Do you wash your bath towels after one use?

[susanne]

My mother (whom we just lost this past March) always said that her children would never remember how clean she kept her house, but that we would remember that she played with us.

She was so right -- and she was an awesome playmate!

My father always said that a neat desk is the sign of a sick mind. He, too, believed in playing with us, even playing trombone and marching in parades in the summer marching band.

Their lack of "neat and tidy" genes (and dedication to enjoying life) combined to create in me a woftone of messiness.

(I had an aunt who believed that the sign of a good housekeeper was that the "mouths" of their ketchup bottles were spotless -- she also believed there were rules in life...she was proof of genetic variation)

If bevann and Chanda are president and vice president of the Slob Club, I'm chairman of the board! If anyone saw my house, I'd have to shoot them. If germs were truly a threat, I'd be dead.

Enough said!

 

[bevann]

Sounds like this may be a very large club.After my term as president is over I'm sure I will be a Lifetime Member.1 good thing about growing older is that my eyesight is not a s good as it was, so I don't see as much of the dirt and dust as before.I want my tombstone to say "She had a good time!!!"I'm even planning my memorial service after I'm gone. I want it to be held in my barn and all of my dog and horsey friends to come and bring their animals and listen to lots of country music. My only regret is that I won't be there to enjoy it.Maybe in a few years I should have it before I die so I get to party with my friends.My kids think I'm nuts, anyway.

 

[tagalong]

As my smooth fox terrier ages, she has had "leajs" when she is sleeping - and she does sleep on the bed with me and the border terrier. The best solution was doggie diapers for overnight - TA-DAH!!! - no more accidents. And they also have ther own "layer" as Jill suggested... not that it always stays in place...

 

[Riverrose28]

This thread is so funny, when I was in my 20's and 30's my house was so clean you could eat off the floors, I was obsessed, and had a schedule that even included closets and windows. Now that I'm headed for 70 I could care less, in fact I'm sitting here looking at dust bunnies under my table. The horses neck sweats get washed after every use, but towels, nope, I hang mine and use them two or three times. I used to be so obsessed I ironed the sheets, no more, wash and put on the bed. I do hate it though when dog hair sticks me, but my jack likes to burrow in. I have better things to do with my time then worry about the house work or laundry. My horses need me, hay they are clean and happy.

 

[Shari]

I have to wash the towels after one use... was trained into me since I was a kid.

Now the rest of the house, is what I call a comfortable clean... not too clean but not dirty either. VBG

 

[wildoak]

Something about living in the country, being out with horses all day and watching dust settle on my furniture as soon as it's been wiped off - and just getting older (& not sweating the small stuff LOL) has all factored in to make me care a lot less about my house being immaculate than I used to. I think having kids was the first break in my resistance LOL. I don't like clutter, but I live with a confirmed "saver" of everything so I've had to adapt. My house is presentable but not spotless, unless I've been on a cleaning binge & expecting company. Towels get washed about once a week (shower at least once a day), same with sheets usually. House dogs mostly sleep on the floor, so just our germs there and the dang king sized sheets are a chore to get off and on! Kitchen, I use paper towels. Wasteful, yes I know but I do object to drying clean hands on dirty dishtowels and I do wash my hands constantly it seems, everytime I come in from the barn/grocery, etc. The kitchen thing that grosses me out the most is probably the the sponge in the sink. They go through the dishwasher until I can justify tossing them. What else? Yes, I drink from the same glass all day but it's mostly just water or ice tea...and I fill it everytime I come in the house this time of year. I think that's all of my dirty little secrets.

Very funny thread....

Jan

 

[Helicopter]

I have a pact with the germs. I leave them alone and they leave me alone.

As for ironing I don't even know where my iron is. The last thing I ironed was about 7 years ago when I ironed a stick on patch onto a horse rug.

 

[LindaL]

My mom (a "50's housewife") cleaned all the time...dusted, there was never a sink full of dishes, laundry done daily, etc...

I don't know what happened to me, but...I am NOT like that. There is a "family get together joke"...If someone sees me cooking, cleaning, etc they say "Quick, take a picture...Linda is "......"

