Mama Exposed 7

To deal with life we create systems...little routines that get things done.  Some of my systems are really great, some are really terrible and then there are those that actually work just fine but were developed out of necessity breeding a bad habit and desperately need reworked. Mine is dishrags.  I refuse to use sponges in my kitchen, but rather choose wash rags for dishes and wiping down surfaces.  Each rag only lasts about a day (sometimes less) and is replaced the next morning and sent to the wash.
Enter: the basement. 
First let me apprise you of the situation: unfinished, dark, prone to crickets, featuring the laundry machines at one far end, a mixture of random musical equipment/stage equipment at the far opposite end, and every bit wall shelving and floor space between the two collecting storage items, tools, craft materials, donation items, etc... It is a place I would never let you see, already a catch-all, unwelcoming space it's worth another "mama exposed" post in and of itself.  The door is located just outside my kitchen.  Therefore, when a kitchen rag gets smelly or in need of washing, I inevitably just open up the door and throw it on the stairs because I don't want to walk all the way down and over to the laundry for one silly rag.  The next time I go down, I pick up the rags and bring them with me.  So, as often as not, there is some dirty, nasty rag sitting on the basement steps.  Even I am grossed out by this, but it's become such a habit and it works, so I haven't re-worked the system.
I need some suggestions: It's not acceptable to leave the rag upstairs because they get smelly and I like to wash them frequently.  If I put a bucket or something on the stairs, then I am less likely to take the rags down and wash them as frequently, I'll wait until the bucket is full and by then the odor is overwhelming.  I don't want to commit to disposable rags because of cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness. I can't seem to break out of this disgusting rut.  Any ideas? 

Comments

[Kate]

Oh Tricia! We do this too - but it's worse! We do it with ALL of our laundry - and our basement IS finished. So at least once a day I have to gather clothing strewen all over the basement stairs and move it into the laundry room.

My suggestion? Not a great one - but you could put a laundry basket at the bottom of the basement stairs and then just work on your aim....

[Beth]

I despise smelly dish rags too and just refuse to use them. I understand your aversion to sponges as well but I've chosen to go the that route for our kitchen.

I usually have two sitting on the sink, and every time I run the dish washer I run both sponges through on the top rack with the dishes. Once a week I'll soak them in diluted bleach water for 15min after running them through the wash. I replace them about once a month.

Probably not ideal but I have no smelly dish rags piling up in my laundry room and I feel like I keep them moderately sanitary with the dish washer and bleach. Hope that helps!

[Tricia]

Kate - you make me feel so much better! :) Beth, I've tried the sponges in the dishwasher before....I can't remember why I stopped that, maybe I'll have to go back and try again to remember. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Alexandra]

I do something like this too, but my laundry room is pretty close to the kitchen, so I put the wet dish towels in there -but I drape them over the side of the hamper so they dry and therefore don't get smelly. Could you hang a few hooks or even a little towel bar inside the basement door so the rags dry? You could then carry the dry ones down with you on your next trip down the basement steps.

[Alexandra]

I do something like this too, but my laundry room is pretty close to the kitchen, so I put the wet dish towels in there -but I drape them over the side of the hamper so they dry and therefore don't get smelly. Could you hang a few hooks or even a little towel bar inside the basement door so the rags dry? You could then carry the dry ones down with you on your next trip down the basement steps.

[Sara Beth]

