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.
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.
Karen, I love how you turn a subject that seems so obvious and make it into a crazy long discussion. I'm all about the dark towels, sheets, facecloths, t-shirts, underwear (is this too much information?) because I don't have to bleach them and I can wash everything together almost one-million times. And my husband is a mechanic so, sometimes there is extra dirty dirt.
Oh! This made me laugh. So true and at the same time so funny. Thanks for the tip and the laughs!
Good grief! What has this never crossed my mind. Two daughters and a stepdaughter later...I am running, running mind you, to get black washcloths. Take that nasty makeup...
Great tip!
Like a light went on... in my soul.
Or out. Man, I've always loved white for the freshness of it. But recently my kitchen went black. Might be time for the bathroom to do the same.
You're not RUBBING YOUR EYES with those things are you?
Marti's totally right, you shouldn't be using a facecloth to get eye makeup off. That's so rough on your skin. You don't want extra eye wrinkles, do you? A cotton ball & a squirt of makeup of remover is the way to go. I use Rimmel because its cheap, doesn't seem oily, and sometimes they do "gift with purchase"
My suggestion for accidental bleach spots on black is to dab the area with PERMANENT black marker and let it dry. You may have to repeat this a few times. I had a small bleach spot on a pair of cotton shorts and although it wasn't a perfect fix it did cover the mark fairly well.
Karen,
Even better - Bleach safe brightly colored towels and washcloths.
I'm a hairstylist and I always order towels you can buy at bleachsafe.com .
Most salons use these so that the towels can be bleached but won't lose their color. I'll wash a towel every day for a year, with bleach so as to disinfect yet save on hot water, and it will still be bright. If you only use bleach every once in awhile, you won't even have that problem.
I'd be interested to hear how many of your readers give it a try.
Black, blue, whatever; one of my face medicines ALWAYS leaves bleach spots on the wash clothes and face towels... I have an old towel that looks pink/purple that I swear was once blue, and my blue ones are heading that way. Which is sometimes why I think I should switch to white.
Bahahaha! This one made me laugh out loud....I have two boys, dirty boys and white towels. Do you see where I am going with this? The best gift my mother the clean freak ever gave me? Two black hand towels for my kitchen bath. They always, always look clean and no bleaching needed. And why does bkeach not work like it used to???? Remember when eveything came out white and brand spanking new looking? Or is that my age showing???
Haha, it’s your age. Back then materials were natural fabrics like cotton. Bleached great. They also were hung on the line for the sun to help.
Inspired! I've been using dark green or dark blue for that very reason. Another inspired tip: I used to wash them, fold them, use them, repeat... I no longer fold them (gasp). They just get washed/dried and thrown into a small drawer for just face cloths. Folding? Too much work!
Katie - I have the same theory for thong underwear. Have you ever tried folding a whole drawer full of thong underwear. omg. As for the facecloths, I have to fold them 'cause I don't have anywhere to put them so they get folded on a shelf in the bathroom. Ah the joys of living in a billion year old house with no closets. ~ k!
My thought is to buy a basket/storage box for your shelf and throw the face cloths in the box. I used to love how they looked folded and all lined up with the folds in the same direction. However, once you stop folding them, you will NEVER go back! Trust me. It's the little things in life, isn't it?
I don't fold/match socks any more either. They're all thrown in a basket and I pick two matching ones each morning. Even easier to match when you have one pair alien frog socks, one pair rainbow stripe socks, one paid "Peas on Earth" socks, you get the idea...
But what if you're burgled?
I have noticed that depending on which face cleanser I use, the makeup will either wash out of the facecloth or it won't...not sure which ingredient(s) cause that to happen! I usually use Marcelle Gentle Foaming Wash and the makeup always washes out with that one. I don't use chlorine bleach either; if I have to use something, I use the oxygen bleach stuff because it's way less toxic. The black facecloths are a great idea though!
I always get a kick out of staying at a hotel and not having to worry about my makeup on the facecloth! Oh, the luxury!
