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suzieca_gw

Dish cloths & towels - what do you do with them?

17 years ago

There was a thread on here a while back about what to do with dish towels &/or dish cloths. Some posted photos of what creative things they have done or bought but, for the life of me, I can't find it through searching.

Can you lead me to it or post pics of what you do with the dish cloth? TIA

Comments (46)

  • 17 years ago

    I'm new enough here that I don't know the thread, but my KD ordered a towel rod to go under the sink , supplied by cab mfr. It's not installed yet, so no pix. I've also found a similar rev a shelf product at HD and, frankly, wish I'd spent $20 rather than $80.

  • 17 years ago

    I can't find that thread either . . . but I know it's still around. As for what I do with my dishtowel, six months later I'm STILL trying to come up with the best solution for our kitchen! I hope someone here will give you a link to that thread, as I'd like to reread it for ideas again myslef.

  • 17 years ago

    I just found something and ordered it. I googled 'towel stand' instead of 'towel rack' and there are several nice ones on amazon.com. Here's the link (hope it works)
    I don't think I'll mind having this sit on the counter.

    Here is a link that might be useful: towel stands

  • 17 years ago

    I keep 'em in the drawer over my trash pullout.

  • 17 years ago

    I had the classic in front of sink rod - but the cats discovered how to pull the dishtowels down - nothing like drying the good hand washed plates only to find cat hair on them...

    I've opted for a small drawer just to one side of the sink now as well.

    I saw this great invisible shelf on some design site that can be used for dishtowels and such. The bottom towel covers the thin metal shelf so it looks like the towels are sitting in midair against the wall. Pretty cool, but not necessarily the most convenient.

  • 17 years ago

    Raynag, What is the width and height of your trash drawer? Do you have a picture of it? Does it hold trash and recycling? Where do you put your damp dish towels?

    Thanks,
    Judy

  • 17 years ago

    We don't use paper towels, so I'll have two drawers for cloth towels - one near the sink and the other between the rangetop cabinet and the microwave cabinet. Next to our trash/recycle pullout is a smaller pulldown with a Rev A Shelf towel hamper attached to the door.

  • 17 years ago

    What is a towel hamper?
    thanks,
    Judy

  • 17 years ago

    Judy, link below. I included one of these in my new kitchen design - I am tired of seeing the little pile of dirty kitchen towels over near the door leading out to the laundry area ;-)

    Here is a link that might be useful: towel hampers

  • 17 years ago

    I saw a picture of center island, and it had towel rings on each end. Understated simplicity!

  • 17 years ago

    Here are two old threads on the same subject. Not sure if they're what you were looking for.

    Ew...wet rags on kitchen sink

    Dish cloth or sponge? And where do you store it between uses?

    Hope that helps!

  • 17 years ago

    suzieca, thanks for the link; what great towel holders! Actually they remind me of something similar at a little cafe DH and I go to; they use the towel holder at the cashiers stand to hang reading glasses! Hubby loves it because he always forgets his and I don't have to read the menu to him. But a towel holder for the sake of holding towels, why didn't I think of that? I've been using the ones my 83yo MIL would crochet a hook and button at the top to go around a drawer pull. Now that she is deceased I have to have a different game plan.

  • 17 years ago

    I like remodel1958's suggestion - that might be a good use for the second bin in my trash pull out! A dirty towel hamper....!!

  • 17 years ago

    I know I've posted this picture a thousand times but for anyone new, here's my towel solution (can't take credit for him, stole the idea from another robin)...

    Robin

  • 17 years ago

    I wish I could find my own towel pig . . . Is he cast iron? So cute. I've googled with no good results.

  • 17 years ago

    zoenipp, he's resin. I found him at TJ Maxx after weeks of looking. I think the other Robin said she found hers in a grocery store. But...if you look at page 16 of the online Pier 1 catalog, there's a pig that looks just like him but with wings. It doesn't say how big he is though, and from the picture, he looks kind of small. I meant to go look at him in the store today (you can't buy from the Pier 1 site anymore!) and totally forgot. I saw a winged one the same size as mine sitting on an island on one of those "Spice Up My Kitchen" shows on HGTV. Maybe they got it at Pier 1!

