The yellow cloth is the grossest kitchen thing I know
There were quite a few reactions to my disgust over the yellow cleaning cloth in other people’s kitchens in this article. That cloth hanging over the tap, millimetres away from the water you’re about to drink. YUCK. The comments ranged from total recognition to “but what are you supposed to do with it then??”… But just to emphasise my point once again: I genuinely can’t stand a wet, slimy rag like that.
And of course there are plenty of other disgusting habits people maintain (just read this piece by my colleague Adeline about 7 filthy sins in the home). But this is firmly number 1 for me. I find it so revolting that I haven’t allowed dishcloths on my kitchen counter for years. I can genuinely make myself nauseous by thinking about one of those scrunched-up yellow cloths in my hand, with that almost slimy layer over it bearing witness to the billions of bacteria crawling in and on it.
A yellow cloth… over your face?!
It can get much worse with that yellow cloth, because—horror of horrors!—at FavorFlav’s Sharon’s family home, they used to simply wipe that very same cloth over the children’s faces in between cleaning the kitchen counter. Sharon: ‘I therefore think that nobody has a bigger yellow-cloth phobia than my sister, brothers and me…’
So how do we clean at home? Sharon: ‘Those Glorix wipes, always and everywhere, except for my son’s face. Maybe not exactly environmentally friendly, but that kind of trauma runs deep, you know…’
Am I going to waste hell?
I do have some ultra-recycled kitchen paper at home that almost feels like cardboard. I don’t even tear off a whole sheet, because I know that would land me in the special corner of hell reserved for environmental barbarians. I’ve become very skilled at tearing off just a few square centimetres at a time, which is precisely enough to remove one sizeable splash.
Compensatory behaviour
When I’m in a very specialised mood, and definitely at the end of the evening, I tear off a slightly larger piece of kitchen paper and spray it with my homemade cleaning solution made from water, eco-friendly washing-up liquid and a splash of rubbing alcohol. I make this solution myself, in a spray bottle I’ve literally had for years, of course, to reduce the chance of ending up in the aforementioned corner of hell. Karma calculations, guys…
Out of sight
And I admit, there are of course times when using a cloth is unavoidable. We have a special cloth that can go in the dishwasher, and since a standard programme reaches 60°–70° C, the cloth is properly cleaned afterwards too. Also present: a piece of pipe in the cupboard under the sink, over which another occasionally used cloth can be hung straight away, after which I slam the cupboard door shut.
Whether this is a hygienic place for such a cloth, hidden away in the dark without ventilation? No, I’m under no illusion whatsoever about that. But at least I don’t have to see the thing in question. Classic denial, of course, but I keep telling myself that a less nervous me is a more fun me…
And while I’m at it, a little request to the catering industry: no battered yellow cloth on a tray, please!
Also read:
- Why you should clean your water bottle much more often than you already do
- Never put this in the dishwasher
- Hack: cleaning the microwave
