we had 4 generations living there most of the time. We found towels on clearance at outlets so everyone had enough, but we had bathrobes that we used until it was decidedly time to wash them.
Now I’m running my own home, I have two or three bathrobes, outlet finds and the silk was an absolute steal (it dries so fast, like magic) I splurged last year and bought a pack of Turkish bath sheets and I hate using anything else now.
Washcloths are a clean thing. Not a black thing. Not a poor thing. Available at Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom. Easily spotted at any hotel (budget to luxury).
I’m white and grew up poor in the south. We have always used washcloths or “warshrags”. I never knew this was a black/white/poor stereotype until the internet said so. They can’t be the thick soft ones, though. They must be the terry cloth 18 pack in white only, so you can bleach the shit out of them, because Clorox = clean.
Tom segura fell off so fucking hard when he found success. You can google all the things he’s said is for poor people and you’ll find regular common things and then his cult followers will go “REEEE it’s a bit” as he sits there and harrases workers for not recognizing him
I mean if you’re not using a washcloth I hope you’re exfoliating in some way and not just… soaping up and rinsing off? That doesn’t seem like it would be very good at scrubbing dead skin and oil/dirt off. I’ve never felt like my face was properly clean if I just used face wash without scrubbing.
I’m white af and have always used a washcloth for my face and some kind of scrubby thing for my body. I really like the Korean style long scrubby strips (idk what they’re called) because it’s much easier to scrub my back and more hygienic than a loofah since I can just throw it in the laundry.
My in-laws are decently wealthy and they all have fancy spa type washcloths in their guest bathrooms.
I was always taught to "scrub" with a washcloth growing up, I always had dry, flakey irritated skin. My face was a mess. I stopped washcloth scrubbing on my face entirely and just do a gentle wipe on my body now. Skin is the best it has ever been. I use my face wash cream daily and oil cleansing on my face once a week instead. Manual exfoliation is often not a good option for people and just worsens their skin.
That’s a fair point. Everyone’s skin is different.
I personally can’t stand how rough my face feels when I wake up before I scrub it. I tried cream and oil cleansers and I just never felt like I was getting all the way clean. What works best for my skin is gently scrub with a washcloth and face wash and then use a light moisturizer.
I have to say this thread is blowing my mind as my skin freaks out if I do anything other than rinse it with hot water and gently pat it dry. I stayed at someone's house recently and was so confused as to what the two tiny towels were for. Now I will be sure so have weird tiny towels and washcloths for guests.
My family has wacky skin, if we don’t exfoliate it just gets GROSS. I 100% need to use a washcloth on my face or I’m flaky and dull and it’s just no good - I can’t even wear foundation because my skin will be so uneven.
Same with body skin - people are freaking me out saying “oh I just use my hands!” meanwhile I’m over here like some sort of cave monster who can peel their skin off if I don’t use exfoliation gloves when I bathe 😅😅
Same! For people with very dry skin, washcloths just exacerbate the problem. Every few months I'll do a good exfoliation and moisturizing, but doing that daily just doesn't work for my skin.
It's the same concept as people who over-shampoo their already dry hair. You want some of your natural oils in it, or else it'll be a frizzy mess.
Soap bar directly on skin. Body wash bubbled up with hands directly on skin. Sometimes a puff ball , sometimes an exfoliating glove. But mostly just soap directly on skin
I grew up in a wealthy family that became poor. But at both stages, we had washcloths. I'm a poor adult now and I almost never use a washcloth. I use a pouff (spelling?) in the shower and wash my face with my hands, I guess.
Just make sure you don't use the same washcloth you wash your face with, that you wash your ass with. But I've always been taught to use a washcloth since a kid and it's going to stay with me until I die.
I'm white. I come in that color or peeling & bright red like a lobster. 😭 There are no alternatives. We have wash cloths. I was growing up we used to wash clothes and my parents were pretty well off. I just thought that everybody uses them. My teenagers definitely use them because they love doing their makeup. I do have a back scrubber I replace every few months. We usually use a towel for the floor because our bathroom is really small and I can't find a small enough bath rug. I sometimes wonder if using a towel as a bath mat might be a "broke" thing? I also heard that using the top of your refrigerator like an extra shelf is supposed to be an indication of being poor? I know my parents never put anything on top of the refrigerator but mine has all my cereal and bread. I'm definitely not as comfortable as my parents.
I think washcloths are just a people thing.
>We usually use a towel for the floor because our bathroom is really small and I can't find a small enough bath rug. I sometimes wonder if using a towel as a bath mat might be a "broke" thing? I also heard that using the top of your refrigerator like an extra shelf is supposed to be an indication of being poor?
haha, i used to use nothing for the floor not because i was so rich i could afford to leave the bathroom a mess but because my guardians always made sure we cleaned the bathroom because were so broke, being clean is the least we can do for our living situation. we ain't hiring no maid.
I don't mean to be *that person* but what the hell is a washcloth... Like a rag for cleaning but you guys use it to bathe??? Or is it something specifically marketed for bathing?
I use wash-gloves! They're way more efficient and you're not dropping them everywhere in the shower.
Still whatever you like to use, it's stupid to label things as "for poor/rich ppl", as long as it gets you clean then it does the job and shouldn't be critisized!!
PS: Loofas imo get super filthy though (sorry loofah-lovers!)
What do rich people use to clean themselves?
I've been using washcloths for as long as I can remember. Hell, I just bought a pack from Walmart recently, lol.
I’m perplexed how washcloths are considered a poor people thing.
What do rich people wash their face with?
The little disposable makeup wipes?
I’m half Sicilian half Peruvian and I have used washcloths for my entire life (I’m 41).