    Oh, sorry to hijack this thread with pig info!

    Good luck!
    Robin

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pier 1 winged pig

  • 17 years ago

    He's listed under 'Ourdoor and Garden' so he probably isn't very small.

  • 17 years ago

    Oh thanks so much for pointing that out sally123! I couldn't find him on the site for some dumb reason. I wish they'd listed his measurements but I must have him! He'll be mine by tommorrow afternoon! I just hope Towel Pig doesn't get jealous.

    Robin

  • 17 years ago

    That towel hamper is a great idea. Wish I had thought of that before the kitchen was completed! Might just have to get myself a pig.

    -Margie

  • 17 years ago

    I like the towel hamper and the pig. Years ago, when my oldest child was a baby, I kept a stockpot next to his high chair for the bibs, washcloths, dishcloths and towels that we went through, and took it down to the laundry a couple times a day. Finally I just put our none-too-lovely inexpensive, covered plastic hamper in a corner of the kitchen. That worked well. And it's still there (3 kids now...it's been there 11 years. Since we have no mudroom (yet!) and our laundry room is in a far corner of the house, the hamper is a great temporary landing spot for soiled tablecloths, dish towels/dishcloths, dirty/wet clothes the kids come in with, stray socks, etc.

    Now that we're adding a mudroom, I will move the hamper there (but not the laundry; we like having it in our basement so we can use the laundry chute).

    Barely damp towels just hang on the oven handle or a towel bar on the end of a cabinet run. No clue what we'll do with them in the remodel...it's on my "don't forget" list (along with bread, potatoes/onions, light switches, trash, and phone).

  • 17 years ago

    Hey rmlanza, I use the same kinda thing on my countertop. Except it's a small statue of a woman wrapped in a towel. Her head is draped by my wet dish towel. It's pretty cute. I'll get a picture for you as soon as possible.

  • 17 years ago

    Great- now I'm going to be stalking TJ Maxx looking for a towel pig. That is the cutest thing!
    I hope I can find one!

  • 17 years ago

    I think the winged pig is actually small...it's on the shelf next to some spools of thread and on the desk next to the vase...


    What I'd love to find is a dragon! A towel dragon! Something like the link below...take out the letter opener & it might just work. [Hmmm....it's a little pricey for a towel dragon, I'll have to think about it!]


    [Any other ideas?]

    Here is a link that might be useful: DOUBLE DRAGON LETTER OPENER

  • 17 years ago

    I think Lynn & Suzie are remembering "The elusive dishtowel" thread where Robin_D introduced us to her towel pig ! (At least, that's the first time I heard of/saw it!) Unfortunately, it has long since dropped off (started in Aug '07, last post to it Sept '07...at least in my copy). I saved it...if you want a copy, email me from "My Page" and I'll send it.

  • 17 years ago

    Currently I have towels hanging on the oven handle. But its not good - I have to go dripping across the kitchen from the sink to get to them. I've been trying to think of a better solution.

    I don't want to use a drawer, or even rack under the sink, because again this will result in dripping on my nice new wood floor while reaching for the towel.

    A pig just wouldn't work with my decor. :-)
    Nor would the racks that someone above linked to.

    I'm thinking of perhaps a hook of some sort under my upper cabinets next to the sink. But I don't know if what I want exists.

  • 17 years ago

    In our last house, I used the wide pull on the dishwasher for a towel rod...It worked great, since it was handy to the sink and the dampness couldn't damage the metal front. I should have thought of that when I decided to get paneled dishwashers for this house!

    They make some nice looking towel rods that have a bracket to hang over the cabinet door, but I'm not sure I want them right in front of my legs, or that I want the dampness up against a wood door.

    On my island, I am having the counter overhang a few inches on the stove end and hope to tuck towel rods under there. They will be handy to the prep sink, but across the aisle from the main sink...So I'll have to see how that works.

