Using A Cloth Or Single Use Wipes After Meal Time.. What Do You Do?

[Jewels]

I was using paper towels, but recently placed an order on towel hub.com and bought 25 dozen washcloths, it was $120 with shipping, but i spend that on paper towels in a year I'm sure, I would never use one washcloth and use it on multiple children, first its against regulations, and second its against them for a really good reason, towels spread germs big time! So I agree with the mother on that one, I wouldn't want to see my kid being wiped with a towel another kid was just cleaned with.
And as above, I always take them to the sink and wash them with soap and water first, the towels be it paper or wash cloth are only for drying, I am not a fan of food smell on kids and like to wash as much away as possible.
And with 25 dozen that gives me enough to get through most of the week I hope without doing a load, maybe ill have to do one, I still will only have children use one per time and then throw it in the dirty

[jessrlee]

I use wipes. I spend $15 every 3 weeks for 12 kiddos. Would you wash your face after someone else? I wouldn't. I know wipes aren't the greenest thing out there but I haaaaaaate laundry!

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I would be grossed out, too, if I was that parent!

It's against our licensing requirements to re-use a cloth on more than one child. This includes bathroom towels (you must get disposable ones or have one for each child).

For messy faces, I bought a lot of washcloths from Walmart, they are a waffle weave material, and use those at mealtimes. Yes, I go through a lot of them but it saves on the waste of paper towels. I wash them every other day.

[nothingwithoutjoy]

Each of my children has an assigned color. I have 5 washcloths/child and 2 handtowels/child, all white with colored ribbons for hanging. Washcloths hang in my kitchen on little hooks; towels in the bathroom. I launder washcloths every day and towels once a week (or more often if they seem soiled or kids are sick). I rinse their washcloths with hot soapy water between uses.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I use wash clothes also. Separate clean one for each child, each meal. They go into a dishpan with my kitchen towels, all white. Every other day the get bleached and washed. I use to use paper towels in the bathroom but recently switched to wash clothes to dry hand too. They are in a basket and after used are tossed into a trash can designated for them. I wash this every other day and my little girls love to fold them! They are the only two usually here that early on those days. Not leaving guys out
Yes, we do more laundry but, I feel it is cleaner and I can't wipe as well with paper!

[williams2008]

In my state regs say we can use individual cloth towels or paper towels.

[MNMum]

I have a stack of jersey "facecloths" that I cut from tshirts. I use a new one for each child and I just toss them in a bin in my kitchen and wash them every 2 days. I have enough to get through a couple of days. I use them for faces and hands. It's super easy to wet a stack of them at once.

I am similar to this. However, I made washcloths that are jersey material on one side, baby towel material (or receiving blanket) on the other. I picked up a bunch of towels, receiving blankets at garage sales for a quarter each. I am by no means a seamstress, so they are not "pretty", but they get the job done. I use my kids old t-shirts or leggings after they are too worn out to be passed on to someone else. My kids like seeing their old clothes! Used once, then put in bin for wash. I have enough to get me through about a week. For wiping down the changing table, I have baby washcloths. I've also collected those at garage sales over the years. In the bathroom, each child has an Ikea washcloth that has a tag to hang it from.

So usually one load of laundry for the week for all of my kitchen and bathroom linen. I then have 3 little slaves that fold and redistribute the linens

[itlw8]

I have a stack of jersey "facecloths" that I cut from tshirts. I use a new one for each child and I just toss them in a bin in my kitchen and wash them every 2 days. I have enough to get through a couple of days. I use them for faces and hands. It's super easy to wet a stack of them at once.

why did I not think of that ???? I do use them to make super hero cape but then toss the other half... what soft cloths they must make you are so smart...

Oh I just take the child to the sink and wash hands and face.

[itlw8]

I use wash clothes also. Separate clean one for each child, each meal. They go into a dishpan with my kitchen towels, all white. Every other day the get bleached and washed. I use to use paper towels in the bathroom but recently switched to wash clothes to dry hand too. They are in a basket and after used are tossed into a trash can designated for them. I wash this every other day and my little girls love to fold them! They are the only two usually here that early on those days. Not leaving guys out
Yes, we do more laundry but, I feel it is cleaner and I can't wipe as well with paper!

