# Speaking of showers - wash cloth or no? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222 "2015-11-10T20:35:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/1 "2015-11-10T20:35:04Z")
The missus thinks I’m gross for not using a wash cloth to get myself clean. I say soap and water is plenty. Why debride myself when the only “dirt” is sweat and maybe oil? What say you? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/2 "2015-11-10T20:36:42Z")
I don’t understand why washcloths are not gross. I think they are kind of gross. I wash myself with soap water and my bare hands. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/3 "2015-11-10T20:40:20Z")
Those tiny little towels? Not good for anything. If I did use one what am I supposed to do with it after I shower? If I leave it hanging somewhere it will be a cold, soggy, probably smelly mess next time I take a shower, or it will turn into a board. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/4 "2015-11-10T20:42:09Z")
The wife uses one, I don’t. We both seem to get equally clean and shiny. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/5 "2015-11-10T20:42:17Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t understand why washcloths are not gross. I think they are kind of gross. I wash myself with soap water and my bare hands. Yep. No need. I usually don’t have baked on dirt that needs anything more. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/6 "2015-11-10T20:47:09Z")
Yes, because gentle exfoliation is important. Your hands are just sliding soap over the top of your skin, and not removing dead skin cells and dirt/sweat. I think everyone should washcloth up at least several times a week. I’m not sure why they’re gross. When you’re done you wring them out well and hang them over the shower head or shower rod. Next morning when you get in you just put the now dry one in the laundry and get a fresh one. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/7 "2015-11-10T20:49:54Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Yes, because gentle exfoliation is important. Your hands are just sliding soap over the top of your skin, and not removing dead skin cells and dirt/sweat. I think everyone should washcloth up at least several times a week. My dead skin cells take care of themselves, as far as I can tell. in 54 years I have not once attempted “gentle exfoliation” and I’m not suffering any ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/8 "2015-11-10T20:51:05Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Your hands are just sliding soap over the top of your skin, and not removing dead skin cells and dirt/sweat. Isn’t the process of sliding soap and water over your skin removing dirt/sweat (if not dead skin cells)? And who is cleaning anything beyond “the top of their skin”? ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/9 "2015-11-10T20:51:35Z")
Not gross either way as long as you’re getting the job done. I use an oil cleanser for my face and a wash cloth helps get the excess oil off, otherwise I have a scrubby cloth for everything else. I don’t think my husband uses anything but soap, which is a little weird to me, but whatever. He seems to get clean just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/10 "2015-11-10T20:55:58Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I don’t understand why washcloths are not gross. I think they are kind of gross. I wash myself with soap water and my bare hands. This. I think wash clothes are gross. I really don’t want a rag that I’ve used to clean my ass to just lay in the shower until I take the next one. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/11 "2015-11-10T20:57:14Z")
Exfoliation sounds unhealthy to me. Those dead cell layers are my skin’s barrier against infection! Would you sand down the bark of a tree? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/12 "2015-11-10T20:57:48Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > Yes, because gentle exfoliation is important. Your hands are just sliding soap over the top of your skin, and not removing dead skin cells and dirt/sweat. I think everyone should washcloth up at least several times a week. > > I’m not sure why they’re gross. When you’re done you wring them out well and hang them over the shower head or shower rod. Next morning when you get in you just put the now dry one in the laundry and get a fresh one. I don’t normally need exfoliation. When I do, I use an exfoliating scrub. Of course I am getting dirt out of my skin. Even when I am doing physical labor and actually getting dirt on me, I can physically see it washing off. And I definitely don’t need to remove the top layer of skin several times a week! But I tend towards drier skin and so I really don’t need to remove any more of it, and I really don’t want to remove all of the oils. I shower too much anyway but that’s how I feel comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Nelson\_Pike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Nelson\_Pike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nelson_Pike)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/13 "2015-11-10T21:00:06Z")
No wash cloth for me, but how can you do your back without a long-handled brush? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/14 "2015-11-10T21:14:18Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I’m not sure why they’re gross. When you’re done you wring them out well and hang them over the shower head or shower rod. Next morning when you get in you just put the now dry one in the laundry and get a fresh one. Or you use the now-dry one in today’s shower. I mean, it’s full of soap and you rinse it after using it. For me, I use exfoliating gloves instead of a washcloth because I like how they lather up the shower gel and scrub my skin more thoroughly than a washcloth. I would never use just my hands if I had another choice – just doesn’t feel clean. [http://www.uppercanadasoap.com/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/7/6/766200-blue\_2\_1\_1.jpg](http://www.uppercanadasoap.com/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/7/6/766200-blue_2_1_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/15 "2015-11-10T21:16:01Z")
I use napalm to exfoliate. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/16 "2015-11-10T21:24:04Z")
I have always used a wash cloth to wash my bod. Except I don’t take one to the gym, so when I shower there it’s just soap in my hands. I have weird skin problems and one of the helpful hints for managing them is “use anti-bacterial soap on a wash cloth when you shower.” I need the exfoliation. I don’t use one on my face but I use a daily scrub. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/17 "2015-11-10T22:30:25Z")
No washcloth, no exfoliation…and I don’t bother to scrub my back, my legs, or my feet. I can’t reach my back, and I don’t really care about my legs. Nobody ever sees 'em! They get a good rinsing in the shower (and occasional soaking in a bathtub.) Looking at 'em right now, they don’t appear filth-caked, and my feet aren’t particularly stinky. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/18 "2015-11-10T22:48:33Z")
I don’t feel clean if I don’t use one. The exfoliation is refreshing. After I use it, I put it in the hamper, along with the towel I used to dry myself, and the clothes I just took off. ---
**Author:** ![pidgeon92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@pidgeon92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pidgeon92)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/19 "2015-11-10T23:06:13Z")
I use a squishy. It seems to make the soap foam up better. Never cared for a washcloth myself. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/20 "2015-11-10T23:46:38Z")
I used body wash and a shower puff/scrubby thingie. It just feels good! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222.md?page=2)