Sink cloths etc

[NanaNana]

Not really about 'caring', but don't know what other section to put this in.
What do you think about sink cloths and sponges with scourers on the top?
I always use both, using new ones once a week, but always rinse them under the hot tap, after using washing up liquid with them.
Several PA's leave both, full of soapy, washing-up liquid and then pick them up to use on the next lot of mugs etc.
I think that this harbours the germs etc from the previous lot of crockery and am sick and tired of forever picking up a bubbly, slimy sink cloth to wipe the kitchen tops down with. I spend ages rinsing both cloth and sponge under the taps to rid them of the residue bubbly stuff, but time and again, despite my asking, they are still returned to the holder full of bubbles.

Does, leaving them un-rinsed harbour the germs as I think it does? Or is it all right?

[susieq]

I don't think it harbours germs Fran - 'cos most washing up liquids these days are anti-bacterial anyway. But like you I do like to rinse them out (they seem to last longer !); I also bung them in the microwave (on high for 1 min) every couple of days to ensure they are clean. My sister puts hers in the dishwasher every now and then for the same reason.

[poppett]

My pot scrubber brush goes in the dishwashed every day and the white cloth is rinsed after every use and bleached at least once a day. I hate bubbly, slimy, smelly cloths too.xx

[Debra Found]

I agree about slimy cloths - also ones where people have wiped up a spill & not rinsed it out leaving a cloth cover in whatever - in our house that is usually jam!

For basic cloths - J cloths, floor cloths etc - I stick them in the washing machine with a white wash. They come out good as new.

[Booksey]

I thought it was just me
I can't stand smelly bubbly cloths either, I hate it when the kids wash up because they leave them in the sink then pull the plug out, so the cloths end up covered in all the stuff off the plates ( that they didn't scrap properly). As my washer is on most days I throw them in the washer at the end of each day and get a fresh one out in the morning

[bowlingbun]

I love my Washup sponges, yellow with the green scourer on top. Since changing to the blue anti bacterial Fairy they always smell fresh. When they start looking scruffy I get a new one. I also use dishcloths for wiping down, and I'm fanatical about them, but can't help it. I have stacks of them, as soon as one looks the least bit grey I get a fresh one out, then before I wash them I put them in some water with bleach, and they go in a hottest wash with the teatowels etc. I also like the Flash kitchen spray with bleach, for the worktops etc. Most of my house is sadly very untidy, but I'd hate to give anyone food poisoning! Not sure how to retrain your carers though.

[Brindleboy123]

We use the microfiber cloths here and each morning I drill the sink with bleach/detergent combined and soak the cloth in it for half an hour or so and just wipe the sink around as I rinse it through.

Just purchased a MOPx5which is great and cleans the floors with vapour and no need for chemicals. Has lots of attachments so I can clean shower screen, windows, rugs, etc. Quite impressed with it too and with three dogs it's good to know the floor is germ free...for a very short while anyway

Bell x

[NanaNana]

I wash mine in bleach in the sink and clean the sink at the same time, too.
It's the constant thing of them both being full of soap. Wiping down the tops, just leaves white, bubbly marks all over the place. Ugh.
Training is indeed what's needed.

[bikerblob]

the most hygienic way to wipe surfaces is with a spray cleaner that contains some bleach,either mr muscle type or dilute bleach yourself in an empty trigger bottle...then ALWAYS wipe with disposable kitchen roll....no cloths needed
bacteria multiplies every 20 minutes,so a grimy cloth will breed more germs until you reuse it,its a risk you can avoid

[NanaNana]

I just want people to rinse out the cloths and sponges after they've used them. That's all.

[poppett]

Can`t think of a worse smell in a kitchen then soapy cloths and sponges left to dry and go slimy.....it takes two or three washes of hands to get rid of the smell from them....know just where you are coming from Nananana.xx

[GaryO]

My missus soaks her cloths in a sink of bleach now and again too.
However, we do replace ours quite often. After all, they're so cheap nowadays.
"Old" (I say old, usually a week or less) ones are used to wipe the floor, door frames, the porch, etc. then discarded.

[crocus]

I just want people to rinse out the cloths and sponges after they've used them. That's all.

How about hiding them when the carers are there and just having disposable cloths (J cloths etc) out?

[NanaNana]

That's what I use, the disposable J cloths, but every single time one is used it's put back in a soapy slimy state. Same with the washing up sponges. How many times do you need to ask people to rinse them out each time?

[GaryO]

Hundreds!

Can you not put a laminated notice on the wall by the sink/cloths asking users to PLEASE rinse out the cloths properly when finished? Would that not work?