Baby Washcloths for Drying Hands

Last winter it seemed like we were getting sick all the time.  Somewhere during that time I stopped by our local cloth diaper store.  In the bathroom, instead of having one hand towel everyone shared and instead of disposable, they had these little knitted squares in a stack for us to use to dry our hands.  You grabbed one, dried your hands, then tossed it in the garbage can which was not lined, just a pail that was then taken to the wash.  No chance of sharing germs by sharing a towel.

I loved this idea.  Previously we had tried the Kleenex disposable hand towels that sit in your towel bar.  This worked great, but it was expensive.  So when I saw this reusable cloth hand towel idea, I was sold.

Now, I am not a knitter, so what could I use?  Baby washcloths are the right size and pretty cheap.  I already had quite a stash.  So I set up my station.  I found this little wooden crate I have had around for years, set it on it's side and stacked the towels inside it.  I soon found I needed more towels then I had so I ordered a twelve pack for like 7 or 8 bucks from Target to add to my collection.  Rainbow colored which makes it fun for the kids.

Next I was thinking about where to put the used towels in my home.  They used a garbage can at the shop but I didn't want to give my kids the idea that we threw washcloths away.  So I decided on a little basket on the counter.  I found one we happened to have kept from when I received a gift basket of some sort.  It's right by the door on the way out.

Then wash and reuse.  The only problems I have run into are actually with the colors.  The kids each want a certain color to dry their hands with which isn't always the towel at the top.  Then it becomes a big mess.  But we are working on it.  I just remind them to take the one from the top. If I am in there with them, which I normally am, then I can help them get the color they want.

The big perk of this set up? It made hand washing just a little more fun and exciting.  Which makes hand washing happen more often and more willingly.  This of course has only added to our hand cleanliness - big bonus. 

Here is the whole set up.