So you think that is bad...well get this...I am a clean freak, but our trash cans are located out back behind our house and inside a fence thing. Most of the time I am to lazy to take a walk out there, so instead I would open the door to the garage, and toss the poop diaper into the garage. Then I had poop diapers on the floor and would just pick them up every now and then on my way to the car. Seriously--poop in the garage (terrible when it is hot.) SO we put a trash can right outside the door and now I toss them in there. It also works for other bigger or smelly trash items that I do not want in my kitchen trash. My husband knows it is his job to go and dump it in the big trash before he comes in from work. On to dishrags...
My mom uses sponges and she pops her's in the microwave for 20 seconds every night--the heat kills the germs (or so she says--no idea if this is true or not.) If I were you I would just keep tossing--why change something that works? If it really bothers you to have them there, I agree that a good idea might be a basket at the bottom and some practice on your aim. I know in restaurants they put the rags in a bucket of clean solution, but I am not sure how you would feel about that with the little ones around--it would help the smell though. My laundry room is close to the kitchen, so I also just hang them over the side to dry so that they do not smell. I will say that every night I have the kids just throw all their clothes down the steps and I pick them up when I go down--it is our own little laundry shoot.
Your post makes me laugh because I call the washer and dryer the "laundry machines" too. My husband thinks that is funny. Be glad you have a basement for storage and stuff--we have nothing like that here at the beach. Ahhhh, sea level!

[Diana]

I too am very guilty of this. I also love tossing dirty kid clothes down the stairs, but we have no door to hide our basement steps, so I really need to toss well to avoid the messiness and to keep my laziness of not going down the stairs hidden.

I honestly started putting a laundry basket towards the bottom of the stairs. We have a landing half way through, so it works well. This way if someone comes to my house, it can easily look like I was just taking my laundry up or down the steps.

Another thought is to leave a smaller container (since rags are so small) right inside the door of the basement. Perhaps you can get a cute container of some sort. It can be another great excuse for another great purchase at every mother's coveted store, "The Container Store".

[wendy]

Suggestion 1: Peg hooks on the wall inside the basement door for which to hang a string bag to stow the stinky rags.

Suggestion 2: A small vertical hamper at the base of the stairs or landing. A basket ball hoop to hang above it is optional (kidding).

[wendy]

ps - i bought my peg racks in bulk from this seller on ebay. He doesn't have any up for sale right n now, but you can probably contact him and find out when.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbaileys*woodcraft

They are simple and unfinished and did the trick. i used them on the wall inside the entrance to our basement to hang our string bags and pool bag etc. it serves as a mud room of sorts.

i also used them near our front door for satch to hang his coat and car bag etc. and in the play area of our living room.

pics here
http://motherrising.blogspot.com/2008/07/feathered.html

got my string bags here - we use them for everything. In our old home, I used them to store potatoes and onions etc in our pantry.

http://www.ecobags.com/5GRAB_BAG_of_String_Bags_-_final_sale;jsessionid=0a0106431f430bb24373a90a45c08998ad84efce58b1.e3eSc3eMbxuPe34Pa38Ta38Oc350

[G's momma]

We use rags in our kitchen as well. I have a small plastic basket that I use to the collect the rags throughout the day in the kitchen. At the end of the day (or whenever I do laundry) I throw these in the washer. The benefit of keeping them in the kitchen is that I never forget about them. The downside is that they take up some of my already limited counter space.

[V]

I know this is an "old" post, but I have a lined wicker basket that I "shoot" the rags into from across the kitchen. I swear you just described my issues with rags, my basement, even down to the crickets =) My husband thinks I'm crazy for grabbing a new cloth for every job.

[Susan Hylton]

An old post I know but I recently ran into a great idea I’m going to try out…I currently use a tub next to the sink for my dish clothes and towels, it fills up pretty quickly and then I take it downstairs for washing. I’m not going back to sponges because, despite using the microwave and dishwasher options, it seems they never really get clean. What I’m going to do now is get a small stainless steel trash can with a lid (for me it will be a size to fit on top of the counter because I don’t have the space under for one) and line it with a waterproof bag (like those that Bumpkins sell for cloth diapers). The idea being that the lid keeps the odors at bay and you can just pull the string on the bag and it’s all ready for the wash!!!

[Vicky]

This is hilarious. We actually live in the same neighborhood and so have the same layout- even the unfinished basement part. This house is my first basement experience, having moved from Arizona. But, I do the SAME thing with our dishrags - same spot and everything!! I don't know...I think it sort of works! But, I agree, the basement is not a place to bring visitors. :)