While we're on a kitchen "preferences" roll, I also wanted to ask about which you tend to use, dishcloths (like washcloth, not towel) or sponges.
In our kitchen, I use both. I use dishcloths for countertops and most cookware/prep equipment/dishes and sponges with scrubbing side for the pots and pans that need more scouring, like frying pans and pots that have been used to cook rice or other starchy foods.
Here are 3 of our 4 dishcloths. I pick these up at Value Village and Goodwill in the bath linen section. Goodwill has better prices on towels and cloths than Value Village. I picked a basic color range that would go with our kitchen, hues ranging from sage to avocado green. The colors are dark enough they don't show staining like my previous white cloths did.
As you can see, each one is slightly different from the next. It doesn't bother me that they don't look alike. I only have one out at a time, so no one is comparing colors. I picked them up over the course of 2 years, whenever I found a cloth in my chosen color range. I spent between 99 cents and $1.49 each for the washcloths. They're thick and durable and should last another 2 to 4 years. (I've had them 2 to 4 years already.) I change washcloths daily and launder twice a week. With twice weekly laundry, 4 cloths means I can have a clean cloth each morning.
The scrubbing sponges are from a package I bought at Dollar Tree. The packages have shrunk from 4 sponges to 2 and now cost $1.25 instead of $1. I need to find a new shopping source for sponges, I think. To clean the sponges and keep them sanitary, I put them through the dishwasher on the top rack every other day. I'm less likely to replace a sponge with a new one if the current one feels and looks clean.
How about you -- are you a dishcloth person or sponge person, or user of both? Have you found bargain ways to buy, use, or maintain your dishcloths or sponges?
