# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/41 "2015-11-11T15:52:00Z")
[Shower pouf](https://www.google.com/search?q=shower+pouf&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CC8QsARqFQoTCKyg6KLciMkCFYjCJgod4BALzA&biw=1920&bih=995)…which reminds me, I need a new one. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/42 "2015-11-11T16:23:59Z")
First off…who re-uses a washcloth?? Mine are one-use only, hang to dry, toss in the laundry basket. I agree with those who don’t want to wash their face the next day with the same item that washed their nether regions the day before. Eewww. You should never scrub hard to exfoliate. That causes skin damage. I use a sugar scrub and rub it very gently all over, then rinse it off with the washcloth. If I don’t exfoliate, I get crusty elbows and heels. Yes, some dead skin cells slough off by themselves, but in places like elbows and heels, you need to ‘encourage’ them to depart. ---
**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 11, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/43 "2015-11-11T16:26:20Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > Yes, some dead skin cells slough off by themselves, but in places like elbows and heels, you need to ‘encourage’ them to depart. Apparently, YMMV on this. Some of us need to deal with this, some of us don’t. What a remarkable and varied species we are. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/44 "2015-11-11T20:23:48Z")
I use a [Dove moisturizing bar](http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dove-Go-Fresh-Cool-Moisture-Beauty-Bar-Cucumber-and-Green-Tea/10294479) all over, direct bar-to-skin contact, it lathers so well and feels so great after. But I do use the soap on a washcloth for the 'bits. Like floss. That’s where extra scrubbing can really pay off. Sometimes on my feet, too, because it’s not as clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/45 "2015-11-11T21:02:03Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Apparently, YMMV on this. Some of us need to deal with this, some of us don’t. What a remarkable and varied species we are. Very valid point. Vive la difference! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/46 "2015-11-11T21:55:55Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > First off…who re-uses a washcloth?? Mine are one-use only, hang to dry, toss in the laundry basket. I agree with those who don’t want to wash their face the next day with the same item that washed their nether regions the day before. Eewww. Um, me, the whole time I was growing up. We used our towels and washcloths for a week until Mom washed them again. It’s not like you wipe your butt and hang up the cloth. You rinse it out and presumably the soap and dirt and skin wash down the drain. Wring it out and hang it up for next time. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/47 "2015-11-11T21:59:09Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > I don’t feel clean if I don’t use one. Same here. Have always used a wash cloth. I have oily skin, and simply running soapy water over my skin won’t do the job. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/48 "2015-11-11T22:12:47Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’m deciduous, so I exfoliate spontaneously every year about this time. I’ll start refoliating in mid-March or so. So…no wash cloth, but you have to rake the shower? I find simply shedding the exoskeleton to be much simpler. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/49 "2015-11-11T23:11:09Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > First off…who re-uses a washcloth?? Mine are one-use only, hang to dry, toss in the laundry basket. I agree with those who don’t want to wash their face the next day with the same item that washed their nether regions the day before. Eewww. I’d agree with you if I washed my butt _crack_ with the washcloth, as opposed to just my butt _cheeks_, which are probably no dirtier than any other part of my body. But no, the washcloth doesn’t go in the crack; strictly soap and water there AFAIAC. And my male bits are probably no worse than my underarms. You know what does make the washcloth kinda gross? Ear wax, and that’s only become a problem for me in the past few years. (I’m 61.) So now i wash my ears with a soaped-up paper towel. No way I’d get that gunk out of there with soap and water. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/50 "2015-11-12T00:05:09Z")
Exfoliating is for girls. I use a dollop of Lava soap - it makes a terrible shampoo too - and eleven seconds of freezing cold water. I’d use ocean water if I could get it through the pipes. And I pat-dry myself with paper towels, or painter’s rags if I’m going to a fancy affair that week. But seriously, I think washcloths are generally for people who use “scrubs” only on certain parts of the body, or who only use bath towels once before washing them. I have no time for any of that. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/51 "2015-11-12T00:29:26Z")
I like the way a washcloth makes my skin feel, but I don’t use one as a rule. When I used to use one, my husband could not be trusted not to use it to kill a bug or something, so now I just use my hands and the soap. Once in awhile I’ll feel the need for a better scrubbing and I’ll use a scrubber, but I shower twice a day and seldom do anything that gets me too dirty, so that’s very rare. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/52 "2015-11-12T04:18:41Z")
