To keep your dishrag nice and clean and sanitary, put it in your dishwasher with your dirty dishes. I do this all the time and always get compliments on my dishrag looking and smelling nice.
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As I have gotten older, I have discovered the best dishrag for me is actually what is known as a barkeeper's towel. It's certainly bigger than a dishrag but more of a square shape than a tea towel, and is made of really absorbent cotton with a great nap to it.
My dish cloth is always full of rich suds. Every time I want to wipe the oven door, etc., I have to rinse all those suds from the cloth. A waste of detergent, water and time.
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Do you think it is sanitary to use the same dish cloth you wash dishes with to wipe off the countertop and stove? I read an article that stated this was unsanitary and you should have a dish cloth for washing the dishes and another one for cleaning the stove and surrounding areas only. I figured with 2 dish cloths laying around in the kitchen one could easily forget which one is for cleaning. What do you think?
By Onesummer
I think it's just fine to use one cloth to wash the dishes and then wipe the counters, at least that's what do. I agree that with so many different ones laying around you're likely to forget which is which.
If you know you've cleaned something germy like meat juice , you could give it a quick rinse in bleach or wet it really well and microwave it for two minutes. I do this with sponges.
I prefer handi wipes I get from the dollar tree. It's nice to rinse things out through the little pores and they are only a quarter each.
I use one clean micro cloth every day to clean/wipe the counter, appliances, dishes, but never, never the floor. I clean and rinse the cloth frequently when I am doing "kitchen duty". When I am finished, I drape the cloth over the stove handle to dry thoroughly. I have this "thing" about keeping everything dry in the kitchen. Standing water breeds germs. I am told I'm a fanatic about this but we all have our fussy "things".
When I am cleaning up meat/chicken juices in the kitchen area, depending on the amount to clean, I use paper towels or I will use another different colored cloth. To make sure that I don't use the wrong one, I will put the cloth that I use daily out of my reach/sight until I am done cleaning up.
I have been married for over thirty years and my family were quite healthy and never had any major type of sickness. I think sometimes this germ/contamination ideas we hear about are overblown. But I do agree that when using meats/chicken in the kitchen, a person should be careful about cross-contamination.
Everyone has their own method of cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. For example, I like to clean and wipe as I cook. I find this easier for me. I know others who wait until they are done cooking and then clean up. My hubby's method is to let me clean up. He says I am too fussy about cleaning up. I say he isn't fussy enough.
So since I claim the kitchen as my domain, he doesn't get to use it too often -- my kitchen, my rules. He likes this idea since he gets to eat whatever I create in my domain.
Using it to wipe off the stove is one thing, but I would use something else for the counter tops. I use wipes that contain chlorox in them to disinfect. In fact, I also use them for wiping all surfaces in the bathroom - using one for the toliet area, one for the counter tops, etc. This way there's no cross contamination.
I am with Glenn'sMom ;-)
My mother taught me to always keep a sponge in the refrigerator to wash the dishes with. The sponge for the counters is left at the sink and microwaved once a week to kill germs.
I use the same one. However, I get all my dishes washed first. Then I wash down the counters and stove. After that the cloth goes in the hamper to be washed before using it again.
It's not sanitary, just because it was okay 30 years ago doesn't mean it's okay today. I have dedicated dish clothes only to be used on dishes, i clean the counters with other clothes. If you were at a restaurant and seen the staff washing dishes with the same towel they were wiping tables with, would you trust that? I wouldn't. Bacteria is everywhere but a little common sense will go a long way.
I ALWAYS use two different towels. One a solid color and the other a checkered pattern. Red of course. Then I have my dishes towels. I can get them every night after supper dishes
And I always have to rinse my dishes before they go in my dishwater.
