NeoPatrick

Speaking of "disposable" travel washcloths, I find that washcloths do get worm fairly quickly. (Can you tell we really do SCRUB?). But I take some older ones with us and throw them away after a week stay -- or less. And before I toss one, it makes a great "rag" for washing muddly or dusty hiking boots or shoes.

GSteed

3M has invented another super consumer product. Microfiber cloth. It is formulated for different uses. We use one to wash dishes and another to clean furniture as well as one to clean windows! A real wash cloth. After reading this post I will try the dish washing model in the shower. Personal washing is often done with, brushes, pumice stone and textured plastic.

eurogals

When traveling I like to use the Oil of Olay facial cloths that come in packs of 30. There are other similar brands and they are sold at drugstores and Target, etc. Toss when used once.

They have just enough abraison to take off any dead skin on your face without making one chapped. Also contain lanolin. I have a sensitive face and they work great.

I also bring the scrubbie for the shower for the same reason and it dries quickly and can be packed in suitcase without being smelly and wet.

nytraveler

A washcloth is just a very small towel for washing your face. Don;t know if a face cloth is exactly the same - or is a different type of fabric from regular towels.

The reason people say to take one is that many hotels on the continent don;t supply washcloths. Some supply only bath towels, some also hand towels - which may have the same consistency as regular towels or may be like dish cloths (those semi-towely things that you dry pots/pans with).

Christina

I always use one (I"m American) and don't understand how people can really clean themselves well without one. However, I don't even agree with some of these definitions, like the one above. I have never called it a "facecloth" and do not use it to wash my face. It's to wash your body, that's the only place I've used it. I know some people do use it for their face (don't know why as that is the one part that does not get really dirty and is easy to wash with your hands over the sink). I don't know why littlejane would claim a "facecloth" is in every European hotel, as I've only found one in a couple European hotels ever since I've been traveling, at least 20 years.

I do find it hard to grasp soap, as it's slippery, but it isn't easy to wash certain areas by grasping a bar of soap in your hand. They don't clean that well, as some areas need scrubbing (and the exfoliation helps). I don't grasp a bar of soap in it, I rub the bar over it, or squirt the gel in it nowadays, and then rub it to lather it up a bit. I particularly like to use it on areas that get dirty and need some scrubbing, like elbows, feet, and I can use it by grasping one end in each hand to rub and clean my back well in areas that aren't that reachable otherwise.

I really thought the OP was being facetious as Europeans do know what this is, they sell them in stores over there. Why the British in particular are obsessed with calling it a "facecloth" is something I don't get as an American.

NeoPatrick

Just a thought for those who are appalled at the idea of using a washcloth again AFTER washing their private parts. The next time you shower with just your soap and you're washing your face, think for a moment about the last place you had that soap the last time you used it.

EnglishOne

I clean myself perfectly well without a flannel, I use either a soft sponge or one of those netty exfoliating scrubbing things.... which is like a sponge. Flannels remind me of the seventies!! lol... although I do use one occasionally.

audere_est_facere

Why the British in particular are obsessed with calling it a "facecloth" is something I don't get as an American.~>>>>>

We don't call them face-cloths we call them flannels or, at a push, face-flannels.

specs

I think wash cloths are essential when visiting the UK and Europe. How else can you get warm water to wash your face? Cupping your hands over the sink and trying to get a bit of water from the cold tap, to mix with scalding water from the hot tap never works. Until it is universally understood that water, unlike beverages, is best enjoyed warm, I will bring a wash cloth.

EnglishOne

Specs, maybe us ladies find it easier as we have various creams, cleansers, wipes and cotton wool with which to do the job ;-)

jgarvey

I grew up calling them "washrags." Took me a while to learn the more genteel "washcloth." I've also noticed that young people here us US also prefer to use those net type things, but personally I don't like them. It just feels like it is sliding over my skin and not getting the job done. Give me my old washrag any day!

