? for wash cloth users

[curbsideprophet]

In the bathing/wash cloth thread some seemed to feel they were not as clean if they did not use a wash cloth or something similar to help get them clean.

If you feel more clean because you use a wash cloth, what about routine hand washing throughout the day? Do you feel your hands are still dirty if you only use soap and water to wash them?

Just curious.

[Deleted]

I was on team pouf.

I like lather in order to feel clean (although that's maybe illusory?). I can get hand soap to lather because I rub my hands together when I wash, but particularly if I use body wash instead of bar soap, I can't get enough lather to get all over my body. Also, I have trouble getting the body wash all over my body -- I use a ton because I keep feeling like it is all gone from my hands. Whereas when I use a pouf, I have lots of lather and know that there's lots of gel left to spread to the other parts of my body.

But I have the same problem with wash cloths, actually.

[mrssavy42112]

Sept 7, 2012 13:23:31 GMT -5 v said:

I was on team pouf.

I like lather in order to feel clean (although that's maybe illusory?). I can get hand soap to lather because I rub my hands together when I wash, but particularly if I use body wash instead of bar soap, I can't get enough lather to get all over my body. Also, I have trouble getting the body wash all over my body -- I use a ton because I keep feeling like it is all gone from my hands. Whereas when I use a pouf, I have lots of lather and know that there's lots of gel left to spread to the other parts of my body.

But I have the same problem with wash cloths, actually.

Yep. Using a poof or a hand scrubby helps with the lather & also helps to reach more areas. I don’t need to use anything to wash my hands. Like PP said, the rubbing is enough to create a good lather.

[catbus]

Lather does not clean more effectively than no lather, but friction does. The amount of lather from a cleanser doesn't necessarily correlate to how well it cleans. In fact, the thick lather in mass-market body washes, shampoos, etc. is created by sulfates, which can be quite harsh on the skin without improving how well the product cleans.

That said, when I wash my hands I don't necessarily use a lot of soap, but I do use warm water and rub my hands together a lot to make friction work in my favor.

[stephm0188]

I have acne prone skin, and a washcloth helps me exfoliate. I'm okay with just hands if I happen to forget to grab one before I get in the shower, or if I'm traveling.

[Deleted]

I use a wash cloth frequently (but not always) when showering, because running water over your body and rubbing doesn't always get dirt and sweat off. It's not about the type of soap or amount of reach, it's about dirt, mud, sweat, bike grease, etc, sticking to my skin and needing to be properly scrubbed to come off. When I'm dirty and I lack a washcloth, I scrub using my fingernails if need be.

As for handwashing, vigorous rubbing usually does it. If I've been working on a bicycle and have bike grease on my hands then soap and water will mostly sanitize them, but they may still have black marks which require something like Gojo Orange cleaner (complete with grit for better cleaning) to get them really clean.

[Deleted]

I was my hands with soap, unless I get something really nasty on them, then I break out a wash cloth or brush or Gojo cleaner.

If people are washing their hands appropriately, they're spending a few minutes rubbing them together, for two small hands. If I had to rub my hands all over each part of my body for that length of time just to get clean it would take forever. Thus, a wash cloth.

I kind of think that people who just wash with a bar of soap never get dirty. Like, actually touch dirt and stuff. I don't feel a huge need to use a wash cloth when I sit in my office all day, but if we go out on the river or something, or I garden, I get dirt on me, and dirt requires a wash cloth. There's just no way rubbing a bar of soap on your body is going to remove grease, dirt, grime, etc.

[AAM2012]

I don't think you can compare washing your hands to washing your entire body with a small piece of soap. Especially for those who have a lot of body mass to cover.

[lanyac]

I use a wash cloth for the exfoliation. Soap really doesn't do anything, lol. Straight water kills most bacteria. I switch the wash cloth out weekly when I bleach whites.

[catbus]

Sept 7, 2012 15:37:37 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Bubbles/lather don't help with cleaning. That was a marketing gimmick.

But then again, we're stinky Seattle hippies, right?

[curbsideprophet]

Thanks for the replies.

[GailGoldie]

Sept 7, 2012 13:23:31 GMT -5 v said:

I was on team pouf.

I like lather in order to feel clean (although that's maybe illusory?). I can get hand soap to lather because I rub my hands together when I wash, but particularly if I use body wash instead of bar soap, I can't get enough lather to get all over my body. Also, I have trouble getting the body wash all over my body -- I use a ton because I keep feeling like it is all gone from my hands. Whereas when I use a pouf, I have lots of lather and know that there's lots of gel left to spread to the other parts of my body.

But I have the same problem with wash cloths, actually.

this is why i don't like body wash (my dh loves it)... i feel like it washes off too fast - if i use a bar soap i get constant lather.