Dish rag and dish cloth--the same thing? Just regionally or generationally different?

[bobbieinok]

[vlyons]

1. here in Texas

the dish rag washes the dishes, and the dish cloth dries them, and wipes up spills on the counter.

[MicaelS]

15. From Texas, too.

Same as you, except I use Dish Rag to wipe up the counter.

[Ohiogal]

2. I have used both terms

depending on the situation.

[Sedona]

3. Both wrong

Dish Towel

[RKP5637]

4. Here, we wash the dishes with the dish cloth and dry them with the dish towel. n/t

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

5. Air Force kid here...

So I’ve lived all over the US. In my experience, dish rag and dish cloth are interchangeable and are used for washing dishes/counter clean-up. Dish towels are for drying dishes and wiping your hands 😊

[Iggo]

6. Whichever's clever. Just don't call it a towel.

AND DON'T DRY YOUR FUCKING HANDS ON IT !!!

JESUS CHRIST, PEOPLE !!!

[SWBTATTReg]

7. I just use the word 'rag'...I do use the rag to wipe the countertop, clean dust off of stuff, ...

etc. so the rag is more than just a dish rag. Oh, this conversation is running me ragged!

Ha heh (I couldn't resist)...

[BlueDawn]

8. Interesting.

Hmmm....

I have always said "dish cloth" for the cloth I use to scrub the dishes and wipe up counter spills.

And I have always said "dish towel" for the cloth I use to dry the dishes.

[tymorial]

9. I consider one to wash and one to dry

But I tend to use dish towel rather than dish cloth

[dameatball]

10. I use a clean sponge or a dishwasher. Anything handwashed is dried by mother earth.

I do have a dish towel hanging on the oven door for handling hot stuff....

But to answer your question, I think "generational" may be the stronger indicator. Mom would know if she were still here.....

[3catwoman3]

11. My very proper mother, who grew up in a small...

...town in Minnesota, would not permit the use of the word "dish rag" - if somethiing was ratty enough to be called a rag, it was not allowed to be in view of the public. Same thing for wash cloths in the bathroom - no wash rags.

I find both dish cloths and wash cloths disgusting. Sponges, too. They only look and feel nice before they get wet the first time. Once they dry out, they feel stiff and scratchy, and must have all kinds of yuck hanging around in them no matter how well you rinse them. I wash kitchen items and my face with my hands, either rubber-gloved or bare, and dry my hands on dish towels or hand towels. I prefer to let things in the dish drainer air dry.

Most kitchen stuff goes in the dishwasher.

[dameatball]

13. I used to worry about using the sponges until I learned they can be cleaned in the microwave.

Still, they need to be replaced when they get that soggy feeling.

[CTyankee]

14. My sponges also go in the dishwasher but honestly I use so much spray cleaner with the

sponge and clean it with more detergent when finished cleaning up a mess, then rinse it, then put it in a dish drainer in the sink, that it isn't an issue in my kitchen.

[patricia92243]

12. In the past, dish clothes were literally dish rags. Old sheets, flannel shirts, etc

were cut into pieces and used as dish rags.