Cotton cleaning rags are the perfect sustainable replacement for disposable paper towels. It can be reused if you wash and clean it thoroughly after every use. These linen cloth pieces are perfect for wiping dirty surfaces. It can absorb spills, stains, and dirt.
You can buy mixed wipe rags in bulk at a reasonable price and keep reusing them. While doing laundry, keep these rags separate from other clothes. You must wash them differently to remove all the food particles, debris, foul odor, stains, and germs. This guide will help you know how to clean and sanitize your wipe rags.
Cleaning Process
Initially, you should separate your rags and keep them in boiling water for at least 15 minutes for thorough cleansing. When you dip the cotton wipes, all the food particles, mold, and dirt will start separating from the fabric. Rub them gently and change the water with unscented detergent. You can either wash the wipes by hand or in a washing machine.
It is mandatory to wash cotton rags once a month. If you keep using the same cloth for cleaning the surfaces, it will cause a foul odor and spread germs. You cannot compromise the hygiene of your workspace. Therefore, thoroughly washing rags is necessary to reuse them for a long time.
Sanitization Process
When you clean dirty surfaces and objects, sanitization helps kill germs that accumulate in the wiping rags. It is essential to bleach the small fabric pieces and let them dry in the sunlight. Bleaching can be done only on white cotton rags. In the case of microfiber, you can skip the bleaching step and put them in direct sunlight for sanitization.
You can use oxygen bleach with hydrogen peroxide as a main ingredient for mild bleaching. It works well on colored rags as it will remove the stains, not the fabric color. But it is a weak bleaching ingredient and cannot be used for tough stains. Instead, you can use chlorine bleach containing sodium hypochlorite as a main ingredient.
It can ruin silk and other delicate synthetic fabrics. But it works well for white cotton rags. You can dip all the washed wipes in the bleaching solution for some time and rinse them with water. After that, dry them in the sunlight to remove foul odor and kill germs. When your rags are thoroughly washed and sanitized, you can reuse them.
Final Thoughts
You can save your money by not using expensive disposable cleaning wipes. Instead, you should use recyclable rags that are affordable and reusable. After cleaning dirty surfaces and objects, you can wash and sanitize the wipe rags to reuse them.
While doing the laundry, you can separately wash them differently, as mentioned. Thorough cleaning removes stains, foul odors, germs, mold, and greasiness. You can reuse these rags for years and save the environment and money. You can dedicate one day a month to washing and sanitizing your cleaning rags.