The only time my house is "clean" is when company is coming over! LOL

Back to the original topic...Deb and I use towels at least 4-5 times, before it gets put into the dirty laundry pile...notice I said pile and not actually washed...lol Sheets...I "think" about changing sheets, but...honestly, they can go a "time" before they are done...

Of course, if a dog has barfed on them or whatever else happens, they get changed out right then, but...

I also wear shorts/pants and bras 2-3 times, unless they get sweaty or dirty while wearing them. Undies, socks (if I wear them) and tops get worn once.

While I don't shower daily usually anymore (unless I am leaving the property...lol) I am an obsessive hand washer...I must wash my hands 100 times a day. LOL If I even think about germs on my hands (EXCEPT when I am out with the horses), I MUST wash them!

 

[Davie]

Add me to to slob club--Im a lifetime member

. If I don't do at least one load of wash a day it might be three or four days before it will get done so I try--SAID TRY--to do at least one a day. Now I did not say anything about getting it folded and put away did I

? Sheets get done every week to 10 days as the dogs insist on sleeping with me. Towels get done when I have a load to do -- do have lots of towels--buy them all the time as I always need them for the horses--I use them first--the horses get the hand-me-downs.

If I don't clean up after myself in the kitchen at night before I sit down I'm in trouble because before you know it I can't see the counter tops. I do steam vac my kitchen floors every day as the dogs are confined to the kitchen tile while I'm at work so there is an ocassional accident before I get home. I love my Steam Vac.

Don't ask how long it has been since I looked at the cob webs at the corners or ceiling, I'm afraid to look.

I'm somewhat RESISTANT to doing housework. My mother was a perfectionist when it came to her house and if I wanted spending money during the summer I had to wash the dishes, clean the bathrooms including toilet, and vacuum the floors every day (now I'm dating myself) for a quarter a day. How she did it I don't know and she was a seamstress as well and sewed all the time--she made all her cloths as well as mine--she was a stay-at-home mom.

When Mom and Dad would come down for a visit and I was at work, but the time I got home my house was spotless and if she did not know where things went there were piles for me to put away.

I used to be better than I am now since it is just me at home--but my motto is "If you don't like how my house looks there are always chairs on the porch."

 

[Matt73]

I do not wash my towel after every use, I probably use it 4-5 times before washing it. Sheets about once a week. Are there germs on it? Absolutely! It is a proven fact that we as a society have become so germaphobe that it often leads to illness...if you don't expose your body to the germs (to a certain extent), you can not build up an immunity to them. I consider myself very clean, my house is spotless, but I am not a germaphobe. I know a few people who are and they are sick constantly. Colds, flu, virus'....these are also the people who will not eat a french fry if their life depended on it...some are vegetarians...guess what? I am a healthier weight than them (actually thiner)...does it mean I'm healthier? Probably not...but I sure am not sick as often and I don't fret over every little thing I touch or eat. Life is about living, and I intend to do just that!

I don't sweat the small stuff!

I do the same as you and completely agree with you on the germ thing. We NEED to be exposed to germs regularly to build up immunity. The people and kids that will get sick first are the ones that have been freakishly kept away from any germs; once exposed, they get very ill, very easily. Let your kids roll around in horse poo, eat dirt, etc. They'll be much healthier in the long run.

 

[LindaL]

I also agree with the "germ thing", where you need to be exposed to germs to build up your immunity. Until I moved to Florida I worked at a dry cleaners for 8 plus years. I stuck my hands in everyone's clothes pockets...and would at least once daily pull out a used kleenex...along with other random things...

We kept hand sanitizer near us, but usually didn't use it unless really needed. I was always careful to keep my hands away from my face...and also washed my hands when I could. But, I was rarely sick, because I was exposed to everyone's germs on a daily basis. No, it's not the best way to become immune...sometimes it was pretty nasty...lol...but it did work. I just learned (for the most part) not to think about it.

 

[chandab]

I also agree with the "germ thing", where you need to be exposed to germs to build up your immunity. Until I moved to Florida I worked at a dry cleaners for 8 plus years. I stuck my hands in everyone's clothes pockets...and would at least once daily pull out a used kleenex...along with other random things...

We kept hand sanitizer near us, but usually didn't use it unless really needed. I was always careful to keep my hands away from my face...and also washed my hands when I could. But, I was rarely sick, because I was exposed to everyone's germs on a daily basis. No, it's not the best way to become immune...sometimes it was pretty nasty...lol...but it did work. I just learned (for the most part) not to think about it.