Love that idea also the lady that came in to help care for my Mother had a basket of white washcloths that Mother folded. Mothers vision was pretty well gone but that was a task she could do. She never knew it was the same basket every day.

[MarinaVanessa]

I use baby wipes to wipe kids anything ... the parents supply them and they all know. Clients with babies supply me with either a new bin of baby wipes or a large bag of wipes to refill the bins with when they get low. Clients of older kids (kids out of diapers) supply me with small bags of baby wipes (the kind that have the opening on the top). I don't use paper towels or napkins here to clean but I also don't use the same cloth on more than one child.

My bathroom has a dispenser with tri-fold paper towels though, I wouldn't use a cloth towel in there for all of the kids to use either.

To clean up spills and messes I use terry cloths which I may use again like to wipe a table and then the chairs and then finish with it by using it on the floor as well but I wait until the end of the meal and after I excuse all of the kids and spray the table and chairs with bleach/water solution, wipe it with the cloth and then wipe up the floor with that same cloth, then it goes into the laundry basket.

[JoseyJo]

Each of my children has an assigned color. I have 5 washcloths/child and 2 handtowels/child, all white with colored ribbons for hanging. Washcloths hang in my kitchen on little hooks; towels in the bathroom. I launder washcloths every day and towels once a week (or more often if they seem soiled or kids are sick). I rinse their washcloths with hot soapy water between uses.

This is what we do too- We don't use washcloths though- after meals everyone washes up in the bathroom sink (even little ones w/ help) and dries their hands on their own hand towel that is hung on their own hook on the wall. We wash the hand towels once a week minimum, but usually close to twice a week. They are white with colored ribbons- we bleach them when we wash them though so the ribbons eventually turn pastel

We also have a basket with a large stack of dry washcloths (probably 2 dozen) in the bathroom at all times in case a parent or anyone else needs to use one to dry hands- those go straight to the laundry after one use.

In the kitchen we have a 1 gallon bucket that we fill with hot soapy water and about a dozen white cleaning cloths every morning, and a stack of dry cleaning cloths next to it. We use the wet ones to clean the tables, floors, counter, etc as needed- we use the dry ones to dry the tables, chairs, counters after we spray w/ bleach water (our state regs require washing and sanitation before/after each use of a table or counter). We have a separate little bin the in the laundry room for all the white cloths and we bleach them when the bin gets full.

Sounds like a lot but we spend maybe $20 a year replacing cloths as they wear out.

[crunchymama]

We use cloth, at the beginning of the meal each child gets a new cloth (or rag as we call them here) and they use that rag as a napkin during the meal then I use it to wipe hands and faces. After eating and wiping they take their rag and put it in the rag basket to be washed. We go through a lot of rags each day so the bottom drawer in my kitchen is designated as just rags and the kids know to get them anytime they need to.

[LK5kids]

Oh my goodness....no they don't share wash cloths! I use wipes. New one for each kid.

I may go the big stack of wash cloths......maybe. Will still use disposable towels to dry off at the sink. Years ago I used the separate towel to dry off with. I did that for ten years. It just didn't seem that sanitary. I Need to go back and read more carefully on what you all do. I always thought the kids might not pay attention and use others towels.

I only washed them once a week but it seemed like I should do it more often, just never got around to it!

[JenNJ]

Barf!

I use colored wash cloths. Each kid has their own color. I also use those for drying hands in the bathroom. I wash twice a week when I wash my dish towels and cleaning rags. I bought 3 $5 packs at Wal-Mart.

[JenNJ]

In the kitchen we have a 1 gallon bucket that we fill with hot soapy water and about a dozen white cleaning cloths every morning, and a stack of dry cleaning cloths next to it. We use the wet ones to clean the tables, floors, counter, etc as needed- we use the dry ones to dry the tables, chairs, counters after we spray w/ bleach water (our state regs require washing and sanitation before/after each use of a table or counter). We have a separate little bin the in the laundry room for all the white cloths and we bleach them when the bin gets full.

Sounds like a lot but we spend maybe $20 a year replacing cloths as they wear out.

PLEASE rethink this idea. Kids can drown in as little as an inch of water. I am really uncomfortable with this bucket sitting around all day.