# kitchen rags



## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

How do you all clean your kitchen rags?
No matter how hard I try I cann't get them clean. We don't use any paper towels at all, so they do get well used. Some of it is from drying our cast iron pots..
I even tryed soaking them diaper style in bleach water and wash them by themselves with more bleach but they still are smelly. We change to new ones several times aday and hand wash them as we go, but they are still gross.
We just got a new washer this winter, so I am lost on this. any help appreciated.


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## Tilly (Oct 16, 2007)

I found out with our cloth diapers that bleach made things smell worse. Our kitchen rags are used heavily also, and this also works for our milk cow rags. I put everything through a cold only no detergent wash and rinse ( so it actually gets two rinses) then let set in the washer in hot water and baking soda overnight. I could probably do less of a soak, but that is just when I usually wash the nasty towels. Then wash with a bit of detergent the next morning, don't overdo the detergent, it can build up and lock in the stink. My towels usually come out still dingy, but smell just fine. hope this helps,

Tilly


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

If they are smelly, perhaps they aren't getting rinsed enough.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

They might still have some grease in them so try some dawn in the water. It will get rid of the grease. Boiling them in water will also help. Use anything that will take the grease out.


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## Tabitha (Apr 10, 2006)

??? smelly, after being washed? mine get pretty black at times. and I can not get all the stains out all the time either. so I live with it. I notice that washing results are not always the same, there are times when they come cleaner.You may have noticed that too. I wash all that stuff very hot, no bleach. Even if they were sparkling clean they would get grimy looking right away again. so why worry?


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

The stink is a bacteria - normal washing won't always get rid of it, but sometimes does.

I gather mine up and put them in my sink (along with dish towels which always seem to get greasy from misuse by the kids). Add about 1/4 vinegar then enough boiling water to cover it all. I stir them about with a wooden spoon and let it all sit there 10 min or so. Let out the water. Squeeze and rinse a bit (once cool enough to touch), then wash in the washer as normal.

Another one is to microwave them (they need to be wet) for 10 min then wash....but that doesn't always work.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Ohio dreamer said:


> The stink is a bacteria - normal washing won't always get rid of it, but sometimes does.
> 
> I gather mine up and put them in my sink (along with dish towels which always seem to get greasy from misuse by the kids). Add about 1/4 vinegar then enough boiling water to cover it all. I stir them about with a wooden spoon and let it all sit there 10 min or so. Let out the water. Squeeze and rinse a bit (once cool enough to touch), then wash in the washer as normal.
> 
> Another one is to microwave them (they need to be wet) for 10 min then wash....but that doesn't always work.


This is good advice thanks for posting this!


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## TexasArtist (May 4, 2003)

wash them with a little DAWN dish liqaud. That's what gets the grease out of them for me.


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## AlyCarm (Nov 12, 2008)

the microwave thing hasn't worked for me, I am guessing I didnt do it long enough  
My pet peeve is after wiping the counter off when I make bread, my cloth gets all gummy. I wash it in my front load washer with homemade detergent (borax, soap, washing soda) and the temp is cold/cold. They come out with little balls of "gum" on them  So I have to use hot water.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

If their smelly, they aren't clean and free from bacteria. Unfortunately, the only thing rids bacteria is either hot soapy water or using bleach in the wash water. Be sure and rinse well or you will still have the residue left in them. 

We don't use paper towels either so I can relate to rags! I always wash mine in hot water with bleach. Since they are just rags, I don't really care if they are stained, bleached out, or pathetic looking; I just can't stand any towel or rag not being 'clean'. 

One thing I am little by little switching to is to the microfiber rags. These things are the greatest thing ever invented! Dirt does not cling to them when washing them like regular rags; they wash wonderfully; and they require no bleach (just hot water). You can wash glass, etc. with them without any chemicals, vinegar, etc. Honest and truly, just plain tap water on a barely damp microfiber cloth cleans mirrors like they were windexed! Using the same technique, that also works for getting smudges off windows, refrigerator doors, etc. I even use them for dusting that way between polishings. It keeps the dusting spray from building up and the furniture actually stays dust free longer after it's barely damp wipe down.

Just one word of caution: NEVER use any fabric softener when cleaning your microfiber rags. It ruins them forever.


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## Caitedid (Jun 2, 2004)

Aly- Get yourself a bench scraper. You can find them in any kitchen supply store, and maybe places like Target. They are a flat piece/blade of stainless steel with some sort of handle attached. Use it to scrape ALL of the bread goo off of your counter before the towel gets anywhere near it. They're also great for scooping up chopped veg and the like. I've been working as a pastry chef for about 4 years now, and I love my bench scraper.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Caitedid said:


> Aly- Get yourself a bench scraper. You can find them in any kitchen supply store, and maybe places like Target. They are a flat piece/blade of stainless steel with some sort of handle attached. Use it to scrape ALL of the bread goo off of your counter before the towel gets anywhere near it. They're also great for scooping up chopped veg and the like. I've been working as a pastry chef for about 4 years now, and I love my bench scraper.


I was about to suggest the same. Love my bench scraper!!


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## AlyCarm (Nov 12, 2008)

Oh! Thank you both for the suggestion, never even knew something like that existed LOL


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