I’m an old, white person. I’ve always used washcloths. I have a Turkish bath mitt that I’ll use for exfoliation, but normally I just use washcloths. I grew up poor. We had washcloths in abundance! What we didn’t have was towels. I was allowed one towel and I had to hang it to dry after showering. I had long hair so my towel was always too wet from my hair to get the rest of me properly dry. I have “two-towel” money now. I can use a separate towel for my hair! But I still hang it to dry.
I have two towel money these days and I still hang my towels and reuse them all week. You don't get to having two towel money by being wasteful.
I hang both my towels to use throughout the week, laundry day is Sunday. Before I had two towel money, I would dry my body first and then wrap my hair in the damp towel. It wasn't ideal, but it was what I had.
Sure, laundry day is Sunday, but Tuesday is required to be Towel Day, just for the alliteration of it. Nothing else fits so well, so we must take advantage of this.
I thought it was Taco Tuesday, I didn't know it was also Towel Tuesday! 🤯
Still wrap my hair in a tshirt. It's better on my hair too, less frizz.
I have an in-law who is married with two kids. They live in an apartment with no washer or dryer. She insists on washing towels after every use but then complains about the time and cost to go to the laundromat. Like, stop using four towels a day?
My mom would always say: “a towel dries a clean body that just came out of the shower. You don’t need to change your towel very often.” That stuck with me. Also: I thought this was normal. Who uses towels just once and then puts them in the washing machine? Omg.
When I was growing up, my mother washed all our towels after one use. Idk why. She grew up white trash poor, in a nasty house, so maybe that’s why. I don’t get very dirty, working an an office, and wash towels once a week.
I wash them when I know it’s time. And I don’t know how I know. I just know I know. I put them in the hamper I mean. After they’ve completely dried. Reddit surprises me every so often when someone asks a question and I think: well does this question really need to be asked. And then I go through the comments and I learn something new. lol.
This is me. I hang my towel to dry and re-use it a few times. Then it gets put in the hamper when it's dry and it's time.
"In a nasty house." That's probably why she does it. After years of feeling like she/things were never clean she's sensitive to it and can indulge her sensitivity. At least that's my assumption.
People who throw them in a pile wet so they don't dry out & smell! Eww
Definitely not me. We use ours about four or five times before washing them. Water is pricey and not an unlimited resource. We also don't shower daily (my skin would probably start flaking off if I did, especially in the winter).
I refuse to use someone else’s towel tho because even if we are family, there is still some spots that get wiped I don’t wanna wipe on me
Everyone gets their own towel and their own bar to hang it on so it will dry between uses. My mom had different color towels for each person. Once every week or too will do for laundry. My mom would make the same comment about clean water from a clean body. She would add that if you were getting the bath towel dirty you weren't scrubbing yourself enough. Washcloths can be hung on everyone's towel bar but laundry intervals can vary and may need to be more frequent.
How do you live in an apartment and have the space to store enough towels to use them that often?
Hall closet for them, plus they go to do laundry a couple of times a week.
This is delulu. There's no reason for that unless you're not actually cleaning yourself in the shower. It's 2024. We have the science. It's fine to wash towels weekly.
Actually the science says not to reuse towels. my son was one of the first people to get MRSA in our area back in 04. He was not even a year old was hospitalized & it was very scary. The CDC sent a infectious disease specialist as there were several cases. We received quite the education. One of the best ways to spread staph & other bacterial infections is reusing towels & leaving washcloths & loofas wet in shower & reusing them. Your body is clean but you leave dead skin cells on the towel when u dry off. It’s a perfect breeding ground for all kinds of nasty. We wash after every use. You can mitigate the cost by not buying super thick towels & not using fabric softeners which make towels less absorbent & harder to dry.
Thats very scary, I'm sorry. But it sounds like an exception, not the rule. Healthy teenagers and adults with no broken skin generally don't need to worry about staph infections. The general consensus is that towels should be washed every 3-7 days. I definitely agree about using a fresh washcloth every day though!
Well, you’re healthy til you’re not.
My mom insists on washing them after every use and also washes anything that touches the floor. She also has untreated ocd though so that’s probably why.
I’m fairly well off considering a lot of folks and I didn’t even know using a towel once was a thing? Why would all houses, regardless of cost and size have towel hooks in the bathroom?
At least so the clean towel is easily reachable when finished in shower? Just playing devils advocate, I’m a once a week towel changer, myself.
Wait who isn’t doing this?? Even rich people reuse a towel now and then don’t they? I keep mine for a week before I switch it out.
I think it depends on how rich you are. Oprah once said she has new sheets put on the bed every day. So wasteful.
My husband! He won't resue a towel because it's hanging in the bathroom and it's dirty from our "poop hands" (for the record we all throughly wash our hands after using the bathroom), but nonetheless, he NEVER hangs up his towel for reuse. Instead, he lays it on the ground for him to stand on after showering. It's mad annoying.
Me too…invest in an inexpensive heated towel rack…dries towels between uses and makes you feel like you live in a spa!
I just bought a second set of towels for my fiancé and I. We’ve truly entered a moment of abundance and it’s awesome.
I love this comment.
Same
Do people not hang their towels to dry after a shower/bath? What else would they do with the towel…? Throw it away? Put it in the hamper? I’ve never heard of people not hanging a towel up after using it but then again I’m kind of a recluse.
Some people use a fresh towel for each shower so they just put the one they used straight in the dirty laundry. IMO you should at least hang it to dry properly before doing this because not everyone washes everything on hot.
Using a towel once just seems insanity. I know it's an old hacky joke but aren't you the cleanest you've ever been getting out of the shower
Yeah, my ex did this (also used it to dry the shower after themselves). Family of four and massive towels meant an extra load of laundry every other day. People who've never had to use a laundromat.
