Do you use a washcloth?

[clifffaith]

I have started watching The Neighborhood on my cable company's OnDemand feature. A family from Michigan moves into a [redacted] neighborhood in California. In the second or third episode water has to be turned off in [redacted] the family's home to fix a leak, so woman goes Next door to use the shower to clean up after unpacking boxes. [The neighbor] hands her a towel and washcloth, she hands the washcloth back and says she doesn't need it. [The neighbor] says, well how do you clean yourself? I rub the soap all over my body. [The neighbor] woman says Eww, I think. Scene ends with the first character asking, don't you know [redacted] people who just use the soap? And [neighbor] character says Don't you know ANY [redacted] people who use a washcloth? They both answer No and look mystified by the information they've just found out.

I was surprised because other than in some European timeshares, where we've learned to travel with our own washcloths, I thought washcloths were standard Anerican bathroom accessories. My parents grew up near Cleveland, and with 55+ years in California we always used wash cloths as do any family or friends where I've taken a shower. Cliff's family in Texas always used washcloths too. So do Michiganders not use washcloths? (I'm assuming what the show was sort of poking fun at as a race thing is actually a geographic thing).

[*Edited to remove info that may be offensive to some.]

 

[geist1223]

Except in Europe every Timeshare in which we have stayed has had Washclothes. I use them to shave. In the shower I use Liquid Soap and a Scruffy.

 

[Free2Roam]

<snip> In the shower I use Liquid Soap and a Scruffy.

Same here

 

[clifffaith]

Liquid soap is cold! The only time we have it at home is when we've picked up a little bottle at a timeshare. I use it up just to use it up, but brrr!

 

[Patri]

Always did until body wash etc. became popular. Now I use a scrubby with them. I guess washcloths work better with bar soap.

 

[Panina]

My parents are European. I was brought up with no washcloths in tub or shower, just soap bar lathered all over. A washcloth was used if you didn’t take a bath or shower and were washing up near the sink like a sponge bath.

 

[mdurette]

Interesting.....

I never purchase towel sets - because they come with washcloths, I rarely have the need! We are a bar soap all over the body household while showering. If I do need to wash any body part using sink though, then I do grab one of the few we have.

 

[Passepartout]

Funny. I don't use one, but my DW does. We have learned to travel to Europe with our own. You can set a big stack of 'em at IKEA or on Amazon for a couple of bucks. Once, I bought some dry/compressed washcloths that swelled to regular size when moistened. I thought they would be handy in the car to clean up spills. Don't bother. We ( no kidding here) took another couple whom we travel with to IKEA last weekend (DWs idea - the other folks had never been in one) and I mentioned getting these to them. It seems the woman uses one, and the gentleman doesn't.

Boy, TUG conversations can get odd.

Jim

 

[easyrider]

It depend on what is on me. Sometimes just soap but usually I like a scotch bright pot scrubber sponge. Never a wash cloth. Wife uses a fancy brush and wash cloths for her make up. Never the scotch bright.

Bill

 

[stmartinfan]

We are a bar soap all over the body household while showering. If I do need to wash any body part using sink though, then I do grab one of the few we have.

That’s our house too, although I’ve been using one of the Bath and Body Works lovely herbal body washes for a while now so I've got a scrubby for the shower.

I saw that episode of The Neighborhood, too, and thought it was a cute plot line. Actually, the interesting change recently has been the decline in use of bar soaps as liquid hand soaps and body washes have grown so dramatically in sales, especially with millennials. Even though we're not millennials, I’ve moved to liquid pump soap in our guest bathrooms.

 

[DeniseM]

Backing up a little: I would never, ever, ask a new neighbor if I could use her shower, or use it if she offered - way too intrusive for my comfort level. I'd rent an inexpensive hotel room and take the whole family to the hotel to get cleaned up.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I’m from MI and I’ve never used a washcloth.

 

[linsj]

I’m from MI and I’ve never used a washcloth.

I'm from MI and I always use a washcloth.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I'm from MI and I always use a washcloth.

LOL

 

[davidvel]

What a great thread. We keep those extra soaps during our travels to provide fresh bars to our guests for their shower. Although we're friends/family, giving them a used bar would be like having the leftover bar from the prior guest at your resort/hotel.

 

[LisaH]

I haven’t bought soap bars for years. These days we use shampoos, hand soap and body wash for cleaning body parts.

 

[VacationForever]

I have never used wash cloth on me in my entire life. I use liquid soap or in the past run water frequently on the bar soap to get enough lather out of the soap for soaping my body. I use wash cloth to wipe down the bathroom counter after I use the sink.

