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    Home » House Stuff » Cleaning, Fixing & Organizing

    Tip of the Week! Facecloths.

    June 5, 2011 by Karen 106 Comments

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    Tip of the Week!

     

    This is my white facecloth after washing my face once with it.

    This is my black facecloth after washing my face 14,742 times with it.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

     

    Do yourself a favour.  Switch over to black facecloths today.  Yes, you can bleach white facecloths.  But that's extra work.  More work.  I have enough work.  LOADS of work.  No more work!  Besides, you can't use bleach in certain front loading washing machines.

    White facecloths are meant for people who have maids or a laundry service.  If you have a maid or a laundry service, please disregard this post.  And please send me money. And a pony.

     

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    1. Lin

      February 03, 2025 at 11:04 pm

      Oh Karen, so good to hear from you. Better than that old groundhog!!

      Reply
      • Karen

        February 05, 2025 at 10:47 am

        Ha! It's hard to compete with a furry ground dweller. ~ karen!

        Reply
    2. Bonnie White

      February 03, 2025 at 9:04 pm

      Ditto for undies! LOL

      Reply
    3. Patti

      February 03, 2025 at 8:48 pm

      But how do you know when they’re dirty? I love a snowy white facecloth! Same with sheets!

      Reply
    4. Jeanie Burch

      February 03, 2025 at 6:44 pm

      Agree. I switched to a black face towel a long time ago. All my white face towels were ruined.

      Reply
    5. Hettie

      February 03, 2025 at 4:17 pm

      I have a stack of indigo-blue ones by the sink in the powder room. They're great little one-use hand towels but they work for face washing too. :)

      Reply
      • Lisa Lynn

        February 03, 2025 at 6:47 pm

        I love that!

        Reply
    6. Kathy

      February 03, 2025 at 3:31 pm

      Black also works for downplaying minor scrapes with kids! (Have you ever seen the horror and drama resulting from cleaning a scraped knee with a white washcloth?)

      Reply
      • Karen

        February 03, 2025 at 4:53 pm

        That is such a good point! ~karen

        Reply
    7. Lorrie Jamieson

      February 03, 2025 at 2:53 pm

      Hi Karen ... typing this from snowy, socked-in Ladysmith. Vancouver Island is not used to this kind of weather ... what do they think, that we live in Ontario?!?!
      Anyway, about facecloths, I too had a problem ... shall I throw it in the wash or keep it out for one more day. I don't use mascara or the like, but it's still a problem knowing when it's reached its tipping point.
      So my tip? Go to Costco and buy their white facecloths in a pack of 20 ... I think it costs about $25, but worth every penny. Now I keep a stack of facecloths beside my washbasin and use only a fresh one each time I need it. The old one goes directly into my laundry hamper for the next wash load. I have a constant round of fresh washcloths. And I don't get attached to any of them so if they're too dirty to clean successfully, they hit the trash basket rather than the hamper.

      Reply
      • Karen

        February 03, 2025 at 4:51 pm

        Hi Lorrie! I did that at Ikea last year with a big stack of white facecloths. But I still ruined them all with mascara and garden dirt within a few uses. I'd have to treat and soak them to keep the nice looking and I can barely bring myself to do laundry let alone extra laundry chores. So. Back to black facecloths for me! Current conditions here in Ontario - rain! ~ karen

        Reply
        • CarolB

          February 04, 2025 at 3:10 am

          Hi Karen,
          I find that a little bit of Dawn directly on a stain before washing will remove anything-- mascara, lipstick, red wine, grease, tomato sauce, even poop from a parrot that just ate blueberries. But don't be generous with the Dawn. I did once with a badly parrot-stained white sweater, and when I opened the door of my front-load washer, an avalanche of suds poured out.

    8. Edith

      February 03, 2025 at 2:28 pm

      Or….use baby wipes

      Reply
      • Paulo

        February 03, 2025 at 2:52 pm

        Hi Karen! You can paint your white cloths black but it is a tedious job most adequate for young people.

        Reply
    9. Babs

      February 03, 2025 at 2:26 pm

      Hiya, Sure have missed you. Glad you are chugging along. Once again you remind us of the simply things we can do to save us time.