Waitaminnit! I just re-read this thread between the pixels and picked up on something – There are people here who even so much as _envision the possibility_ that someone might use a washcloth on their, uh… nether regions… and then use it again in any way whatsoever _without laundering it first?_ :dubious: I use a washcloth (the word I always knew was “washrag”) in the shower, but it _always_ goes through the laundry before it gets used again. It would never have occurred to me not to. And damp wash[del]rags[/del]cloths always get hung up to dry somewhere for a day or so before they go into the laundry basket. Putting damp materials into the laundry basket is just asking for a garden of mold or mildew to arise. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/53 "2015-11-12T13:34:41Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > If you’re not using a sponge or towel, please rinse the soap off thoroughly before putting it back. I know where it’s been and I think you enjoyed it a little too much. :dubious: Don’t…use the soap for this. I speak from experience. It is a terrible, terrible thing. I don’t even use any regular soap. My dry skin issues have gotten so bad I go out of my way to get Tom’s or other organic, natural soap, that’s designed for really dry skin. I certainly wouldn’t dare to exfoliate every day. ---
**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 12, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/54 "2015-11-12T13:43:33Z")
I used to use one when I was a teenager. After years of futile treatments for very bad acne a doctor told me to use nothing on my face but scrub it with a face cloth. Worked like a charm and I have never used anything since. I stopped using the cloth decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/55 "2015-11-12T13:56:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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. Some people like them. I find them helpful every so often. Anyway, I think they’re gross if used more than once, so I buy all white washcloths (and mostly white towels), let them dry after using once, and throw them in the “whites” hamper. Wash white towels and washcloths in hot water with bleach. I’m OCD about moldy smells in towels and stuff. Blah. Blame growing up down South, where even if you hang them up properly, they can smell. But I don’t usually use washcloths. I do use a scrubbie brush on my back every so often (it gets itchy) I use a “sonic brush” on my face after taking off makeup. Everywhere else gets hands and soap. (I also have a shower head on a hose for, uh, the undercarriage.) ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/56 "2015-11-12T14:40:55Z")
> [@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 see your point and admit that every time I’ve used one of those really rough washcloths, my skin did feel notciably smoother. There’s no denying that it’s pleasant but on a regular basis, I don’t see the need for them. I stopped using washcloths… 20 years ago, perhaps and I’ve never had anyone question my hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/57 "2015-11-12T14:41:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I’d agree with you if I washed my butt _crack_ with the washcloth, as opposed to just my butt _cheeks_, which are probably no dirtier than any other part of my body. But no, the washcloth doesn’t go in the crack; strictly soap and water there AFAIAC. And my male bits are probably no worse than my underarms. That seems backward to me. The butt crack would be where you would want a little more texture for a more thorough clean. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/58 "2015-11-12T15:34:16Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Everywhere else gets hands and soap. (I also have a shower head on a hose for, uh, the undercarriage.) If you sprang for Rusty Jones at the dealer, you wouldn’t need to wash the ‘undercarriage’ so much because it would be protected from rust. 😉 Hands & soap for me. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/59 "2015-11-12T15:45:15Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > There are people here who even so much as _envision the possibility_ that someone might use a washcloth on their, uh… nether regions… and then use it again in any way whatsoever _without laundering it first?_ :dubious: I don’t generally use a wash cloth in the shower, but I do use one to wash my face (over the sink). I do not launder the washcloth after each use and wouldn’t if I used it in the shower. Shower = soap and water, laundry = soap and water. So long as the cloth is soapy, well rinsed and hung up to dry I really don’t see the difference. Admittedly I’m about as far from a germophobe as one can be, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222/60 "2015-11-13T08:49:15Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > I don’t generally use a wash cloth in the shower, but I do use one to wash my face (over the sink). I do not launder the washcloth after each use and wouldn’t if I used it in the shower. Shower = soap and water, laundry = soap and water. So long as the cloth is soapy, well rinsed and hung up to dry I really don’t see the difference. As others have noted above, a wet used washcloth, hung up to dry, will be hard and stiff. Good for the old foliage removal, I suppose. But put that into the laundry then, and then through the dryer with everything else, and it comes out reasonably soft and fluffy again. (Even without an anti-static sheet, which just makes it kind of waxy.) The people above who say a wet washcloth, hung up, will just stay damp and get moldy, must live in a very humid climate. But if you put a wet cloth into the laundry basket, that’s just asking for a mildew to ensue. We discussed, just about a month ago, that washcloths and dishcloths can be sterilized by boiling them briefly. Otherwise, they have a tendency to go “sour”, in which they smell bad as soon as they get damp again. I’ve been doing this for the last several weeks with washcloths and dishcloths – handwashing them, then boiling them briefly, then tossing them into the laundry with everything else. It seems to work well. See [this post and the immediately following post after that](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=18735058#post18735058). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speaking-of-showers-wash-cloth-or-no/737222.md?page=4)