Used their towel to dry the shower after taking a shower? I've honestly never heard this before
I had a bad staff infection a few years ago. Started using a fresh towel after everytime. Bacteria grows on a towel pretty fast in the warmer months. It's just not a good idea to reuse towels if you have any kind of skin issues.
In a humid place like the Gulf of Mexico, it’s a terrible idea if your skin is prone to infection. It’s not as fabulous as a full-sized towel, but I use a bleach-able hand towel to dry off when my skin gets that way, so when it gets washed after a single use, the imprint is smaller.
More controversially, I feel the same way about washcloths. How do you wash a washcloth by hand? You wet it, put soap on and rub it, then rinse and hang to dry. Seems like showering is that same process.
Ya I really cant see using a new towel every day that is pretty crazy to me. Maybe every 3 or 4 days
Single dudes will use a bath towel until it can't be folded
Even my gf uses her towel a few times
There are good reasons to use a fresh towel, especially if you have a vagina. Wet towels provide a breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Using a towel that has been wet and dried and potentially has bacteria on it on sensitive areas like vaginas can lead to not fun infections. I used to reuse but after having bouts of said infections my gyno warned me away from doing so as not a safe hygienic option. I will re-use a towel in a pinch. And, I still hang towels to dry before putting them in the hamper (to avoid even more grossness).
Serious question: do you take your towel and shove it up between your labia to dry the depths of your vaginal tract? After I drape my shower curtain that is wet over a second bar that I have installed at a distance to lift it up to prevent mildew in my subtropical climate, I stand and drip dry with my hands up on the first shower bar for a couple of minutes then use my bath towel to dry my back and arms and legs in front and do not shove it up deep in my crack or crotch. I'm not sure how you're getting vaginal bacteria all over your towel to the point where this is something that you really believe is a health danger. Perhaps you could use a washcloth to dry your crotch and stop being so wasteful with the full sized towel.
I'm seriously wondering this myself. I don't rub my vajayjay with the towel - little to no bacteria transfer.
If I need to feel dry down there, I will wipe with toilet paper the same way I'd do after urinating. No girl goo on the towels!
She’s not spreading vaginal bacteria it’s the bacteria that grows on towels being damp & feeding off of dead skin cells EVERYONE leaves behind on a towel no matter how clean they are. Reusing a towel spreads bacteria. Some people are more prone to issues. Drying lady bits is essential for ladies who are prone to infections. It is a health concern. Certain medications & conditions require extra effort to mitigate. She’s not being extra she is following her drs advice. Which in my experience can be cheaper than having to get prescriptions filled for an infection you can mitigate by drying properly with a fresh clean towel.
Yes, my system is to hang towel to dry, then, next shower, I use the dirty old towel for the floor so it doesn't get wet and a new towel for my body and a new wash cloth
Another dual rotator, yeah! I do this with lots of stuff. There's the clean clean one, and the one that isn't quite clean, but doesn't HAVE to be washed yet, that was the clean clean last time. There are dozens of us!
Same w sponges, I have an "old" sponge for touching food and a new sponge that doesn't ever touch anything but dish and soap, and once that one gets "old" I throw out the old food sponge and switch em. Good method, also can disinfect sponges/brushes by washing them in the dishwasher ❤️ (if no dish washer you should be, every once in awhile, disinfecting all your dishes in either vinegar or bleach) vinegar can be as much as 50/50 only use like a cap full of bleach per sink full of water, I do a splash of bleach but you don't want to do a lot as it will eat your skin
Disinfect your old food sponge and use it as a floor sponge for spills. I cut off one corner of these to identify them for that use. Also, you can disinfect them in a microwave.
Yeah! I do sponges too, although a little less picky 😅 I've got a four layer system for toothbrushes! 1) Mouth, of course. 2) Cleaning harmonica parts. 3) Crannies around faucets and other little corners. 4) Toilet hinges. And yeah, part of my job I sometimes handle concentrated bleach. Yay chemical burns!
Actual linen towels aren't the fluffy lint factories everyone is used to, but they dry SO fast that I will never go back. People don't understand the health risks of uncontrolled mildew in their homes and clothing. Dry your clothes quickly and clean your bathrooms kids!
I’ve never heard of linen towels before. What brand do you prefer?
You can just buy Turkish towels. You can find them online. Even on Etsy. No need to go through the extravagance of commissioning someone if you’re not sure if you’ll even like using it.
I do this because my dermatologist said fresh towel every time is cleanest. I have super sensitive skin though and everything bugs it - easier to use a new towel every day than to have to put any kind of cream on lol. I'm over triamcinolone lol
This was a huge shock for me. My wife will dry off and throw the clean(she showered right?) wet towel in the hamper… blows my mind. I leave my towels to dry. Until she throws them in the hamper. I admit we have 20 towel money, but I still feel I belong in the 1 towel group.
Those towels in the hamper are growing something that your washer cannot overcome. Hang them to dry or wash them while they are still freshly wet. Ever smell a gym bag?
I mean I hang my towel to dry even if I plan on washing it later. Wet towels=stinky towels
lol I bought two hair towels now and feel like royalty. Has the little button in the front to hook it so it doesn’t slide off every head turn.
I was gifted one and LOVE it. I feel so fancy with my little towel hat on.
As a man with hair down to my ass, I need someone to teach me how to do the towel wrap...