      Reply
      • Karen

        February 03, 2025 at 4:48 pm

        I'm getting back on track with posts now Babs so you'll be hearing from me more often again. :) ~ karen!

        Reply
    10. Marcia

      November 13, 2023 at 9:23 am

      When my kiddos were little and got hurt (blood involved) I always used a dark brown washcloth to clean the cut or scrape. Less traumatizing than actually seeing bright red blood on a washcloth.

      Reply
    11. Madeleine Whitfield

      March 11, 2023 at 11:37 am

      I never used to fold socks or underwear until I had a cleaning lady once after I'd broken my leg. She always folded those things so I felt shamed and continued the practice. Can I stop now (it's 16 years later)?

      Reply
      • Karen

        March 11, 2023 at 11:41 pm

        Yes you can.😄 I absolve you of all guilt that might be associated with it. ~ karen!

        Reply
      • Lynda

        February 03, 2025 at 2:59 pm

        Still, you shouldn't stop. Because once you start jumbling them in your drawer, you will find you have more than you can fit in the drawer unless they are folded.

        Reply
    12. Sarah Jackson

      March 19, 2016 at 1:31 am

      Red washcloths are necessary with children. Why? You cannot see the blood when the little darlings get hurt. When the child sees blood on the washcloth; the kid screams louder. I know, I have five children and now seventeen grandchildren. No, I do not want a pony. Too much work.

      Reply
    13. Mary Lynn

      August 19, 2015 at 8:54 am

      Just discovered another use for coconut oil...makeup remover. You only need about a heaping teaspoon. It melts when contacting the skin...economical and good for your skin.
      Now my white facecloths are spared the mascara and foundation stains!

      Reply
      • Karen

        August 19, 2015 at 10:05 am

        That's great to know! I'll give it a shot because for whatever reason my eyeliner won't stay put on my eyes during the day but once it's time to officially take it off, it's stuck for life. I'm going to try it tonight, Mary Lynn. ~ karen!

        Reply
    14. Tricia Rose

      September 08, 2014 at 7:27 pm

      You are so far ahead of me!

      Reply
    15. Parker

      February 20, 2014 at 9:47 pm

      Well, shoot. I've been buying supplies for my move to off-grid life, and I bought white towels. Somewhere waaay back in my mind the thought crossed that white wouldn't be the easiest to clean (in an admittedly dirty lifestyle), but I disregarded it. The pretty white called to me with it's siren song - "look at meeee, so clean and pure...you must surround yourself with my pristine whitenessssss"....and I listened, and I bought.

      I guess I'll be replacing them with black ones at some point, heh. OR, I'll dye 'em! Yeah!

      Reply
    16. Patricia

      April 23, 2012 at 12:30 pm

      Also a good idea if you have kids who injure themselves (like kids do). A dark wash cloth over a bad cut doesn't show blood and keeps the hysteria over an injury down!

      Reply
      • Karen

        April 23, 2012 at 12:42 pm

        Good point. ~ karen

        Reply
    17. Diane

      February 27, 2012 at 2:14 am

      Bahahahahaha! Did you get a pony from any of your readers? If so, I'm also making a post on my blog...and asking for a maid! It might work...

      Reply
      • Karen

        February 27, 2012 at 9:34 am

        Diane - No. :( It didn't work. No pony. ~ karen

        Reply
    18. Noelle

      June 15, 2011 at 8:18 pm

      This is so funny...I am a "white" girl and a bleach-a-holic, that is probably not good...but I like white washcloths, towels, and sheets. I have 5 kids and 4 of them boys, big dirty boys!!!!I should probably buy some stock in Clorox!!!! This was a fun conversation!!!

      Reply
    19. Arlene

      June 15, 2011 at 6:38 pm

      I just had a duh moment. I am so ashamed at all the white cloths I have damaged, when just 1 black cloth would have made a huge difference! LOL I guess we live and learn, from your fantastic blog!

      Reply
    20. Maggie

      June 12, 2011 at 1:29 am

      Genious! Same goes for sheets unfortunately, I prefer white, but husbands are so sweaty and I don't use bleach.

      Reply
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