# do white people use washcloths? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320 "2005-11-10T01:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/41 "2005-11-10T05:23:42Z")
What is this? Not use a washcloth? I’ve never heard of such a thing! Everyone in my family growing up used one; we had our own according to our favorite colors, replaced every few days. Now I use a fresh one every day because they do tend to start smelling not-so-fresh over the course of the day. I love fresh clean white wash cloths and towels. I had no idea I wasn’t supposed to like them! How else would I get the gunk outta my ears? Loofahs seem too harsh for my legs but a good soft cloth scrub makes for a good shave. I bet I have fifty of them. My Mig is the same way; likes a fresh one every day and he’s from Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/42 "2005-11-10T06:06:40Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > my husband and I are both white…I never use soap on my face or body except for shaving… Did I see you in a circus once? Before you shaved it off! ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/43 "2005-11-10T08:07:12Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > What is this? Not use a washcloth? I’ve never heard of such a thing! > Everyone in my family growing up used one; we had our own according to our favorite colors, replaced every few days. Now I use a fresh one every day because they do tend to start smelling not-so-fresh over the course of the day. I love fresh clean white wash cloths and towels. I had no idea I wasn’t supposed to like them! How else would I get the gunk outta my ears? Loofahs seem too harsh for my legs but a good soft cloth scrub makes for a good shave. > > I bet I have fifty of them. > > My Mig is the same way; likes a fresh one every day and he’s from Mexico. You… throw out perfectly good washcloths after using them once? :dubious: I, for the record, do not use them, but every _other_ Chinese person seems to. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/44 "2005-11-10T09:11:28Z")
> [@csharpmajor](#): > > I, for the record, do not use them, but every _other_ Chinese person seems to. Don’t emigrate to Hong Kong, mate! Never fit in! **China Guy** seems very acculturated to Chinese living. I wonder if his wife has got him kitted out with them on family trips in the broiling Shanghai summer. Do **China Kids** have them given them by the grandparents for Christmas and birthdays? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/45 "2005-11-10T09:31:38Z")
I used to use them. I had terrible acne as a teen and the last doctor to treat it told me to use nothing on my face EVER except a clean facecloth and clean water. I have stuck to that ever since, however now that I live alone I can’t be bothered with washcloths. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/46 "2005-11-10T09:34:01Z")
I’m as white as an albino country-music-loving polar bear, and I’ve never understood the point of washcloths. If someone gave one to me in the shower, I’m not sure what I would do with it. Do you use it to apply to soap to your skin? Let it assist in soap removal? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/47 "2005-11-10T10:02:18Z")
You use it the way you’d use a chamois leather on your car: to agitate the water/soap/dirt interface. I was brought up on 'em, but I prefer sponges and that’s what I use these days. Using my bare hands doesn’t seem to work as well, except in the shower, where whether my hair is dirty or not I use it as a lather generator. (With bar soap, pubes can serve much the same purpose, building up a mass of suds to transfer as needed.) > [@Askia](#): > > I’m black and I think it’s hilarious that Dave Chappelle has you guys re-examining your grooming habits because of an offhand comment in a skit! ::shrug:: Re-examining? Not so much. Talking endlessly about a matter of no importance? Gee, that never happens on the Dope, now does it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![La\_Llorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@La\_Llorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/La_Llorona)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/48 "2005-11-10T10:55:59Z")
Very, very occasionally. I use facial cleansing cloths to take off the makeup (so nice!) and a loofah for the body, so I’ll only use a washcloth if I need to take off the occasional skin-cleansing mask thingummy. –LL, who is white but not, ftr, waspy And oh, man, I love that episode! Isn’t that the one where the crazy black roommates stab the white guy’s dad when he comes to visit? Pure comedy gold! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/49 "2005-11-10T11:46:28Z")
> [@Kyyrewyyoae](#): > > Never used one. I use only liquid soap and my hands. Why would you need a cloth? To apply friction to remove dirt, oils, etc., buff callouses, and so forth. Same reason people use loofah, poofs, backbrushes, and handscrubbers. Just another means to assist in getting clean. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/50 "2005-11-10T11:50:31Z")
I’m pretty darned white. I use a wash cloth (although I was raised by a Baltimorean mother who pronounced it “warsh cloth”) for my face at bedtime. Also, to wash my little one’s hands and face before school. In the shower we use the puffies, but before the advent of those (yes, I’m _that_ old 😉 ), I used one in the shower, too. The important thing is to wash them frequently and replace them often (heck, they’re cheap). Oh, and my kindergartner uses them as Barbie blankets. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/51 "2005-11-10T15:23:00Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > Did I see you in a circus once? Before you shaved it off! I have thick, dark hair, and am staring down the barrels of menopause. Let’s not go there, hokay? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/52 "2005-11-10T15:32:07Z")
I’m white, and I’m anti-washcloth. I don’t use them for the same reason I don’t use sponges. These items seem to me like they’d be the dirtiest things in your house. They are about the last things I’d use to wipe my face or my counter with. Why spread the germs around? I’m all about the paper towels. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/53 "2005-11-10T15:47:43Z")
Well, I’m part white, part Native, and I use a washcloth. So technically I’m only using part of the washcloth. The washcloths are, of course, all made of caribou and buffalo hide. Does that still count? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/54 "2005-11-10T16:02:12Z")
Nope, hardly ever. We primarily use bar soap, and our hands do us just fine. If I switch to shower gel sometime in the future, then I’ll probably get a washcloth or scrubbie or something to help with the job. I think we’ve only got three, four washcloths in the whole house. Strictly for company. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/55 "2005-11-10T16:55:16Z")
I’m white (well, light to medium brown really) and I use 'em. My theory is that soap, water and friction are required for a good scrubbing. The was cloth provides the friction. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/56 "2005-11-10T17:17:45Z")
I used to use one, but have pretty much switched to a mesh puff. I have the kids use a washcloth if they are particularly grungy. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/57 "2005-11-10T17:23:00Z")
Anglo, Southern Ontario, 2nd-generation Canadian of English descent. Washcloths are completely normal to me and my family. I have several. I never heard that lack of washcloths was a ‘white’ thing or anything until I read it here on the SDMB. I _have_ noticed lately that some )also Anglo, of polish/ukrainian descent) friends don’t often have washcloths at their houses, and this struck me as odd and inconvenient, but I never got around to asking them about it. I mean, how do you wash easily without one? They are good for applying soap to broad areas, especially the back, and for spreading water and rinsing. I recently bought a new expensive one, and it’s like a luxury visit to the spa every time I wash my face! Just wash them often. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/58 "2005-11-10T17:33:12Z")
FWIW, a Chinese-American friend introduced me to the “bath towel,” a plastic mesh cloth about 10" x 20" (25cm x 50cm). It’s perfect for scrubbing everywhere, even the back, and it dries out faster than a “puff.” Before that, I occasionally used a washcloth, but never really made a habit of it. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/59 "2005-11-10T17:35:22Z")
White guy here, I use a washcloth & bar soap. Seems like the rougher surface of a washcloth would scrub away oil and crud a hell of a lot better than my hand could, unless I used my fingernails. Abrasion = clean, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320/60 "2005-11-10T17:38:47Z")
I’m white and I don’t use a washcloth. Now I’m wondering how many time can these washclothes and puffies be reused? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-people-use-washcloths/330320.md?page=4)