Wash cloths in hotels?
 

If I remember correctly, three years ago I cut up an old towel into very small washcloths to take with me. I'm wondering if it's still the case that hotels in France won't have washcloths.

Additionally, if I buy a curling iron in Paris is it likely to work in England or Italy?

Hi H,

We bring our washcloths, but we have found more than a few hotels that supply them.

>if I buy a curling iron in Paris is it likely to work in England or Italy?

Depends on how well made it is. :)

You will need a plug adapter for the UK.

((I))

Depends on the hotel. I've never been in a Sofitel in France (or elsewhere) that didn't provide washcloths. Ditto for all the Mercures we've stayed at in France.
Do you know which hotel(s) you'll be staying at?

From personal experience:

some hotels in Paris do have washcloths and sometimes they are the same ones which actually have "large" rooms which everybody here tries to convince you don't exist.

Why are you cutting up a towel? Take regular ones or get some cheap ones from Target.

I just returned. We stayed in four different hotels in France, and none of them had washcloths.

I brought along a dual voltage curling iron from Target with a plug adapter and it worked great.

I had washcloths in Paris at a 4* hotel, but not at a 3* hotel. That's pretty typical of my experience everywhere in continental Europe and the UK.

Washcloths are a hit-or-miss proposition in plenty of hotels, with or without numerous stars. Washing mitts are more common in France and in a number of other European countries -- you can buy them for next to nothing in a store.

As for a curling iron, the voltage will be the same throughout western Europe, but the sockets are not the same in the UK.

More nonsense! If you are concerned about a 'wash cloth' why not bring a half dozen. They weigh little and cost little. A savvy traveler will use the corner of the provided towel. All of my British sports trips required us to bring personal gear. Soap and towels were on the list. Maybe we could start a list of FODOR ESSENTIALS. #1 Six wash cloths.

Thanks--looks like it's still pretty much the same. Re: cutting up the towel (it was an old raggedy one), so the washclothes could be smaller.

I've been bringing my own for three decades. I also pack those blue/white handy wipes and use them as they are thin and dry out quickly. Happy Travels!

I must be way in the minority here, but I've used a washcloth about a dozen times in my life. I never noticed anything special about washing with a washcloth. OK, sometimes if I'm using an exfoliating soap or something, but I would never need to add even the 5 ounces of weight washcloths would add to my luggage. And if I'm going to use a washcloth, I'd vastly prefer to use the glove-like ones they sell in Europe and that can't be found anywhere IME in the USA.

St Cirq, there was not too long ago, a very long thread on Americans v. Europeans views on wash cloths. From what I read, it boiled down to:

1. Europeans - unsanitary to reuse the same cloth, if it was used on the body - even though Americans launder said wash cloths in a washer with laundry soap before reusing.

2. Americans - with single use on body & laundering in a washer with laundry soap, the wash cloth is sanitary for reusing = the same as the bath towel.

Wash cloth users generally believe it is unsanitary & personally distasteful to wash one's private area with one's hands. Non wash cloth users generally feel that since after washing one's private area with one's hands, the hands are washed thoroughly, therefore, it is not unsanitary. Personally, to me that is like sticking one's hands in a non-flushed used toilet & then claiming it is OK because the hands are washed afterwards - yuk! But then, I use wash cloths.

Julie

There were more than 150 replies to the wash cloth question about a month ago. The question was posted by littlejane. The title was: Just curious...what is a washcloth? (I'm unsure about how to post a link to this, sorry)

There was ample information given on the pros and cons of wash cloths. If you go to the posting you will also find the personal preferences of famous Fodorites, and more than you ever wanted to know about exfoliation.

In answer to your question about curling irons I can only say curling irons have a mind of their own. The same iron that worked well in the southern part of a country may fail to heat when you travel north. When I've used plug adaptors the iron usually gets warm, but not hot. And there is the sparking problem which can burn out the entire outlet.

Given the quaint wiring in some accomodations even a good quality iron can have problems.

There are alternatives to electric irons. I have used butane powered curling irons in the past, but don't know if they pass muster with airline security now. My favorite solution, both at home and abroad, are the rollers that look like Velcro. I put them in, give them a spray of setting solution,and by the time I finish doing my makeup, my hair is curled. The curlers take up little space, since they nest, and weigh nothing.

Good lord. If touching your own genitals (especially when soap and water is involved) is equal to sticking your hands "in a non-flushed used toilet" I think you may have more problems than whether to use a wash-cloth or not. Either there is something physically wrong 'down there' or you have quite a hangup. Do you don surgical scrubs and latex gloves when you make love - as that usually involves touching someone else's genitals, which is surely even worse?

I had to chuckle at the last message.
I read somewhere that Americans don't like bidets because they don't like touching their genitals.
I must say that I wondered how all those little Americans got there.

Josser, if Americans don't like touching their own genitals, they probably seek out alternatives.

Josser, please..get real!

Right, so it's dirty to touch your own but all right......
I won't even mention cigars ;-)

At least in my case, using a washcloth has nothing at all to do with wanting or not wanting to touch any particular parts of my body. It's just the way I am used to washing. Good for wiping the shampoo out of one's eyes, good for spreading a small amount of soap around, feels good, not slippery like holding a bar of soap, whatever. Habit mostly.

I have tried the mitt type that I bought in France, but it just doesn't seem so convenient to be putting it on and taking it off all the time.

I am always amazed by these threads. It would never have occurred to me in a gazillion years that people would make judgments about other people's sexual phobias or sanitary habits based on whether or not they used a wash cloth. Just one of the many, many things I have learned about people here on the world wide web.

It never ceases to amaze me what people who are so "concerned" about where they put their hands will stuff into their mouths and bodies.