How to dry dishes without tea-towel moving water around?

11 Comments

I have a couple of tea towels that are stored in the kitchen cupboards. They are regularly washed when they become dirty. They are well dry when i dry th e dishes. The only annoying problem is they don't dry the actual dish properly! 😡

They just simply move the water around and it takes Ages in frustration before i give up and let the rest drip dry. I think it may be the way i wash the tea towels but for goodness sake, i am sick of trying to dry just one plate for a whole damn four minutes!

Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 11 )
  • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
    3 years ago

    git a dish rack and let the dishes air dry insteada usin some narstyass towel on em

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    4
    4
      -
    • [Old Memory]
      3 years ago

      Leaving dishes to air dry also leaves spots on your dishes 😉

      Not that I care about that too often lol

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
        3 years ago

        yall got hard water

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • [Old Memory]
          3 years ago

          I thought an apartment out in the boonies was a good idea 😟

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
  • charli.m
    3 years ago

    Do you wash your towels with fabric softener?

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    3
    3
      -
    • mathewdavis133
      3 years ago

      Yes.
      I think that may be the reason why the tea-towels are not drying the dishes correctly.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • charli.m
        3 years ago

        Yup. Fabric softener makes fabric less absorbent. Wash them separately from other clothes. Put a half cup of baking soda in the drum, vinegar in the rinse cycle. It should help after a few washes.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        2
        2
  • Boojum
    3 years ago

    Agree that fabric softener is most likely to blame.

    I've never understood the point of that crap in any case. It coats the fibres of the fabric with yet more chemicals which our skin might react to and adds yet another synthetic perfume to screw with our sense of smell. If you use a tumble dryer as most people do, it doesn't really make the clothes feel any softer.

    I suppose it might have made sense back in the day when everyone line-dried their laundry and its anti-static properties were helpful back when 100% nylon clothing was the height of modernity, but now it's just an additional, unnecessary product that puts money in the pocket of some multinational company.

    In any case, what are you doing drying dishes with a towel? They're a well-known breeding ground for bacteria. Air-drying in a rack is better for kitchen hygiene as well as a minor time-saver.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
  • SwickDinging
    3 years ago

    Yep, definitely the fabric softener.

    There's no benefit to using it on tea towels anyway, it's not like you wear them against your skin.

    However I have noticed that some kinds of teatowels aren't very absorbent even when washed without softener. They are usually the very thin kind. Perhaps try a fluffier type - maybe a terry towel, similar to the kind you would use in the bathroom.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • charli.m
      3 years ago

      Kmart $3 a 3pk work well. The waffleweave never works for me :/ Terry towelling seems like it'd leave lint.

      I only really use to dry the last spots after the dishwasher has finished, though.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • SwickDinging
        3 years ago

        I never dry stuff out of the dishwasher, I'm too lazy. I just leave it on the drying rack by the sink, unless I'm about to use it

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0