Rosa,
That's funny and so true. One of our favorite places to stay in Palm Springs actually provides a nice white washcloth and a grey'ish/purple'ish washcloth for ladies to use to remove make-up. I thought it was a brilliant idea, but never thought to use the idea at home - go figure.
I am totally switching to dark washcloths! I'm not sure why this never crossed my mind before!
I don't use bleach, ever and have never had a problem w stains like that. My white washclothes still look new. Are you using industrial strength makeup? ;) Also, worth mentioning tho slightly off subject, I have been using a mixture of EVOO-castor oil and a drop or 2 of tea tree oil & lavendar oil to clean my face and it works beautifully and my skin has never looked better in 35 years!
I used to have black towels and face cloths (for my husband's bathroom), but got tired of black. Now we use mainly white towels (2 of 3 bathrooms). Fortunately, I can use bleach in my front loader, but I do so rarely; it cleans stuff really well. For tough stains on whites or anything else, including grease, I use a Verbena scented bar soap. That stuff is awesome.
Kate - There is no scent I like better than Lemon Verbena. My friend and I once stood for about an hour sniffing and smelling all the Lemon Verbena products at a store (now defunct) in Canada called Caban. Sooooo good. ~ karen
Ditto. My husband finally drew the line at Lemon Verbena incense...
But what is this bar soap stain killer of which you speak? (Fingers crossed that it's not just a Canadian thing.)
Try Fels-Naptha. It's awesome and it's sold in most American stores. I get it at our local WalMart for $0.96. It's also great if you grate it and mix it with 1/2 cup Borax and a 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (all on the same shelf). Put 3 table spoons in for a large load of clothes and you're ready to go. Also try 1/2 cup of white vinegar as a fabric softener. Awesome!
http://www.felsnaptha.com/
Wow...I didn't realize so many people were black/dark washcloth converts.
I'm all about the bleach. The majority of our towels are white. We had shades of blue, green, red and tan but I grew tired of them not matching and went on a freak-out towel binge. Not nearly as jaw-dropping as selling all your furniture and painting the whole house white, but it's a start. ;)
Now if my mom gifts us towels, which she does often since she thinks we never have enough, I don't worry if its the right shade of blue/green. White always matches white.
Trysha,
I too once went on a freak out towel binge and replaced everything with white. I once read somewhere that colored towels and face cloths are bad for your skin. Probably read it on the internet, and as we've learned from Karen, the internet lies. I may soon have to do a whole new freak out towel binge.
I switched to black dishcloths. I take my makeup off with those cloths, so my face washcloths don't get too stained. And the IKEA washcloths are super cheap and sturdy.
But the black/charcoal grey dishcloths get swapped out daily.
I use the white ones and put up with the stains only because that's what comes with the product I use. But I wonder how often you change your face cloth? Daily or weekly?
Please don't think I'm dirty by asking!
Perfecting Pru - If you allow your facecloth to dry out completely (don't leave it in a lump where it can grow mildew and stink) it'll last around 5 days around here. Once it starts to have that unmistakeable "stink" I know it needs to be washed, but I try to do it before it gets to that point. ~ karen
Thanks Karen.
I'm certainly living within your guidelines on this!
Lol. I could lie and say I change my facecloth every day, but it's closer to 5. Probably 3 in the summer when it's humid. ~ k!
I also just use my hands. One less towel to wash is worth it to me alone. But if I have a family one day who asks me to buy them face cloths, they might just be black thanks to your undeniable influence on my life. Haha.
I love when a new (to me) word pops up. Today it's "manky," from Annika. I plan to use it a lot.
We have whole books devoted to "manky" over here in the UK. Check out "Morris the Mankiest Monster" - someone who NEVER worries about the colour of his flannel (face cloth).
I've found that if you are real careful doing laundry, like I am, you can turn ALL your white facecloths into grey ones! Taa-DAH, problem solved!
Perfect!