Understanding Towels 101

Ok...is it really so complicated? Bath towels are the large terri cloth towels...folded in thirds then either in thirds again or rolled to fit neatly in the basket. If the towel if very large, it should first be folded in half, then in thirds. Body towels tend to be the largest. Hair towels tend to be slightly smaller. Hand towels are, yet again, smaller versions of bath towels (also terri cloth) and are to be folded in thirds then folded again. Hand towels are used for drying hands and faces in the bathroom...not the kitchen and, only after these hands and faces have been washed. With me so far? Ok, then come washcloths...these too are terri cloth and are rolled to fit in smaller basket. They are used to wash body parts...not floors, walls, buckets, mirrors or windows....just body parts. Now we are ready to move away from the washroom to the kitchen. Here it gets a bit more involved...but not that much. The dish cloths are folded in half then in thirds. These are either linen, cotton, or hand crocheted. These need to be changed every day as they tend to sour. Dish clothes are to be used for washing dishes and wiping counters and table tops. Sometimes, if some food or drink substance has spilled on the floor, the dish cloth may be used to clean it...but...if this is done, the cloth should be rinsed immediately afterwards. If the dish cloth was used to wipe up a milk product, then the cloth should be set aside to dry and then be replaced.
The dish towels are folded in exactly the same way as the hand towels but, these are linen or cotten blends and will lie more flat. These are used to dry dishes. In homes such as ours, these tend not be used unless company arrives. For the most part, we tend to let our dishes air dry on the rack. These towels may also be made slightly damp and used to wrap up bread to heat it up in the oven. The bread won't dry out and will come out like it was freshly baked. In the kitchen there are also hand towels. These tend not be be made of terri cloth like their bathroom cousins. Instead, they are usually a cotton-blend. These are used to dry one's hands, usually after one has done the dishes. Please note that under no circumstances should these be used for any other purpose (ie. to wipe up messes) except, on occasion, as an additional pot holder. The tricky part occurs when a dish cloth or a wash cloth starts getting old. When they pass their prime, they move over into the rag pile. These are generally folded in half and then in half again. Rags are used for dusting, washing floors and walls, cleaning the car...pretty much anything except for dishes and bodies. There is, however, a grace period wherein for one week it may be a rag and then for another it may creep back into the dish/wash cloth pile. Please note, however, that there is, ultimately, no turning back. Once a cloth begins to deteriorate, its fate is sealed. The rag is the last step...it may last quite along time like this but, eventually, like all things, it will begin to decay and become nothing more than scraps of landfill.
This wasn't so hard to follow was it? Oh...one other thing. If, when seated for dinner, one of your children knocks over a glass of milk and it begins to cascade over the edge of the table splashing on to the floor below, none of the above rules will apply. Grab anything aborbant and wipe it up...you can always sort out the towel mess later.