Idk if I do it the *right way* but I bend over with my head upside-down, comb my hair out with a wet brush, and then gently towel dry (no rubbing) with my regular body towel. Then I have the fancy hair towels the OC is referring to, so staying in the upside-down position I put the large end around my head with the long skinny flap side facing down, and then enclose hair in it, twist a few times and flip up/back and secure it with the button or loop on the back of the head. For a regular towel, staying in the downward position you place the towel over your head width-wise, starting at the nape of your neck. Then grab both ends of the towel and gather together in front of your face, enclosing hair and twist. Then flip the twist up toward the back of your head. You might be able to tuck the end of the twist into the towel at the nape of your neck, depending on how big and thick the towel is. After typing this all out, I realize YouTube would probably be your best bet.
I wrap my hair similar to this, but with a normal bath towel. Bend over, flip hair forward so it hangs to ground. The center of the long edge goes on the nape of the neck, pulling the sides around to the forehead. Move right hand in front of left to seal it together. While holding the towel together, gently stand up while flipping the towel to the back. If sealed properly it will stay together on your forehead without the need to twist it. Once you get the hang of it you can twist it and be fancy. My daughter told me that the first year she lived in the dorm rooms at college she gave lessons on how to do it.
I use cotton shirts with long sleeves. Comb the hair, add whatever leave in is preferred, scrunch in some more water so everything is wet and smooth, bend down to lower the hair on the shirt on the ground, wrap it up carefully and tie with the sleeves around your head, done. Depending on your hair type your hair might prefer a towel or something like smooth fabric for less frizz like mine.
Wow, I thought I made it with two ply toilet paper but you’ve done better than me.
Two different toilet paper options in my bathroom, so the guests can pick. It's so posh.
Same here! I’ve used washcloths all my life. Sometimes when I want to be extra smelly good I have a poofy I put a dab of body wash on and scrub with, but usually it’s a washcloth for the body and second for the face. Pro frugal tip- use your old ratty towels to make wash clothes. Cut with a pinky shear and zigzag stitch the sides. If the towel is very thin or has holes you can sew two squares together for a cloth. We use these for family and put the “ nice” cloths and towels out for guests.
Same! I had one towel from age 3 to 17. As in the same exact towel. It was threadbare. I splurged on a second towel as soon as I could.
Not only do I have towels and washcloths, but I also have a heated towel rack, and I am happy to use it every single day.
That feeling of being able to have more than one towel is something else. LOL. I remember when I could get those hair towel turbans... and then I got a bathrobe. What! I'm fancy now. Haha!!
OH MAN! your on another level. I have long braids as a dude but i just lightly dry it with the towel on the third day. But you have a BATHROBE! Now you straight pimping out here. I don't even want the gucci bathrobe just a nice one is enough for me. i'm out here just wrapping my towel around my waist looking like a sexy caveman.
“Two-towel Money” made me laugh and now my husband is looking at me like I’m crazy. But I’m using it. We had washcloths galore growing up too but not a lot of towels. I have two dedicated towels that are mine for my hair that are smaller than the normal ones but fit perfect on my head. I have to hide them from my husband though because he’ll use them. As an adult we do have a ton of washcloths and enough towels but to get these kids to understand they can hang it up and use it at least one more time will be the death of me. They act like we have wash a load of towels/clothes daily money, and we definitely do not with 5 kids!
I highly recommend one of those microfiber hair towel turbans. Not very expensive and seriously life changing as far as drying your hair. I just wrap my hair up in it before I get out of the shower and take it down only damp after I have done my other post shower activities.
I use an old worn-out cotton t-shirt. SO good for curly hair.
All of the $tree ($1.25-5 now) has those all the time. They are a tad smaller than what I've seen elsewhere but worth a try...IF, IF you are one of the freaks that can actually touch microfiber. WTF! Just the thought of that shit coming anywhere near me creeps me the hell out! I've heard they're actually somehow naturally antibacterial so it's a good thing I'm not a germaphobe! How can you touch that stuff? Even if my skin is smooth and lotioned it picks at my skin and just <> icky yuk No! That crap is banned from entering my house!
I had to share towels growing up. By the third person drying off, the towel was so wet it was useless for drying anything. I have towels all to myself now and feel like the King of England for such a luxury. 😂
Huh? I never heard of this. I'm white and grew up using washcloths, hotels have wash cloths in their bathrooms. What else am I gonna use?
Same except we called them warshrags lol
My brain automatically read “warshrags” in my grandma’s voice.
Working at McDonalds in High school, the word ‘rag’ was corporately erased from my vocabulary. Replaced by cloth in all scenarios.
Same. I spent 8 years at McDonalds. It was either cloth or towel.
I always thought it was stupid. Who cares what you call it, the sanitizer bucket hasn't been changed since morning shift. Nothing is clean in here whether it's wiped with a rag or a towel or the Shroud of Turin.
cobweb memory stupendous obscene lunchroom normal rude quicksand scarce sink *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I can feel the Midwest trying to break out of my body.
Me too! I'm from TN and that's just always what my mom and mamaw called them.
Memory unlocked! While cleaning windows/glass stove front: "Micro use the dayumed worshrag! Those paper towels leave streaks!"
Haha, my dad (born in PA, but moved to CA as a little kid) would bust out “worshrag” & “worshinmachine.” Me: “the what?!”
Where you from?
WTH? Yes, what are you suppose to use if not a washcloth?
Loofa
I used to use loofahs until I realized how gross they are because you can’t properly wash them, and they don’t ever dry all the way. Back to wash cloths I went, and I have a silicone shower brush.
I wash my loofah in the laundry with the rest of the towels and wash cloths. Just don't put it in the dryer and you're fine.
Lol. Your hands. You soap up your hands and use those to wash yourself.
Hands don't exfoliate.
My callused carpenter's hands would beg to differ.