    Currently, like many others, we hang the dish rag over the divider between the 2 bowls of the sink. I had been seriously considering changing to a single bowl sink, but then what would I do with the rag?.... :-)

  • 17 years ago

    I put a rod inside my cabinets door under my sink....but get them out of sight~~ One of my pet peeves is to see a beautiful kitchen and the towels hung on the stove handle or wrapped through the handle of the frig.

  • 17 years ago

    I went with the most practical solution for drying hands ... a towel hook next to the sink. For the dishes that get hand washed I use a separate fresh towel every day.

  • 17 years ago

    I use a magnetic towel rack that goes on the "unseen" side of the refrigerator.

  • 17 years ago

    Oh that's great Lynn! It would be so perfect in your kitchen!

    I wanted to share with you all Towel Pig's little buddy, Winged Pig. This is the pig at Pier 1 and yup, he's pretty puny but I had to have him. Not quite sure what I'll do with him yet but ain't he just too dang cute? He's like a Mini Me! Same expression and position, just smaller and winged! Oh, and he's actually iron and heavy, not resin like TP.


    Robin

  • 17 years ago

    Wow - now I need to get my Towel Pig his own Mini Me too!!!!

    I see a trip to Pier 1 in my near future....

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Eventually Almost Mostly Finished Budget Craftsman Kitchen

  • 17 years ago

    Buehl, if you find the dragon, buy me one too! I see a big market for this because the dragon can breathe enough fire to dry off the towel! :)

  • 17 years ago

    Yeah, it's Robin, the original Towel Pig inspiration! Good to "see" you Robin, how have you been?

    That other Robin (with a towel pig obsession)

  • 17 years ago

    Hiya Other-Robin!

    I (and my towel pig) are still smiling, thank you. :-)

  • 17 years ago

    any idea on where to find a cute monkey statue for a towel holder? i love the idea!

  • 17 years ago

    Hey gvstevens
    can you post that picture of your towel-head lady? I think she would work better than the pig in my new kitchen. where did you find her?

  • 17 years ago

    Someone had a towel chicken in their recently finished remodel. Now THAT'S what Igloochic needs! Along with mary in nc's chicken vase!

  • 17 years ago

    teambaxter, how about this guy?

    Here is a link that might be useful: monkey on e-bay

  • 17 years ago

    I found my towel animal...yeah! i was thinking about a monkey, but was at marshalls today (they had winged mini pigs there too!) and fell in love with this cute elephant...perfect size...$10...it was fate. I would never have thought of this idea...and I am so glad I found this site...thanks! (yet another) Robin

  • 17 years ago

    You guys are so funny! I bet we see this on 'Spice up my kitchen' soon - the hostess will take the wife out towel animal shopping! :-)

  • 17 years ago

    Cambro5 . . . LOL!

  • 17 years ago

    Ya know, I was watching Spice Up My Kitchen and they had a winged towel pig (big one) sitting on their island. Of course, I think he was just "Decorator Pig" and not "Towel Pig" as he wasn't actually being used. But still, I was happy to see him.

    teambaxter, I want to see a picture of your Towel Elephant! And are you really another Robin? Man there are a lot of us bird brains here, aren't there?! We need to find us a flock of Towel Robins!

  • 17 years ago

    yes i sure am another Robin...haha...not that common...I was surprised that there were two of you here already!
    So, here is a picture of the towl-elephant...its not the best picture, but you can see how I think it will work out. Our sink is being put in as we speak...and our countertops went in today...its coming along!

  • 17 years ago

    Oh he's so cute! He'll be a great towel critter. Congrats on the new countertop, post pics when it's all in!

    I probably should have picked a different animal so I didn't copy robin d's towel pig idea. But he just spoke to me because I have had a thing about pigs my whole life and collect them. I don't have them all out, don't like the clutter. But a few of my favorite ones grace bookshelves and mantles and tv consoles throughout the house. Towel pig just fit in so perfectly! But if I found a Towel Robin, I'd snatch it up in a heartbeat!

  • 17 years ago

    I put a towel bar on the end of my island closest to the sink. It was supposed to be mounted higher but "4" from the top" and a post-it note at the exact spot apparently didn't translate. I can live with it's location.
    {{!gwi}}