Handwashing Equipment

[Heidi]

I've recently gone from 7 in diapers to 3 self-sufficient little people and one young toddler. I used to have to wash everyone's hands FOR them. Now, it's quite a change, as they can all "do it by myself"...well, pretty much.

What do you use for handwashing equipment? I tried push-down soap dispensers, but they have trouble consistently getting the soap out. I tried the same thing with foam soap, but it's terribly messy! For drying, they can't rip off one paper towel very well, even though I tried to get a roller that only dispenses one at a time.

My bathroom is a pigsty of soapy sink and paper towels overflowing the waste basket by mid-morning.


I thought about using individual wash cloths for drying hands, then a laundry basket to put them in to launder (after each use). My issue here is that we are on the lower level. If ONE of those wash cloths gets into the toilet somehow (see my post 3 years ago about little girls panties and toilets), our grinder pump could be shot. Paper towels, while not ideal in a toilet, would at least break down in water.

What's your best solution?

[MissAnn]

I've been thinking about washcloths too. I might set them outside the bathroom so they won't get flushed.

[Controlled Chaos]

I help them wash their hands still. I help them squirt the soap out of the dispenser, sing the hand washing song, help them get the paper towel etc. Most older 2s can go it themselves, but I at least talk them all through it each time except my 2 old 4yos, they are completely independent.

[AuntTami]

What about a dispenser that only dispenses one at a time? Similar to a Kleenex box? As for the soap, we use the foam soap but it does end up very messy. I'm constantly wiping it up

[Unregistered]

Maybe have a clean up time where everyone helps?

[mommiebookworm]

I use a commercial paper towel dispenser mounted at child height. I got it on amazon for $20.63. It really does dispense only one towel at a time. I use the Georgia pacific 21000 towels. I had tried rolls of paper towels, and wash clothes and found that neither method was working well. I also had a Lysol automatic soap dispenser (until it died).

[Baby Beluga]

A paper towel dispenser that allows only one paper towel to come out at a time would be helpful. Kleenex hand towels are like this. Disposable paper towels made for drying hands. I could see it getting costly though.

On a side note for the soap - I leaned the other day if you wrap a rubber band or hair tie around the neck of the soap bottle it cuts the amount of soap dispensed by about half. I have 3 here who can potty/wash/dry alone but they go through so much soap. This works wonders

ETA: what if you cut paper towels and put them in an old wipe container? Then they could just pull one out at a time when needed.

[daycare]

I have been using individual hand towel that get used once like a paper towel and they go into a tall wooden laundry basket. I have 14 kids and we can make it through the whole day. I was at the end of each day and then lay them flat and place in a basket on the sink. i have to teach them to only take one.

for the soap I have a hand pump and I still help all of the kids a little, excluding my 4.5-5year olds. they are 100% self sufficient.

I clean the counters down after our scheduled bathroom breaks, not after each use.

[Heidi]

Thank you all!

I am going with the above mentioned tri-fold paper towel dispenser and a wall mounted soap dispenser.

[Unregistered]

I use individual tiny towels( wipe size) and one per use . I just teach the kids one at a time and into the dirty bag. Over 3 years i have not had one go down the toilet. I have enough to last me a week and all i did was cut up bed sheets. I do not want the excess waste of paper towels.
My friend uses one towel per child per day so each child knows their towel color for the day and they use their individual ones.
I am sure going to try the elastic on the soap pump! They go through it fast!