I used to work at a bank as a teller, there is almost nothing dirtier than money. And, everyone has to go to the bank, including when they are sick.

Shortly after I got married I quit that job, too far to drive for the wages they paid, and I've hardly had a sick day since. [i had at least two colds a winter while I worked there.]

 

[Jill]

For those of you who need a new cup / glass for each time you get drink, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out the germ killing properties of good alcohol, like vodka

... and again, vodka mixes with everything

 

[susanne]

Ya know, Jill...we're broken off opposite ends of the same stick. We may be worlds apart when it comes to politics, but we meet at pets and alcohol!

We always touted the germ-killing properties of alcohol at college parties when questioning if we had the right cup of beer...

 

[Jill]

Susanne, I should be ashamed to admit it, but pets and booze are closer to my heart than politics

Throw in the fact that we both love small horses, and I am more than sure we'd be visiting regularly friends if we didn't live thousands of miles apart

 

[Jill]

PS if you haven't tried "Platinum 7x" vodka, check it out!!! It comes in a cobalt blue triangular bottle and is distilled 7x (hey -- no hang over!). It's better than grey goose and is less than $20 for a big bottle. I only discovered it recently, but it is my favorite Vokda of any price, hands down

 

[~Lisa~]

Susanne, I should be ashamed to admit it, but pets and booze are closer to my heart than politics

And that is why we all get along!!!!

I just heard today there is cotton candy flavored Vodka I have been really liking the peach but will be headed to the liquor store this week to see what other flavors i can find

 

[susanne]

PS if you haven't tried "Platinum 7x" vodka, check it out!!! It comes in a cobalt blue triangular bottle and is distilled 7x (hey -- no hang over!). It's better than grey goose and is less than $20 for a big bottle. I only discovered it recently, but it is my favorite Vokda of any price, hands down

oohhh...no hangover AND a cool bottle? I may just stop by even if we ARE on opposite sides of the country!

 

[Gilly]

Do you have heated towel rails? I would say the majority of homes here would have them. Electrically heated rails that hang horizontally, usually 3-5 bars that you hang your towels on after use, they dry the towels really fast and also help keep the bathroom drier too.

 

[Annabellarose]

If you use a spare flat sheet to lay over your bedspread or comforter, you will save MANY washings of the heavier bedding.

I do something similar to that. I love (and seem to collect!) throws, especially those fleece throws that seem to pop up for sale everywhere in the cooler months, and I place a thick fleece throw over the bottom half of the bed for my dog to lay on (all year long). She loves fleece and it keeps the comforter or quilt on top of our bedding clean as well as our feet warmer (which is particularly nice in the cooler months). Once in awhile she will "fizz" in the middle of the night and I just scoop it up quickly and throw it in the laundry basket and get out a clean one.

I shower every day (I have to as I have extremely oily skin and hair) and sometimes I will shower twice a day (if I work harder than usual at the barn or in the yard, if it is particularly hot and I sweat a lot, if I trim hooves, if I move hay, if I do any weedeating, if I fall, etc.). When I do shower I practically scrap my skin off (I just can't get clean enough!) and let me say that those "mesh poufs" (Remember when "bodywash" became all the rage 10 years ago or so?) are my best friend! That said, I only put out new bath towels every 5-7 days. We are also careful to hang our bath towels so that dry quickly, bath towels go "sour" if they do not dry quickly enough.

I do use a clean dishrag every time I wash dishes (but it's not like dishrags pile up fast). I have and use a dishwasher and I usually only have to wash knives and plastics (that can't or shouldn't go into the dishwasher) about once a week (and I try not to cook more than 2 or 3 times a week as I hate to cook and we eat with my mother a lot as she likes to cook).

I keep all of my toilets, all of my sinks (in the bathrooms and in the kitchen), and all of my bathtubs freakishly clean. I do not allow my laundry to pile up at all (I am usually "twitchy" to wash it before there are proper-sized loads to fill my washing machine). I do not allow dishes to pile up on the counters at all. ...but, there are dog and old man (LOL, I married an older man!) tumbleweed hairballs on my floors.