# Best alternative to dish cloths? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453 "2014-12-29T18:03:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/21 "2014-12-30T06:32:10Z")
I can’t stand dishrags (even though they were crocheted by my dear departed mom, sorry Mom!) – they depress me terribly. I use the wand filled with dishsoap, with a Scotch scrubby sponge on it. They make them with sponge-only or clothlike refills too if the scrubby would be too damaging, but they haven’t hurt my non-stick. [http://images-org.martjackhosting.com/azure/in-resources/0b438f88-3c3e-4197-8ad7-be991067924c/Images/ProductImages/Source/dishwand.jpg;width=700](http://images-org.martjackhosting.com/azure/in-resources/0b438f88-3c3e-4197-8ad7-be991067924c/Images/ProductImages/Source/dishwand.jpg;width=700) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/22 "2014-12-30T07:23:48Z")
Use a stronger bleach solution. Actually, I just put a small amount of straight bleach on my sponge, then squeeze the bleach out and rinse a couple of times. (I use gloves for most wet household tasks.) And I agree with those who’ve said to keep your dishrag/sponge dry. The little nasties go to town when there’s water available. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/23 "2014-12-30T11:40:04Z")
From [WebMD](http://www.webmd.com/parenting/d2n-stopping-germs-12/kitchen-germs) FWIW: > [@](#): > > Kitchen sponge. This is probably the most germ-filled item in your house. It’s used to sop up all kinds of germs and grime and then often stored under the sink – a wet, dark place that’s a perfect environment for bacteria to grow. > > Experts point out that when you use a sponge throughout your kitchen – wiping dishes, counters, or the sink – you’re just moving germs from one spot to another. While zapping the sponge in the microwave will get rid of some germs, it won’t get rid of all of them. There are dead spots where the microwaves or heat doesn’t reach, like cold spots in food, and germs survive there. > > Washing a sponge in the dishwasher also isn’t enough to kill germs unless you have an extremely high-heat germicide cycle. As an alternative, you can use paper towels or a clean cloth; be sure to use the cloth only once and then toss it in the laundry. If you do use sponges, you can soak them between cleanings in a solution of no more than 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, or vinegar and water. Soak them in the bleach solution for about 5 minutes or in the vinegar solution for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and let air dry. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/24 "2014-12-30T12:24:20Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > 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 do that as well (I have sponge cleanliness issues) – the little sponge holder helps a lot! ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/25 "2014-12-30T12:39:30Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > 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.) Use the microwave. I take a glass container, put in a tablespoon of bleach and water, then let my rags and sponges boil for three to five minutes in bleach water in the microwave if they get stinky but I’m not yet ready to throw them out. Note its hell on sponges, a sponge regularly boiled in bleach will not last long, but it will not stink. For the most part I use a strange plastic dish cloth and a pampered chef scraper, hot water, and the dishwasher. My husband is a brush guy. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/26 "2014-12-30T14:35:46Z")
Norwex makes microfiber dishcloths with silver in them that inhibits bacterial growth and they keep the stink down for a few years. As much as I think their products are overpriced I love the dishtowels. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/27 "2014-12-30T16:29:39Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Use the microwave. > > I take a glass container, put in a tablespoon of bleach and water, then let my rags and sponges boil for three to five minutes in bleach water in the microwave if they get stinky but I’m not yet ready to throw them out. > > Note its hell on sponges, a sponge regularly boiled in bleach will not last long, but it will not stink. > > For the most part I use a strange plastic dish cloth and a pampered chef scraper, hot water, and the dishwasher. My husband is a brush guy. I’ve read that really all you need to do is get your sponges wet, without wringing them out, and microwave them for 1 minute on high (assuming 1000 watt microwave), and that’ll effectively pasteurize the sponge, without having to resort to bleach or boiling or anything like that. > **[Sanitizing kitchen sponges](https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/sanitizing_kitchen_sponges)** > > There are three ways to clean and sanitize your sponges so they continue to be safe to use. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/28 "2014-12-30T18:05:16Z")
