# washing cheese cloths



## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

I only have a few, so its not like a load for the washer. so what steps to take to get them cheese-worthy again?? so far, I wash by hand, scrubing in hot water. then into a pot and boil them a short time. a splash of bleach while they cool down, rinse again, hang to dry. whatcha think?


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I always soak my cheese cloths after using and then run them through the washer with other white clothes. I use chlorine bleach with my whites. When I am make cheese, I boil the cheese cloth in water, turn the water off, put a lid on the pot and let it all cool until I need the cloth in the cheesemaking process. This has always worked well for me.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

chewie said:


> I only have a few, so its not like a load for the washer. so what steps to take to get them cheese-worthy again?? so far, I wash by hand, scrubing in hot water. then into a pot and boil them a short time. a splash of bleach while they cool down, rinse again, hang to dry. whatcha think?


Can't do any better than that! Clean and disinfected and probably more so than when they were new.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Living in a pet friendly home I cannot really run cloths through the laundry w/o picking up tons of fur/fuzz....
I've taken a liking to disposable cheesecloth which is available at most supply places. It can be washed and reused...just not quite as many times as a real cloth.

New England Cheesemaking - Cheesecloth-Disposable #U3


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

hey, that looks like nifty stuff!


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## Feisty Farm (Apr 10, 2012)

I have an old wringer washer (along with my HE washer) that I use for towels, blue jeans etc....to save water and money. I always wash my cheeseclothes first and I wash them in blue dawn dishsoap and bleach in super hot water. Then I rinse them and hang them to dry. Seems to work well for me. The blue dawn strips the fabric very well. It is what I used to wash my cloth diapers in ever so often to strip all of the detergent build up.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

I have come to this conclusion too, that the plain blue soap works better and has less smell. the other kinds might smell prettier but dont' seem to work as well.


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

suzyhomemaker09 said:


> Living in a pet friendly home I cannot really run cloths through the laundry w/o picking up tons of fur/fuzz....
> I've taken a liking to disposable cheesecloth which is available at most supply places. It can be washed and reused...just not quite as many times as a real cloth.
> 
> New England Cheesemaking - Cheesecloth-Disposable #U3


Try washing them inside of a white pillowcase. The case will catch the hairs, but the cheezecloths will get washed/bleached just the same.


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## backachersfarm (Jun 14, 2005)

I just wash mine in with my whites. They get bleached for the first round that way. Before I use them I put them in a cup of water with w splash of vinegar and let it soak there till I need it during the cheese making process.


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## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

DH washes ours with the kitchen towels. He uses bleach for them also, plus borax for our hard water and vinegar for the rinse.


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

To make washing them easier try soaking them in cold water first. The cold water shrinks and releases the cheese from the fibers. I let mine soak for a few hours in cold water then hand wash with dairy detergent. I sanitize prior to reuse.
I make lots of cheese everyday so I wash them every night and re use the next day.


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