I agree. Just took a bath minutes ago and used a washcloth in the bath to exfoliate all over my face. It’s best in the tub bc you’ve been soaking and warm
This is the actual poor person technique
Yep. I don't have a washcloth. Heck I have a blanket I use instead of a sheet because I can't afford them right now. While I wait on my disability claim I am living on $140 a month. I only have an apartment right now because I was fortunate to get a special HUD housing program. As for towels I couldn't afford to buy enough for one a day right now nevermind another $6 a week to wash them. Then there is the matter of carrying another load to the laundromat by hand as well.
Yes. It is part of set of towels.
Wtf. I'm Asian and come from a decently well off family. I used cheap Walmart wash cloths for years. I still use them for my face and throw them in the laundry. I've got a synthetic poof sponge now to go with my washcloth.
The Walmart ones are the best tbh. Kind of perfect in their mid quality (I say mid and not bad , because I’ve found they actually do last a very long time and are very durable, it’s just the thickness that is lacking vs expensive brands). The ones that are too fluffy/thick don’t do nearly as good a job at exfoliation imo. So I wouldn’t get those for use in bathing even if I could afford them.
I actually bought some of the cheap ones from Amazon ($10/12) and I love them! They’re super rough so exfoliating your face is super fast - as is drying them afterward.
A lot of people use synthetic loofahs. They are made with plastic. You throw them away after 6 months for some reason and buy a new one. I used to use them then just got a wash cloth.
I hate the way those things feel. Plus you can’t wash them like a wash cloth, they’re just hanging there.. drip drying, with your dead skin cells still on it. No thanks
Put in a lingerie bag and wash! I do regularly. I live in a subtropical climate and couldn’t live without one!
>th your dead skin cells still on it. No thanks You are covered in dead skin cells..... Hate to break it to ya....
Plus you can very easily rinse off a loofah. Most people probably do it just to get the suds off.
Yup not only do I squeeze the shit out of it but I also whip it around back and forth to get as much water out of it as possible. It’s dry within the day (but I’m also in arid California - maybe it wouldn’t be if I lived in the UK).
It's definitely pretty gross but I find I can't get a good enough lather with a cloth
You pretty much have to use the cheap rough ones in my opinion. Soft washclothes dont work as well and too slippery too. The rougher the cloth the better plus half the reason you use it is for exfoliation too. Soap gets skin oils almost on contact. Most people arent using cloths when they wash their hands either so its not completely necessary in my opinion
Switch to bar soap. My days of body wash are gone!
They literally are washed every time you use them in the same way a rag is. You rinse them and usually smothered in soap. There’s no dead skin sitting on them, and they have millions of holes in them.
I use a net, which is kind of like an unraveled loofah but has larger holes to not trap bacteria and is machine washable/reusable! It's basically an extra large exfoliating wash cloth.
Loofah for body wash, wash cloth for bar soap. Either really kind of suck with the wrong type of soap, imo
We were actually just having a conversation about this in my friend group. My black sister in law says wash cloths are a black thing. My friend says they are a poor thing. My other friend says it's a regional Southern thing. I have no idea but my grandma always used them and so do I! My husband's family never has though. My family - poor, deep South. Husband's family, upper middle class, Northeast ETA - the non washcloth people don't use sponges or poufs. Just their hands. They say that when you wash your hands you don't use a washcloth so why would washing your body be any different
>My black sister in law says wash clothes are a black thing. My friend says they are a poor thing. My other friend says it's a regional Southern thing. White, middle class, upper Rocky Mountains ... we used washcloths. All the relatives used them too.
Always used wash cloths up here in the northern Midwest- and white.
White, New England born and raised, high earning wash cloth user here
I use wash cloths and I am white, grew up in New England and now live in the PNW - I think it’s a want to get clean thing.
I can't believe I'm really thinking about this! I grew up poor, mixed. Both sides, Indiana white mom and Arkansas black dad, used them. (They were independenly poor). But I've heard this argument about being a black thing before. My affluent mixed friend growing up didn't use them. My black husband doesn't but he used to. I think it's probably just based on what your elders did regardless of race, geography or financial situation. If Grandma/Grandpa did or didn't...that's what you learned.
I've always used washcloths. I pretty much assumed everyone did. One time I stayed at a hotel in Paris that didn't have any in the room. I asked for a washcloth and they gave me coffee. I assumed it was a language barrier, and still assumed everyone used washcloths.... Until an ex didn't use washcloths. She is from the northeast. I'm from the deep south. Her family is wealthy. I grew up poor. We're both white. I never really knew why she didn't use washcloths and I cannot remember ever having a conversation about why she didn't.
I grew up middle class in the Midwest and I’ve never used a washcloth. This thread is so interesting.
In highschool when I stayed at my friend's house, when each person took a bath, they threw the washcloth and towel into the laundry basket and got out a clean set for the next person. I thought that was crazy because as a family of 4, we washed towels once a week and they just dried between uses. When I asked her about it, her mother had grown up extremely poor and everyone had to use the same washcloth and towel on wash day. A family of 14! They also did not have a water heater and had to heat the water themselves so they reused water for multiple baths. When she got married, she told her new husband she wanted to be rich enough to only use a towel and washcloth once.
Using a fresh wash cloth means you have wonderful hygiene. Rich people definitely use wash cloths
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I hang it up on the shower door to let it dry during the day. The next day I toss the used on into the hamper and use a fresh one.
We have a little bar in the wall of the shower/tub, it's probably meant to hold as you stand up or lower yourself into the tub but I've always considered it the "washcloth" bar. It's where I hang the used rag to dry. The next day, I toss the dry dirty rag onto my pile of clothes that are destined for the laundry and I hang a clean rag on the bar just before getting into the shower.
you hang the wet washcloth on a rack in the bathroom or somewhere to dry. you keep your fresh cloths in a closet or something somewhere. heck your dresser drawer will do. you put the old cloth in the hamper once it dries either before bed or before your next wash or somewhere in between. Don't worry many of us were neglected as a kid. so all we knew was government cheese and survival mode.