All of you saying that leaving the sponge/cloth to dry will eliminate the stink - well, you’ve never dealt with a **really** pernicious sponge stink problem. Leaving them to dry did not help. Washing them in hot water with bleach helped a little, but you could still smell it in there ever so slightly, even after the clean sponge had dried out. Soaking them in a really strong bleach solution helped more, but it still came back, and who wants to deal with really strong bleach solutions? Microwaving them just spread the stink through the whole house. Barf. The only thing that worked was using the Palmolive. I always let the sponges air dry between uses. I use them for a couple of days and toss them in the bin to get washed with the rags (hot water and bleach). I put them in the dryer with the rags and let them air dry the rest of the way. No stink. And the ONLY time it came back was when I decided to be frugal and use up the rest of the bottle of Dawn. Yarrgh! I need to throw it in the garbage so I’m never tempted to use it again. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/29 "2014-12-30T22:18:54Z")
Paper towels,the good kind that don’t dissolve… You could put the rag/sponge in a bowl of water and vinegar and microwave… ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/30 "2014-12-31T07:18:25Z")
I’ve got a stack of maybe 30 white shop/cleaning towels. About 10" square. They get used for drying towels, occasionally as hot pads, and as dishrags. I also have a laundry basket in my kitchen, and as soon as I’ve used one wet, it goes in the basket, hanging over the side until it’s dry. Then when I’m down to a half dozen or so clean towels, the used ones all go in the laundry, hot water and bleach. If I’ve got a house full of people, I may well go through over a dozen, but who cares? There’s a whole stack of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/31 "2014-12-31T12:57:18Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’ve read that really all you need to do is get your sponges wet, without wringing them out, and microwave them for 1 minute on high (assuming 1000 watt microwave), and that’ll effectively pasteurize the sponge, without having to resort to bleach or boiling or anything like that. > > [Sanitizing kitchen sponges - MSU Extension](http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/sanitizing_kitchen_sponges) mostly likely true. I use either bleach or vinegar to kill any lingering odor and a glass full of water so the agitation removes some of the gunk on the sponge. When I’ve microwaved them, they might be clean, but they still don’t quite smell clean. Bleach or vinegar smells clean. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/32 "2014-12-31T12:58:29Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > All of you saying that leaving the sponge/cloth to dry will eliminate the stink - well, you’ve never dealt with a **really** pernicious sponge stink problem. > > Leaving them to dry did not help. Washing them in hot water with bleach helped a little, but you could still smell it in there ever so slightly, even after the clean sponge had dried out. Soaking them in a really strong bleach solution helped more, but it still came back, and who wants to deal with really strong bleach solutions? Microwaving them just spread the stink through the whole house. Barf. > > The only thing that worked was using the Palmolive. I always let the sponges air dry between uses. I use them for a couple of days and toss them in the bin to get washed with the rags (hot water and bleach). I put them in the dryer with the rags and let them air dry the rest of the way. No stink. > > And the ONLY time it came back was when I decided to be frugal and use up the rest of the bottle of Dawn. Yarrgh! I need to throw it in the garbage so I’m never tempted to use it again. At some time you need to throw out the old sponges. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/33 "2015-01-02T16:02:05Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > mostly likely true. I use either bleach or vinegar to kill any lingering odor and a glass full of water so the agitation removes some of the gunk on the sponge. When I’ve microwaved them, they might be clean, but they still don’t quite smell clean. Bleach or vinegar smells clean. I think the trick is to nuke them every day or two, that way they never really build up any stink. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/34 "2015-01-02T16:16:45Z")
Sponges are cheap. Even the scrubber sponges are like $1.99 for a three-pack. As soon as you notice that your sponge doesn’t look or feel or smell as clean as you’d like, run it through the dishwasher. If that doesn’t fix it, toss the sponge. But if you rinse and squeeze your sponge when you’re done with it, and put it somewhere where it can dry out when not being used (we use one of those sponge-sized baskets that sticks to the side of the sink with suction cups), it should last a lot longer before it gets to that point than if you don’t do that. But if, when you’re done using it to wash dishes, you just leave your wet sponge on the bottom of your sink where it will stay nice and wet, it will start reeking pretty quickly, because it will be a great place for bacteria to breed. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453/35 "2015-01-02T17:59:23Z")
Bare hands. Rub the dishes until you don’t feel anything stuck to them and they no longer feel greasy. It’s amazing how sensitive your hands are to that. Scrape with an old credit card if necessary. Or use the net bags that veggies come in, they practically last forever. If you really need cloths, cut up old clothes that would otherwise be discarded, and launder them until they offend you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-alternative-to-dish-cloths/708453.md?page=1)