 

[clifffaith]

I haven’t bought soap bars for years. These days we use shampoos, hand soap and body wash for cleaning body parts.

I haven't bought a bar of soap in years either--our timeshare travels keep us well stocked with mini bars. And the house sitter knows where my soap drawer is in case I forget to leave a fresh little bar out for her.

 

[pedro47]

This is a very strange conversation and topics.

 

[Panina]

This is a very strange conversation and topics.

What’s strange? Keeping clean is part of life.....at least we all use soap!

 

[Jan M.]

at least we all use soap!

And better yet, at least we all bathe! At our house we mostly use a washcloth but for a quick rinse off just the bar of soap. My personal quirk is that I don't like thick wash cloths because they are so bulky to use, take a lot more soap to get them good and soapy and they don't rinse out easily nor dry quickly. I like the thin inexpensive ones you can get at the dollar stores or Walmart.

Btw my husband now often asks me what's new on TUG. Between Richard's, MULTIZ123, interesting and often educational posts, the strange and wonderfully weird posts and the life event posts, I look forward to my daily and sometimes more than once daily fix of seeing what's going on in the TUG lounge.

I, and now since he's retired my husband too, have met some of you Tuggers at the Wyndham owners meetings, the TUG get together in Orlando last year and at the resorts. The few times he asked afterwards about when or where I'd met some of you before. When I replied it was my first time meeting you too he was stunned because it seemed to him that we all knew each other already. He's looking forward to meeting more of you at this year's get together in Orlando and hoping to see some of you he's already met again.

 

[Glynda]

I've used washcloths most of my life. We were baffled when, on our first trip to England in the early 1980's, we discovered our B&B didn't have them. Went out and bought two. Now, I don't use them much. I do keep one folded on the bottom edge of my bathroom sink to catch any water that might splash, particularly as I rinse my face. I agree with Jan M. on not liking thick washcloths. They take so much longer to dry and in our environment can mildew.

For those of you who use liquid body wash, do you find that you have to buy it more often than you would bar soap? It seems that it takes more and goes fast.

What we Tuggers talk about! Chuckle.

 

[WinniWoman]

I have started watching The Neighborhood on my cable company's OnDemand feature. A family from Michigan moves into a [redacted] neighborhood in California. In the second or third episode water has to be turned off in [redacted] the family's home to fix a leak, so woman goes Next door to use the shower to clean up after unpacking boxes. [The neighbor] hands her a towel and washcloth, she hands the washcloth back and says she doesn't need it. [The neighbor] says, well how do you clean yourself? I rub the soap all over my body. [The neighbor] woman says Eww, I think. Scene ends with the first character asking, don't you know [redacted] people who just use the soap? And [neighbor] character says Don't you know ANY [redacted] people who use a washcloth? They both answer No and look mystified by the information they've just found out.

I was surprised because other than in some European timeshares, where we've learned to travel with our own washcloths, I thought washcloths were standard Anerican bathroom accessories. My parents grew up near Cleveland, and with 55+ years in California we always used wash cloths as do any family or friends where I've taken a shower. Cliff's family in Texas always used washcloths too. So do Michiganders not use washcloths? (I'm assuming what the show was sort of poking fun at as a race thing is actually a geographic thing).

[*Edited to remove info that may be offensive to some.]

I only use a wash cloth when taking makeup off my face, which I rarely have on because I am no longer working. In terms of the shower, I do not. But twice per week I do use a loofah sponge for exfoliation. I do not use it every day because it would be too drying over time.

In terms of bar soap- yep- we use bar soap at the sink (no liquid soap for us) and in the shower. Doesn't matter if anyone else has used the same bar. It is, after all- uh- soap! I actually do not like gels- maybe because I do not use a washcloth! Ha! Ha!

 

[WinniWoman]

I haven't bought a bar of soap in years either--our timeshare travels keep us well stocked with mini bars. And the house sitter knows where my soap drawer is in case I forget to leave a fresh little bar out for her.

I have a bunch of those little bars at our sinks. But in the shower, we use full bars. Irish Spring for him and Oil of Olay (my fav) or Dove for me.

 

[Quiet Pine]

I only use a wash cloth when taking makeup off my face

Ditto, to wash off the makeup remover. In the shower, bar soap. However I didn't grow up this way. In my family of Vermonters, we took baths before bedtime and used washcloths. I didn't take a shower until I was in college.