I’ve never been able to use a washcloth. When I was young my mother taught me that it’s the only correct way to cleanse yourself, but I was then, and am now (at 39), incapable of using a wachcloth to get clean. I just rub soap all over my body and that seems to get the job done, but a washcloth keeps slipping out of my hand- am I doing it wrong?
We went on vacation overseas once as a family and upon learning that there were no washcloths in the hotel room, my mother asked for some at the front desk. She was told that they didn’t have any, and that’s all we heard about for the next week.
Do you use one? How do you keep it from sliding out of your hand?
The only time I ever use a washcloth is to wash my face at the sink.
In the shower, I use one of those net poufs, which I dearly love. I have no trouble with dropping it, but there’s a convenient string loop attatched which I could put around my wrist if I did.
The only difference I can see when it comes to bathing with/without a washcloth is that the washcloth would have some exfoliating benefits that the bar of soap would not. Because it may do a better job dislodging dead skin and oils, you may be cleaner after bathing using a washcloth.
I used to never use a washcloth, by soaping up like you described. Then I discovered that scrubbing with a washcloth takes off layers of stinky waxy deodorant buildup much better than without. One reason that scrubbing with something feels better is that it’s getting you cleaner. It also helps with the acne without breaking the whiteheads open.
(I’m 36. I still have ache. I hang my head in shame. Oooh, is that a frosted Oreo cookie on the floor? Mmmmmm Oreos…)
A shower puff works wonders as well, but for areas with lots of sensitive pink lumps, like faces, I find I can use washcloths without scrubbing the skin raw.
I always use a washcloth and always have. I feel like I didn’t get a full shower if I didn’t get to use a washcloth. You need to scrub yourself, not just cover yourself in a layer of soap.
I used to use one per shower and toss it in the laundry when I shared the shower with 3 other people - because there’s really only room for 1 washcloth…but now I have my own shower with my own handy little hanging bar on which I place my washcloth after a shower. I switch them out about once a week.
I don’t use puffs/loufas/whatever because I had a hunch that they were mold-holders…and someone on this board who once worked for a dermatologist confirmed that fact, so I am creeped out by them. (granted, my 1-cloth-per-week isn’t 100% sanitary either…)
I mostly don’t bother with washcloths, but if I do, I treat it like using a kitchen rag – ball most of it up in my hand, hang on, and scrub like it’s going out of style. Laying it flat and rubbing will result in it wiggling out of my hand.
I use a poofy thing and a washcloth - the poofy thing I use on my body and the soft washcloth for my face. My washcloths are terry so they never slip out of my hands.
We had this some time ago and it was quite amusing to watch how the two sides squared off. We ended up with this:
Washcloth people :mad: | Soap people :mad:
FTR, I am on the soap people side and have never used a washcloth and don’t see the point. I don’t normally use a poof, either, maybe once a week, but mostly I just scrub myself with soap. And I will never use a washcloth either, mwahahahaha!
I use a scrub net thing, or a terry washcloth. The scrubber, cloth and towel are all washed between uses. How are you soap only people exfoliating? IME, soap is very slick when wet. Are you just sliding the bar all over your body then rinsing off? It just doesn’t seem like you’d get very clean that way.
I don’t use washcloths. Well, I do use them but only for things like washing spaghetti sauce out of the front of my shirt. I used to use those pouf things, until I read here on the SDMB that they’re bad for your skin. My skin can get really dry (thank you, thyroid disorder!) and I’ve found that I don’t get as dry since I quit using the poufs.
Shower puffs are excellent. They are good for exfoliation and I’m willing to bet that they use less shower gel as they can aerate the foam more, as well as holding the gel so that it is evenly spread over the body. I find that if I try to put on gel with my bare hands, it tends to goop in once place, and I have to keep re-applying as I move from part to part. However, using a puff, I find that a medium squirt of shower gel can keep foaming and foaming enough to coat and rinse my whole body twice, more than enough to come out squeaky clean.
I couldn’t live without a puff for the shower (I never bathe these days). I simply wouldn’t feel anywhere near as clean without something to coax out all that dead skin.
The puff I got around Chistmas time has already fallen apart, which is annoying. They’re essentially a long ‘scarf’ of fine netted plastic that’s bunched into a ball and held by some string that doubles as a lanyard, for anyone who doesn’t know. I still can’t figure out how to ball it up and tie it properly without it coming undone almost immediately. I know they’re cheap as Hell, but I have to be ecologically responsible, damn it!
I love my pouf, and you’ll pry it from my cold dead hands. I think that as long as you wash it frequently, and don’t use it to scrub yourself as though it’s steel wool and you’re a lasagne pan, it’s fine for most people. Of course, if you have really sensitive skin, you probably are better off with a washcloth.
Clench cloth with digits and maintain firm grip. Please note: Failure to do this part right will result in a washcloth that drops to the floor.
Stick cloth in the stream of water and lather with soap with the assistance of the other hand.
Rub soapy cloth all over your naked body, preferably the stinky parts.
Rinse cloth by returning it to the water stream.
Step three is probably where your problems lie. I recommend you practice holding onto squares of wet fabric several minutes at a time, three or more times a day, until the act of doing so becomes second nature. You want to get to the point where don’t have to think about it. And remember to full breathe, no matter what. Oxygen deprivation is a surefire way to lose that all-important grip.
I don’t use a washcloth, I use a super washcloth: a very small hand towel that I bought years ago. It’s much easier to get my back clean. I fold it over in half, and when I’m done with everything else I unfold it to do my back. That soap-only thing: how’s that work? I can’t see how you could really get clean since there’s no real abrasive surface to work with and your hand is just too smooth to do the trick. And frankly, I could never do the “wash with soap without dropping it” thing (except for “hands only” washing).
I suspect you’re trying to do it open-handed. See you with the face’s post above for instructions on holding on to the cloth. Or get one of those puffs. The soft nylon type shouldn’t do you any damage unless you go at yourself with excessive vigor.
I work up a lather in my hands, then place the soap down, then rub my lathered hands all over myself. It takes several lathers to get my whole body, so I go in sections. I usually go face, arms, trunk, back, and legs. And when rinsing, I also rub my hands all over.
So, basically, my hands do a good enough job exfoliating.
I haven’t owned a washcloth since I was about six and lost the one shaped like a teddy bear mitten.
Those I find in bathrooms of people I stay with always seem mouldy.
I think that as long as you wash it frequently, and don’t use it to scrub yourself as though it’s steel wool and you’re a lasagne pan, it’s fine for most people. Of course, if you have really sensitive skin, you probably are better off with a washcloth.