You would be very surprised of what I use for dish towels in my kitchen. If you go to your local automotive specialty store they have a few types of shop towels in bundle packages. One is the familiar red shop rags you always seem to see in the back pocket of anyone working on a car in the movies. But they also sell nice white terry towels in bundles of 12 to 18.
Yes, that’s what I use. And here is a list of the reasons why:
- They can easily be bleached when needed.
- They match any decorating scheme, they do not have a print that fades out over time, nor a color that fades. The crisp white actually makes my kitchen (or me?) seem more culinary educated somehow.
- Because they don’t have dyes in them, I have never had to worry about leaving the rag color behind when cleaning up any spill. When the little man spills grape juice on the carpet, I keep blotting until I stop seeing new color appear on the rag, so I am now cleaning the spots more thoroughly.
- They are inexpensive in comparison to regular dishtowels. If they do start to look dingy, I don’t have any problem relegating them to my cleaning rags or to the hubby’s shop rags.
- The material is woven to withstand the rigors of the boys and their toys, so I have always downgraded their status well before they have had a chance to wear out.
After I began using them I noticed that all of the towels at the restaurants are crisp white. I think often you can stumble onto some great ideas by watching professionals and adapting their methodology to suit your own needs.
If you regularly dry dishes, you would need to run them through the laundry a couple of times to remove the loose fibers or they will leave a little lint behind.
Now, You Speak Up
Are you willing to try them? Why or why not? Have you ever found something useful from an unusual source?
When we get conversations going in the comments we all learn from each other and can encourage one another. So, share your stories in the comments.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think this is a great idea, and I really do need some inexpensive dishtowels. My husband doesn’t see the difference in dish towels and dish rags, so I like the idea that they could be bleached. I also look in the automotive section for microfiber towels. I use those for most of my cleaning, and they are much cheaper in the auto section than the home section.
Rachels last blog post..Laundry: When You’re Almost Done
@Rachel: You are so right! I usually get my microfiber there, too.