I’ve just tossed my second to last kitchen dish rag because the stench was so bad. I’ve tried everything from bleaching them to putting them in the dishwasher every time I do dishes (as recommended by a friend), but they still end up stinking to high heaven.
So, as mundane as it sounds, I’m looking for a decent alternative. I have sponges (the green ones with the blue scrapy side), but they kind of squick me out because food gets trapped in them.
So anyone have an earth-shattering recommendation?
I just use a brush, this one by KitchenAid, actually. I’ve never owned a dishrag (though my mom does and uses it all the time) and I have the scrubby sponges, they rarely, if ever, get used. The only time I really drag out sponges are for cleaning things like sinks or bathtubs and for that I go to Magic Erasers. I use it once and throw it out (I usually just cut off as much as I think I’ll need).
It should be noted that I’m usually just using the brush to scrub things to prep them for the dishwasher, but it does get thing totally clean if they aren’t dishwasher safe or I just don’t want to put them in there.
If I just need to wipe off counters or tables, I just use paper towels and 409.
I use cheap green scrubbing pads, they are not harsh, on the dishes and I have a stack of chopped up old tee shirts for kitchen rags, chuck 'em in the laundry constantly. I also have proper tea towels, but only use them on clean things.
“Second-to-last” gives me pause; you need more than a couple dish rags. You’re not changing it out often enough if you can smell them; you should be throwing them in the wash before they stink. I use a fresh one every day or two for non- or light-cooking days. On the days I’m actively cooking and cleaning up I might use 2 or 3 in a day.
I probably have 8 or 10 rags in normal rotation, and more in the linen cabinet in case I run out. They’re cheap; Target/WalMart/etc sell them in packs of 4/6/8/10. Buy a bunch if you’re going to use them, otherwise use paper towels or other throwaway things. You might sometimes be able to wash away the stink (hot water laundry cycle has worked for me) but really, the trick is to wash them before they start to get sour.
Joey P, I do have two brushes that I use. But I hand wash my non-stick skillets and the brushes are too rough on them. A dish cloth is the best.
I bought a set of 12 and over the course of several months have thrown the other 10 out because they started to stink. Now I’m left with 2.
I’m surprised that you get a fresh one out everyday, and sometimes 2 or 3 in a day, though. I usually have just one out, and then throw it in the laundry when I’m doing whites. Or throw it out. I guess I should rotate them more often.
When you’re done with it, are you rinsing it out thoroughly and then hanging it somewhere it can dry quickly and completely?
I find that if I make sure to keep it rinsed and hung up, it stays fairly fresh.
There are others in my household, however, that will leave it balled up and wet at the bottom of the sink. Or, horror, wet under a dirty dish. THOSE rags end up stinking and getting thrown out.
I have a pot scraper that my wife got free with some Pampered Chef stuff, and I use it to get off as much as I can, and then I use either the non-stick safe scrub sponge or the green/yellow one depending on what I’m scrubbing. Not much gets trapped in the sponge, and what does get stuck can easily be knocked out under running water.
Every few days, I toss one or both of the sponges in the dishwasher with the dishes and make sure to set the sanitize cycle. Seems to do an excellent job of killing the germs and rinsing any funk/old soap/etc… out of the sponges. Plus, I replace them entirely every few weeks, seeing as how they’re super-cheap.
Yeah, you need a fresh dish cloth every day, at least. Every time you wash dishes, anyhow. They are cheap and so small that they aren’t a burden on the laundry.
I use sponges, and they used to get similarly stinky, and there seemed to be nothing at all I could do about it…until I discovered the miracle cure: **Ultra Palmolive Antibacterial dishwashing soap. **The orange one. Problem completely solved.
It’s amazing the way that using this particular soap just eliminated the seemingly intractable problem of sponge stink. So if you like using dish cloths, try the Palmolive and see if it solves your problem. Other antibacterial dish soaps like Dawn use a different antibacterial agent, and I find they are not effective in eliminating sponge stink. It has to be the Palmolive. Your mileage might vary if your particular stink is coming from a different sort of bacteria, of course.
I know I sound like a shill for Palmolive here, but that stuff WORKS, man!
Now, I know some of you are formulating responses about the eeeevils of antibacterial soaps, and how antibacterial soaps are not necessary for dish washing and and and. Well, I absolutely agree that we should limit the use of antibacterial products, but it was stubborn anti-antibacterial thinking that condemned me to years of dealing with sponge stink. Sometimes antibacterial products are warranted.
This. I use a sponge/scrubbie, and food doesn’t get stuck in it. Putting it in the top rack of the dishwasher helps clean/sanitize; you can also pour boiling water over it.
A dish brush with a handle for cleaning really grucky stuff without sticking your hand in it. I use one for things like pie pans, broiler pans and dutch ovens I’ve put to soak.
A plastic woven scrubbie for scouring anything not too crusted. Buy a three-pack and toss them when they start to unravel.
Scotch sponges for cleanup and wiping and gentle scouring with the green side. If you never leave them wet or put them down after wiping up stuff, they will last a long time without getting smelly. ALWAYS finish with a rinse-squish-rinse in soapy water and ALWAYS wring them dry before setting them where they won’t get or stay wet.
Leaving them wet, especially un-rinsed, and wiping up spills and setting them aside unrinsed are what produce zombie-stench. (Buy them at Sam’s in bulk and it’s easier to toss them every two weeks or so, too.)
My husband, on the other hand, does not. He came into the marriage with a very odd habit of putting a dirty pot or skillet into the sink and filling it up with soapy water, upon which he placed a wash cloth. He always spread it out so that it covered as much surface area as possible. I’m sure he thought that it helped the food break up, and it may have for all I know, but it led to many a dish rag being pitched.
Dewey Finn, I’ve been washing the dish cloths with bleach once a week, but after awhile they start to stink right after they’ve been immersed. The new washers with their low water don’t help. I suppose I could throw them in with the bedclothes when I use the allergen setting, but I’m afraid that the smell with transfer to my sheets. (I could wash them separately, I suppose, though the allergen setting takes 2.5 hours.)
Green Bean, I’ll try Palmolive antibacterial, though I do love Dawn for its ability to cut through grease.
OP I think your dishrag is trying to tell you not to use it anymore.
Things you need for your kitchen sink:
All plastic dish brush–I have two, when one’s in the dishwasher , I can use the other
Magic Eraser. That thing is soooo useful I’ve even cleaned stained Le Crueset pans with it plus it does a wonderful job on my ceramic sink. Stove tops, drip pans, metal, ceramics, glassware, counters, grout you name it. 2 for a buck at the dollar store. I don’t use SOS or Comet, or any other harsh cleaners anymore. I don’t need them now.
A cotton towel. I wipe liquids up with it and throw it into the hot wash basket. I don’t scrub with it
A narrow brush. Sometimes called a grout brush. I use it to reach into crevices or angles. I just spray Scrubbing Bubbles along the crevice then run the grout brush along the crevice and wipe up with a cloth. Strangely, grout brushes are crap for grout.
I don’t even use a dishwasher. I’ve never had food stuck in a sponge. I rinse it out/off when I’m done, squeeze the water out, and put it in a little holder I have stuck to the side of the sink, where it dries out overnight and never stinks. All I use is that and a round-ended plastic brush. The sponge gets tossed when the scrubbie side wears out/peels off, or it starts to fall apart.
I use one of these, a dish brush that dispenses refillable soap. I know it looks gimmicky but it really works well. And you can buy replacement brush heads.