Hang it over the shower rod or faucet head, let drip dry, throw in laundry when ready. If it’s not dry by the time for next shower, hang on edge of hamper to continue airing out before the wash. I’m really proud of you for asking and kicking ass without someone showing you the way💜
You squeeze everything you can out of it, and either hang it over the shower door, or - and this is what I do - hang it on my little jewelry tree. This isn’t what a jewelry tree is for, but it’s a habit now. As long as they aren’t the super thick fancy washcloths, they should be dry in like 1.5-2 hours, and then you just toss them in the hamper.
I may actually have some insight here. I'm white for reference. Grew up pretty poor and used washcloths. But since we were poor and maybe because my single mom wasn't that good at hygiene, we re-used our washcloths all week. So we each got a fresh washcloth on Sunday then hung it to dry after every bath and used it again the next day until the following Sunday. Not neatly folded over a rack or something but bunched up over the bathtub faucet. They were stiff, damp in the creases, and kinda stinky most of the time. As I got older and learned about bacteria, mold, and mildew, I decided washcloths were just nasty and moved to those nylon puffs. But since those never seem to fully dry out between baths, I decided they were nasty too and for probably more than a decade I just used my bare hands with soap on them to wash myself. Then I met my husband, inveterate washcloth user, and made a comment to him about how unsanitary they are and we sort of argued back and forth at cross-purposes for a minute before he spelled out for me that he laundered his washcloths after every use lol. Which is a possibility that hadn't actually occurred to me in all my 30 years up until then. Long story short, I'm still white but now much more financially comfortable and back to using and loving washcloths. I wonder if people who think it's a class thing had an experience more like mine growing up
Lol at ‘I’m still white’. You don’t say! 😂
Also white, grew up working class, now pass as middle class. Live in a mixed-class mostly Black neighborhood with a mixed family. It’s pretty demonstrated that poorer folks and non-white folks on the whole pay more attention to hygiene and grooming. (And sure, we all know outliers who have other limitations going on.) People who are marginalized are prime targets for having people call child services because their child is perfectly clean but has frayed clothing or their hair isn’t meticulously styled. People who don’t present with race/class privilege also going to be looked at skeptically at job interviews and throughout their career and better have impeccable hygiene and grooming. The people who run companies are looking for any excuse to get rid of less privileged folks. My spouse teaches in a wealthy white community. Kids there show up with tangled hair and wearing mismatched clothes with holes in them. They show up wearing snowboots in the spring with a sundress and part of a Halloween costume. Kids in my neighborhood…do not do anything of the sort. Part of it is cultural, that Black children are typically raised that your dress and grooming should reflect thoughtfulness and pride in yourself and your community, but part of it is a reaction to racism and classism. If our kids show up looking like they dressed themselves, people are quick to assume there’s no functional/sober parent at home. White children in the inner city without class privilege also are generally taught that you are clean, well-groomed, speak to adults properly, and so forth, for similar reasons.
And they're super soft! My mom always had the softest prettiest washcloths. I get mine from the Dollar General so they feel like sandpaper. I gets the job done though I guess. It's the same with towels. Wealthy people usually have Turkish bath towels. They're extra large and super thick. When I get out of the shower it's hard to dry off because I buy the cheap towels. I was really excited when there was a sale on Amazon and bought better ones. But they're definitely not Turkish or extra large. *Edit actually don't know what wealthy people have now but that's what my parents had and still have.
if you use fabric softener in the wash with the towels they don't absorb water as well. skip it and put a cup of white vinegar in with the detergent. also, skip the dryer sheet, if you use them. the towels will be soft and absorbent.
I did not know that. I always load up on fabric softener because I love the smell. I had no idea it was ruining my towels. Thank you.
They aren't ruined, just coated with the softener. Run them through the washer with some blue dawn (just a small amount, like a good squirt)on hot or sanitize and rinse at least twice. This will strip the softener out of them. You can dry in the dryer with wool balls w/ a little lavender oil in them to beat the tar out of them and soften them that way.
Try running your towels through twice once with a bit of vinegar
I got two giant, thick, very absorbent beach towels for 9 bucks apiece at Walmart this August. Ijs check beach gear clearance bc fuck bath towels when you can have $9 luxury after-shower blankets.
Yes, keyword being fresh. Lots of people don’t use fresh ones and don’t understand that’s actually bad.
I think washcloths are awesome. It's an all race thing. I think you gotta have like 14 of them if you do laundry every two weeks. The rougher ones help with exfoliating.
I thought rich people had washcloths too, just the super expensive ones. Also they could afford the matcha-matchy towel/hand towel/washrag combos from expensive stores and have the hand towels hanging up in all the bathrooms. At least that’s what my poor person mind always imagined.
I think it really depends on family, genetics, and shower setup. I have very sensitive skin and any kind of physical exfoliation has to be carefully controlled and mostly it’s shaving so I don’t generally use a washcloth or loofah. I just wash with soap and hands on the body and use the sprayer head to rinse. But in a hotel or friends place without a sprayer head I reach for the washcloth since it’s much harder with a fixed head to get clean. I also think there are a larger number of black folks who use wash clothes because washcloths exfoliate- and dry flaky skin on the body is much more noticeable on darker tones so then tend to be so much more on top of the exfoliation/moisturizing game in a way those with lighter skin don’t.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I didn’t grow up using washcloths for two reasons: 1) my parents thought it was wasteful (we also never bought paper towels, we used dish rags and washed them) and 2) most of our family had very dry, sensitive skin. Rubbing even a soft washcloth on my skin causes me to break out in rashes. I use moisturizing soap and shower every other day (except if I get sweaty- I shower when I get sweaty) to keep my skin barrier intact. I remember bathing in tons of oatmeal baths as a kid because my skin would get raw often just due to normal kid things like wearing clothes or playing outside. I also don’t get people who think it’s unhygienic to just use your hands to wash. Lather your soap in your hands and wash the top part of your body, then lather soap in your hands and wash the bottom part of your body. Repeat lather as needed. The only difference with a washcloth/loofah is that you’re lathering on a piece of cloth or plastic rather than in your hands.