Josser

Specs
Sinks and washbasins have a thing called a plug.
You insert the plug and mix hot and cold water in the sink.
The plug stops the water escaping.
It also stops wastage of water because the water stays in the sink impeded by the plug.
When you have washed your face, you remove the plug and hey presto, the water escapes.

mari5

Interesting.....such individual ideas! and I guess the bottom line is whichever way one prefers to handle their own "body washing" is the BEST way.
We lived overseas 5 years, and travel once or twice a year, and washcloths are/were pretty much non exhistant in European hotels....but some are using them now. They are easy to find in the upper priced OR large American hotel chains in Europe.
I use to think they are a "necessity",but have changed my mind on this.
Many ladies use only cleanser on their faces and NEVER ever put water on it,...and they have gorgeous complexions.
Also: I think a lot of things are better in UK and Europe than in America...,however the exception is :.. I've never understood the reluctance to still have a hot and a cold tap/faucet separate, instead of channeling them into ONE faucet.

eurogals: re; the Oil of Olay Cleanser cloths. You say they have lanolin! I an not allergic to much , however lanolin is one thing that really make me itch...and have heard this from other people. I didn't realize they still used lanolin in many things anymore!
Well, a good old bar of Ivory with no washcloth can cleanse many bodies well...IF one rolls it around before shower to "cleanse the bar". &gt

All these responses from one question about washcloths!!! Fun and kind of silly when we think about it.

Linda431

Josser,
How do you keep the water from splashing on your hair and the floor?

I pretty much do what you do, fill the bowl, then swish the washcloth in the water, ring it out just a tad and wipe off the makeup/cleanser from my face. Rinse and repeat. No muss no fuss.

scatcat

I'm one who must have a washcloth too. I can get by in the shower with just soap, but in the morning I like a cloth to wash my face with. And I like a fresh one each morning. I don't take actual washcloths; I buy Handi Wipes and cut them into squares. I tried the old towel cut up, but they unravel and make a mess.

kenderina

Hey, everybody in Spain has one faucet only. I remember to have the two when I was a child..but that was 30 years ago (minimum)

msdotliz

Our hotel in BCN did not provide a washcloth/facecloth. Just a sponge, like what we could clean the sink with. We went to a local department store and bought the smallest size of cloths we could find and used those. Took them on our cruise as well and brought them home. it is a little larger than our traditional washcloths here in the states, but still smaller than a hand towel. He really likes it. We should have bought more!

Carlux

This has been quite fascinating, as a Canadian from a British family now living in France, I thought that I understood washcloth, facecloth and face flannel as all being the same thing - a square towel like device for washing face and body. In France we have 'gants' or gloves, also terry towel, but a different shape. I thought when i first came to France that it was a local aberration not to provide them in hotels, but I understand from British friends that historically hotels in Britain have not provided them either. It is considered by many Europeans (including British ) to be too personal an item to find in a hotel. Therefore many people carry them in their 'sponge bags. - another Britishism.

I really don't understand why people who use soap and water and then towels that others have used would object to using a facecloth/washcloth that has been laundered.

Finally, if you do like to take your makeup off with cleaners etc., would you please not use towels to remove the cream? I occasionally find in the houses that we manage that someone has wiped great gobs of makeup onto our formerly white towels. At least if you used the facecloth it's easier and cheaper to replace!

kayd

I have facecloths and mitts purchased in Dublin, Paris, and Amsterdam because my face doesn't feel clean until I wipe off all the cleanser and exfoliate with a wet terry cloth. Now at home I remember to toss shabby or torn facecloths into my suitcase so I can discard them on my foreign travels.

amp322

I bring several older washcloths with me to Europe. Since I do laundry regularly, they stay clean. When I am about to change cities/locations, I just throw the used ones out. No need to be carrying wet stuff around in my bag!

Also, I throw in a bath sponge when I go overseas, since they only weigh an ounce. Best used with shower gel.