Guenmai

I always have two washcloths at a time at home...one for the face and one for the body. I don't see it anymore unsanitary than using a towel. You hang it up, next to the towel, and also let it dry out. Happy Travels!

adeben

I have understood from posts on this thread that the problem is that facecloths, unlike towels, are generally NOT provided by hotels. That means that anyone carrying a facecloth while travelling will have to pack it wet (or at least damp), and therefore it will not have the opportunity to dry out. If days of travel are reasonably constant,then the facecloth will be constantly damp, not, I suspect, a condition that would add to its appeal (given that, to some posters at least, the initial appeal of a facecloth is, at best, marginal!)

Luisah

<<That means that anyone carrying a facecloth while travelling will have to pack it wet (or at least damp), and therefore it will not have the opportunity to dry out.>.

That's easily remedied by taking more than one.

asalamy

Based on my travels Ireland is one of the few places where they actually had washcloths at the hotels and B&Bs! (Galway and Aran Islands most recently)

I don't believe I've ever seen them on the Continent.

diddl_maus

Luisah - This may be a dumb question, but how would taking more than one solve the problem? Then you would have more than one stinky damp washrag in a bag.

bratsandbeer

Just take disposable washcloths. Huggies has a great one - more like a real washcloth. It is for children but works great.

Or cut up an old towel into squares and throw one away every day. I have done that and it works great.

janisj

&quot;<i>This may be a dumb question, but how would taking more than one solve the problem? Then you would have more than one stinky damp washrag in a bag.</i>&quot;

Nope -if one is a &quot;wash cloth person&quot; - one can take several old or cheap ones along and dispose of them as they go. No need to carry damp/moldy wash cloths anywhere.

sheri_lp

I took a shower puff - it can dry faster and is easily crammed into a little ziploc

sandra3120

I don't know but it seems the debate is more about having a traditional towel type washing cloth rather than disposable ones for the face only despite the fact the many objections regarded using the disposable wipes and those being problematic because of some sort of reaction to them. I suspect that those who need washcloths need them because that's what they use at home, not that there aren't other and better solutions. That being the case, I guess in order to be safe they'll need to cut up towels and dispose daily of something that is meant to be reused rather than buying something that is meant to be disposed of. As for carrying soaps and toilet paper, I don't understand that all: unless you are in some third world country where you need to use leaves, everyone's got toilet paper for crying out loud, and if you don't like the brand offered, go buy something else, but why waste your packing space?

carolynk

You can find microfiber washcloths (do an internet search) that dry very quickly and come in a plastic, ziploc-type bag. I use one only at night (when I need to make sure all my make-up is off) and shower (without one) in the morning, so mine is always dry when I pack it. You just have to be careful not to leave it behind.

Challiman

Sandra, I beg to differ. I've been in places in several countries, Greece, France, and Italy, where toilet paper was not supplied as we traveled around, and handwashing soap was either absent or empty. Not hotels, but metro stations, monasteries, ruins, etc. I ALWAYS have toilet paper when I travel. As for washcloths, I think it is just a personal preference. I'm from the US, have always used them, but not all friends do. I find that traveling offers enough challenges without having itchy skin from odd soaps and lotions, and prefer to take disposable washcloths and toss them after one use. Easier on going through security, too. I tried several kinds before finding ones that didn't irritate my skin or leave an odd scent. To each his own. Amazing how such a simple topic can cause some rather strong opinions and even a few kind of nasty ones.

Nikki

Of the many things I have learned on Fodors, one of the most strange is the way people react to other people's bathing habits. It would never have occurred to me that anyone would find it unsanitary to use a wash cloth, that it would be considered a personal item that shouldn't be shared after laundering, or that anybody would actually go to the trouble of criticizing somebody else for wanting to use what was most comfortable for them.

I use a wash cloth, I always have. For me, it is just the routine. I like the feeling of it on my skin, I use much less soap than I do if I keep the soap in my hand (although I am sure the people who shower that way routinely must have a technique that I have never mastered), I don't know any better way to get soap out of my eyes when I wash my hair, and it just feels right.

Bringing them along has never been a problem. They have never gotten stinky. If they are wet when I pack them in a baggie, I take them out and they dry at the next hotel. They weigh almost nothing. The thin ones dry very quickly.