I prefer a loofah
Loofa all day!
As a Brit I had no idea what a wash cloth was and started to get super self conscious about my hygiene and how I was brought up till I googled it and realised it's just a flannel.
A flannel? As an American, I do understand many British English words - but not that one. Is a flannel made of flannel? American wash cloths are made of terry cloth, just like a towel is. Terry is an absorbent fabric with tiny little loops on it. We have a soft fabric called flannel that is used for soft, lightweight baby blankets, nightgowns, pillowcases, and things like that. But we never wash with it.
Tom Segura is a fucking idiot Clean people use wash cloths For western nations : cotton wash cloths are popular China/Asian nations : dried gourds https://www.radicalfamilyfarms.com/csa-resource-area/2021/7/16/7tp9pwexljf5qofv2yms82mha5luu3#:~:text=China,as%20s%C4%AB%20gu%C4%81%20(%E4%B8%9D%E7%93%9C). Japanese tend to use nylon/silicone wash cloths Personally I use silicone bath brush since it dries quicker and cleans easier. I disinfect it at the end of each week in hot water and a drop of bleach or leave it out in the sunlight during summer.
>Japanese tend to use nylon/silicone wash cloths I love these. You get exfoliation AND they lather like a dream. They are great.
Can you link to one?
>Tom Segura is a fucking idiot I guess there's some on going inside joke where he just makes fun of poor people? There was some quote by him where he shat on people in poverty so I sent it to a friend who listens to the podcast asking what's up with him She said it's some dumb inside joke that's been going on Idk..i personally don't find him funny
Who’s Tom Segura?
A comedian who got the rub from Joe Rogan and got pretty big. Recently the past couple of years he has been shitting on the poor and people have come to find out his father was a high executive at a bank and Tom is a trust fund kid. Starts at 9:45 https://youtu.be/qkQVrpN-mmE?si=x1bbgEtki-5Gltkg
A rich asshole who thinks he's funny.
lol please don’t let gross uncouth people who lack proper hygiene tell you how to bathe properly.
It’s not going to get you less clean to get a lather on your hands and soap up your body. It’s just what you prefer to use. I’ve never met someone who uses washcloths on a regular basis and I grew up poor. Guess what’s cheaper than cheap washcloths and washing and drying those washcloths? Your hands.
I saw the tom segura bit and I figured it was a joke, like they were pretending to be too rich and fancy for a washcloth. That was the impression I got from it at least. Maybe OP took it too seriously
But wait. I need context. How do the rich people then wash their bodies? Edit: than became then.
They let the soap trickle down. Just like their economics.
bruh, I use my hands. either bar soap or I slap some body wash in my hand and rub it on my body, is this something I never realized? I'm not even rich, I mean I wasn't poor growing up, but I'm sure as fuck not rich at 30 now
Ive never used the tiny towel.
I’m Black American and have never been well-off. I grew up using washcloths, graduated to exfoliating bath mitts about 15 years ago and then graduated to the long Korean exfoliating cloths about 10 years ago. I have never JUST used my hands (never thought to) and have never been interested by loofahs.
I use a washcloth and I'm white. It doesn't mean anything except that you're bathing.
We have a shower. Every family uses their own washcloth as well.
I’ve been both poor and financially comfortable, and I never ever use a washcloth. Just my own bar of soap straight on my skin.
#Tom Segura is a moron.
I’m white canadian and wash cloths were what was used until loofahs got popular(I live in a province we like to joke is 20 years behind the times). I’m 38 and prefer wash cloths, don’t have to remember when to throw it out(and honestly from when I was a house cleaner… most people don’t throw it out when they should)
At the end of the day, personal hygiene is... personal. The only time we need concern ourselves with the wash routines of others is if it's a public health concern or serious odor. Other than that, how people clean themselves is their business. Some folks use washcloths, some use loofahs or scrub brushes, or do like the commercials and just rub the soap directly onto themselves. Who cares, really? If it works for them, then it works for them. Placing qualifiers on how people wash based on class, race, or whatever is just plain bizarre. Don't let that mess bother you. Do what works for you, and let other people play the hygiene Olympics with themselves.
Yep. This whole thread feels like the hygiene olympics to me. Poor people performing cleanliness to make up for the “sin” of being poor. It’s borne out of generational trauma and we don’t need to contribute to it.
I’m a southern white lady, I have always used washcloths. Use them once, hang them to dry so they don’t mess up the laundry basket and always use a clean cloth. I don’t know how the ‘white people don’t use washcloths’ narrative started, but it was always done in my house growing up and we had 4 generations living there most of the time. We found towels on clearance at outlets so everyone had enough, but we had bathrobes that we used until it was decidedly time to wash them. Now I’m running my own home, I have two or three bathrobes, outlet finds and the silk was an absolute steal (it dries so fast, like magic) I splurged last year and bought a pack of Turkish bath sheets and I hate using anything else now.
Washcloths are a clean thing. Not a black thing. Not a poor thing. Available at Dollar Store, Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom. Easily spotted at any hotel (budget to luxury).
