Wash Cloths in European Hotels?

[perdidobay]

Out of 6 hotels I've stayed at in Ireland, only one provided washcloths. But I knew before I arrived to pack them.

 

[lecach]

Um....how do I say this....if you don't use a washcloth, what do you wash your "naughty bits" with?

 

[bavaria]

dupe post see below

 

[phillybeth]

Same as the rest of me- my hand. I use a 'poofy' every few days, but it is too rough on my skin for every day. Soap + water + hand = clean.

 

[bavaria]

mesh sponge, loofah, wash mitt, or *gasp* soapy hands. I really couldn't even think of the German word for washcloth (Waschlappen) and just did some online shopping - towel sets don't come with facecloths as I suspected.

I suspect that most of the world doesn't use a face/washcloth.

 

[bavaria]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waschlappen

Abgesehen von der Alten- und Krankenpflege werden Waschlappen heute nur noch selten verwendet,

except for the care of the sick and elderly, washclothes are seldom used today

Allerdings weisen Hautärzte darauf hin, dass es besser sei, überhaupt keine Waschlappen für die Intimhygiene zu verwenden

Dermatologists recommend that it is better not to use a washcloth for intimate hygiene

 

[bavaria]

I own 3 washcloths - 1 Mickey and 1 Minnie one which someone gave me - the little ones which expand which one can buy at WDW.

And a white mickey head one which I bought at WDW to cushion my sling which was rubbing against my shoulder.

Other than that, I've never bought a washcloth for washing

 

[magicmato]

and it used to be common to pay for the toilet AND to retrieve toilet paper before entering the stall. We always carried pocket packs of tissues with us just in case.

Plus there are approximately 62 different ways to flush a toilet in Europe

 

[bigmerle1966]

Plus there are approximately 62 different ways to flush a toilet in Europe

That's interesting. Where did you find that out?

 

[bavaria]

I lived and travelled there much of my life! once we actually started a list...

1. push the knob
2. pull the knob
3. pull the lever
4. push the lever
5. pull the chain
6. step on the lever
7. lift the lever with your foot
8. press down the entire top of the tank
9. press the front part of the top part of the tank etc etc

sometimes it takes a 5 minute hunt to even find a lever/knob/chain! it's not even consistent within a country - the toilet game is really entertaining in Europe!

 

[bigmerle1966]

I lived and travelled there much of my life! once we actually started a list...

1. push the knob
2. pull the knob
3. pull the lever
4. push the lever
5. pull the chain
6. step on the lever
7. lift the lever with your foot
8. press down the entire top of the tank
9. press the front part of the top part of the tank etc etc

sometimes it takes a 5 minute hunt to even find a lever/knob/chain! it's not even consistent within a country - the toilet game is really entertaining in Europe!

That is too funny!

 

[nbodyhome]

Most Europe hotels don't have them. I don't personally use one myself - but I did stay in a hotel in Paris (where I'm staying in May again) that has them.

 

[escape]

I lived and travelled there much of my life! once we actually started a list...

1. push the knob
2. pull the knob
3. pull the lever
4. push the lever
5. pull the chain
6. step on the lever
7. lift the lever with your foot
8. press down the entire top of the tank
9. press the front part of the top part of the tank etc etc

sometimes it takes a 5 minute hunt to even find a lever/knob/chain! it's not even consistent within a country - the toilet game is really entertaining in Europe!

As long as I don't have to do the "squat over a hole in the floor" thing, I'm ok with finding the lever/knob/chains.

 

[mickeysgal]

Um....how do I say this....if you don't use a washcloth, what do you wash your "naughty bits" with?

Thank you - I was wondering the same thing.

I thought the vast majority of people used washcloths, but this thread is indicating that many don't.

 

[NotUrsula]

Most families in the UK and Ireland do use them (as mentioned, they are commonly called face flannels), and if you go to any store that sells linens, or any large chemists' shop (such as Boots, etc.) you will find plenty of them for sale. They sometimes tend not to be the same quality as the rest of the towels, but are thinner and cheaper, and meant to be semi-disposable. (You may get a dozen or so washings out of these, but not much more than that before they get too worn out.) It is considered more polite to bring one's own when visiting.

BTW, due to the way most Irish home toilets are plumbed, you usually cannot flush them really often. It tends to take about 20 minutes before the tank will completely refill after a flush, and if you try to use the toilet immediately after someone else has, you may end up stopping up the works. This can make for VERY embarassing situations when staying in a B&B if you don't know about this limitation. Also, most older Irish home hot water heaters are on a timer; so if you decide to bathe at an "off" time (not first thing in the morning or at bedtime) you had better turn on the water heater about an hour before you draw the bath, or you are going to have a VERY chilly experience.

 

[mickeysgal]

Most Europe hotels don't have them. I don't personally use one myself - but I did stay in a hotel in Paris (where I'm staying in May again) that has them.

Like I wrote earlier, the place we stayed at had them upon request, but day after day, when servicing the room, they didn't replace them. I thought that was odd - you'd think Housekeeping would figure out after the third day that yes, we needed washcloths.

I had no idea that it was considered a personal item and that I should have packed them myself. A washcloth is considered personal but a towel isn't? Isn't it drying the same places that a washcloth washes??

 

[bavaria]

a towel is used much more universally than a washcloth. One almost can't bathe without a towel but one can certainly bathe without a washcloth.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Like I wrote earlier, the place we stayed at had them upon request, but day after day, when servicing the room, they didn't replace them. I thought that was odd - you'd think Housekeeping would figure out after the third day that yes, we needed washcloths.

I had no idea that it was considered a personal item and that I should have packed them myself. A washcloth is considered personal but a towel isn't? Isn't it drying the same places that a washcloth washes??

Look at it this way, the washcloth would be cleaning the dirty "naughty bits" as someone said, and the towel is drying the clean "bits".

 

[Judy from Boise]

I only use wash clothes when i am at a hotel LOL ! And then, just to wash my face. Soapy hands all the way

 

[Michelina]

If you pack your own washcloths, do you then wash them and pack them to take home? Would they get dry enough? I don't think I'd want to reuse one unless I could throw it into a washing machine with hot water...