Question about washing dish rags

[Jason Ducharme]

If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?

I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
have asked it anyway.

[Nan]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
<jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:

>If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
>mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
>
>I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
>the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
>dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
>longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
>have asked it anyway.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd probably re-wash them with a bit of
bleach.

Nan

[Choreboy]

Nan wrote:
>
> On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
> <jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
> >mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
> >
> >I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
> >the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
> >dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
> >longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
> >have asked it anyway.
>
> Just to be on the safe side, I'd probably re-wash them with a bit of
> bleach.
>
> Nan

I doubt a few mildew spores are dangerous on a dish rag. In use, a
dishrag can be like a petri dish with thriving colonies of kitchen
bacteria. A dishrag may be loaded with bacteria, but if you use it to
wash the food off the dish and let the dish dry, the filthy rag has
probably made the dish safe to eat from.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Mon 03 Oct 2005 09:57:48p, Choreboy wrote in alt.home.cleaning:

> Nan wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
>> <jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to
>> >scrub mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
>> >
>> >I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would
>> >contaminate the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of
>> >cleaning rags and dish rags by mistake and washed them all together.
>> >Are the dish rags no longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an
>> >obvious question but I have asked it anyway.
>>
>> Just to be on the safe side, I'd probably re-wash them with a bit of
>> bleach.
>>
>> Nan
>
> I doubt a few mildew spores are dangerous on a dish rag. In use, a
> dishrag can be like a petri dish with thriving colonies of kitchen
> bacteria. A dishrag may be loaded with bacteria, but if you use it to
> wash the food off the dish and let the dish dry, the filthy rag has
> probably made the dish safe to eat from.
>

I always add bleach when I wash rags, regardless of type. Just makes me
feel better. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

[Phisherman]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
<jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:

>If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
>mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
>
>I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
>the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
>dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
>longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
>have asked it anyway.
>

Bleach will kill the fungus and bacteria. Make sure to dry them
thoroughly before storing them in a dry location.

[Mystified One]

I hope the rags don't have an ammonia residue when you do that.

"Wayne Boatwright" <waynesgang@waynes.gang> wrote in message
news:Xns96E4E0A73204Dwaynesgang@217.22.228.19...
: On Mon 03 Oct 2005 09:57:48p, Choreboy wrote in alt.home.cleaning:
:
: > Nan wrote:
: >>
: >> On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
: >> <jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:
: >>
: >> >If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to
: >> >scrub mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
: >> >
: >> >I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would
: >> >contaminate the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of
: >> >cleaning rags and dish rags by mistake and washed them all together.
: >> >Are the dish rags no longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an
: >> >obvious question but I have asked it anyway.
: >>
: >> Just to be on the safe side, I'd probably re-wash them with a bit of
: >> bleach.
: >>
: >> Nan
: >
: > I doubt a few mildew spores are dangerous on a dish rag. In use, a
: > dishrag can be like a petri dish with thriving colonies of kitchen
: > bacteria. A dishrag may be loaded with bacteria, but if you use it to
: > wash the food off the dish and let the dish dry, the filthy rag has
: > probably made the dish safe to eat from.
: >
:
: I always add bleach when I wash rags, regardless of type. Just makes me
: feel better. :-)
:
: --
: Wayne Boatwright *¿*
: _____________________________
:
: http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg
:
: Popie-In-The-Bowl

[Nan]

On Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:57:48 -0400, Choreboy
<choreboyREMOVE@localnet.com> wrote:

>Nan wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
>> <jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
>> >mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
>> >
>> >I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
>> >the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
>> >dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
>> >longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
>> >have asked it anyway.
>>
>> Just to be on the safe side, I'd probably re-wash them with a bit of
>> bleach.
>>
>> Nan
>
>I doubt a few mildew spores are dangerous on a dish rag. In use, a
>dishrag can be like a petri dish with thriving colonies of kitchen
>bacteria. A dishrag may be loaded with bacteria, but if you use it to
>wash the food off the dish and let the dish dry, the filthy rag has
>probably made the dish safe to eat from.

Which is exactly why I use bleach or microwave my rag/sponge
frequently.

Nan

[Dawn]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:43:31 +0900, "Jason Ducharme"
<jaydude@gmail.com> wrote:

>If I wash dish rags in the same load as cleaning rags that are used to scrub
>mildew off, are the dish rags contaminated?
>
>I asked a similar question last spring about whether it would contaminate
>the machine, but now I have just mixed up a whole bunch of cleaning rags and
>dish rags by mistake and washed them all together. Are the dish rags no
>longer suitable for dishes now? Sorry if it's an obvious question but I
>have asked it anyway.
>
personally I wouldn't use them. They may be clinically clean and white
as the driven snow but if they've been mopping up other dirt I
wouldn't want them near my dishes or kitchen worktops.