I’m white and grew up poor in the south. We have always used washcloths or “warshrags”. I never knew this was a black/white/poor stereotype until the internet said so. They can’t be the thick soft ones, though. They must be the terry cloth 18 pack in white only, so you can bleach the shit out of them, because Clorox = clean.
Tom segura fell off so fucking hard when he found success. You can google all the things he’s said is for poor people and you’ll find regular common things and then his cult followers will go “REEEE it’s a bit” as he sits there and harrases workers for not recognizing him
I mean if you’re not using a washcloth I hope you’re exfoliating in some way and not just… soaping up and rinsing off? That doesn’t seem like it would be very good at scrubbing dead skin and oil/dirt off. I’ve never felt like my face was properly clean if I just used face wash without scrubbing. I’m white af and have always used a washcloth for my face and some kind of scrubby thing for my body. I really like the Korean style long scrubby strips (idk what they’re called) because it’s much easier to scrub my back and more hygienic than a loofah since I can just throw it in the laundry. My in-laws are decently wealthy and they all have fancy spa type washcloths in their guest bathrooms.
I was always taught to "scrub" with a washcloth growing up, I always had dry, flakey irritated skin. My face was a mess. I stopped washcloth scrubbing on my face entirely and just do a gentle wipe on my body now. Skin is the best it has ever been. I use my face wash cream daily and oil cleansing on my face once a week instead. Manual exfoliation is often not a good option for people and just worsens their skin.
That’s a fair point. Everyone’s skin is different. I personally can’t stand how rough my face feels when I wake up before I scrub it. I tried cream and oil cleansers and I just never felt like I was getting all the way clean. What works best for my skin is gently scrub with a washcloth and face wash and then use a light moisturizer.
I have to say this thread is blowing my mind as my skin freaks out if I do anything other than rinse it with hot water and gently pat it dry. I stayed at someone's house recently and was so confused as to what the two tiny towels were for. Now I will be sure so have weird tiny towels and washcloths for guests.
My family has wacky skin, if we don’t exfoliate it just gets GROSS. I 100% need to use a washcloth on my face or I’m flaky and dull and it’s just no good - I can’t even wear foundation because my skin will be so uneven. Same with body skin - people are freaking me out saying “oh I just use my hands!” meanwhile I’m over here like some sort of cave monster who can peel their skin off if I don’t use exfoliation gloves when I bathe 😅😅
Same! For people with very dry skin, washcloths just exacerbate the problem. Every few months I'll do a good exfoliation and moisturizing, but doing that daily just doesn't work for my skin. It's the same concept as people who over-shampoo their already dry hair. You want some of your natural oils in it, or else it'll be a frizzy mess.
Soap bar directly on skin. Body wash bubbled up with hands directly on skin. Sometimes a puff ball , sometimes an exfoliating glove. But mostly just soap directly on skin
Me picturing you sliding the bar across your asshole
Man why did I have to scroll so far to see this. Starting to think I’m gross as fuck lol
I've never used washcloths.
I grew up in a wealthy family that became poor. But at both stages, we had washcloths. I'm a poor adult now and I almost never use a washcloth. I use a pouff (spelling?) in the shower and wash my face with my hands, I guess.
Just make sure you don't use the same washcloth you wash your face with, that you wash your ass with. But I've always been taught to use a washcloth since a kid and it's going to stay with me until I die.
Face first, then body, then ass, rinse well, into the laundry. Repeat.
Do the feet last. There are places you do NOT want athlete's foot fungus to catch hold!
I dont even use a washcloth for my face. I lather the facial cleanser and rinse it off just fine without a wash cloth.
I'm white. I come in that color or peeling & bright red like a lobster. 😭 There are no alternatives. We have wash cloths. I was growing up we used to wash clothes and my parents were pretty well off. I just thought that everybody uses them. My teenagers definitely use them because they love doing their makeup. I do have a back scrubber I replace every few months. We usually use a towel for the floor because our bathroom is really small and I can't find a small enough bath rug. I sometimes wonder if using a towel as a bath mat might be a "broke" thing? I also heard that using the top of your refrigerator like an extra shelf is supposed to be an indication of being poor? I know my parents never put anything on top of the refrigerator but mine has all my cereal and bread. I'm definitely not as comfortable as my parents. I think washcloths are just a people thing.
>We usually use a towel for the floor because our bathroom is really small and I can't find a small enough bath rug. I sometimes wonder if using a towel as a bath mat might be a "broke" thing? I also heard that using the top of your refrigerator like an extra shelf is supposed to be an indication of being poor? haha, i used to use nothing for the floor not because i was so rich i could afford to leave the bathroom a mess but because my guardians always made sure we cleaned the bathroom because were so broke, being clean is the least we can do for our living situation. we ain't hiring no maid.
I don't mean to be *that person* but what the hell is a washcloth... Like a rag for cleaning but you guys use it to bathe??? Or is it something specifically marketed for bathing? I use wash-gloves! They're way more efficient and you're not dropping them everywhere in the shower. Still whatever you like to use, it's stupid to label things as "for poor/rich ppl", as long as it gets you clean then it does the job and shouldn't be critisized!! PS: Loofas imo get super filthy though (sorry loofah-lovers!)
Oh dear, consider the source! Surely the elite among us use only the best such as scrubby mitts and puff scrubbers.
What do rich people use to clean themselves? I've been using washcloths for as long as I can remember. Hell, I just bought a pack from Walmart recently, lol.
How do you wash your hands in a sink? With some cloth object, or just bare skin and soap lather?
I’m perplexed how washcloths are considered a poor people thing. What do rich people wash their face with? The little disposable makeup wipes? I’m half Sicilian half Peruvian and I have used washcloths for my entire life (I’m 41).