Hand Towels. Paper Towels. Germs!

[DaisyMamma]

Now that we've successfully given eachother pink eye, colds, flu, etc. I'm done with cloth hand towels. For now I'm using kleenex hand towels in the cardboard dispencer, but they aren't cheap. I might just use paper towels, but I'm envisioning them unrolled, all over the bathroom I need ideas on dispensers.
What do you use?

[Crazy In Mo]

I use paper towels with a cheap under the counter mount type of dispenser I have it hung on the wall vertically rather than horizonaly. I think it's easier to tear off hung this way. I don't have a problem with them being unrolled. My states regulations require a seperate hand towel for each child that is changed/washed daily, I'd never be able to keep up with that. I had the fear of the entire roll being unrolled too if that was the case I was going to buy a commercial paper towel dispenser, they are like $25 at SAMs club.

[CrackerJacks]

I was just thinking the same exact thing earlier this week. I'm about over the hand towels as well. I was thinking of something like a metal paper towel wall dispenser (like the ones they have in public restrooms) mounted on the wall in the bathroom, and I think you can buy the folded paper towels in bulk at Costco. They have several models on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002V3MKM/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1358055351&sr=8-5&pi=SL75

[Sunshine74]

We use regular paper towels, mounted on the wall at the children's level. The select a size are perfect for little hands, and they are (usually) pretty good about taking just one.

[EchoMom]

Ok, maybe this is a dumb question....

Do hand towels really spread germs? Aren't their hands clean when they wash them (well, when you help them wash them). And don't you lose a lot of profit by going through tons of paper towels?

Related question, what do you all use to wipe up counters, tables, etc, etc. I've used clorox wipes which I love, but too expensive. Sponges, but dirty? Paper towels and spray seems time consuming and wasteful of resources and profit. Thoughts?

Legally unlicensed, so I don't have to worry about regulations, I'm just looking for common sense and best tricks of the trade!

Thanks!

[snips&snails]

I do what I learned in one center - buy white towels/rags in bulk (cheap @ Walmart) & just toss them in a bucket after each child & run a small bleach load at the end of the day or as needed. I usually take a couple days to get a loads worth; I just hate the idea of using/buying disposables all the time. If I did use disposables I would definitely use the industrial style that another poster mentioned

[CrackerJacks]

Ok, maybe this is a dumb question....

Do hand towels really spread germs? Aren't their hands clean when they wash them (well, when you help them wash them). And don't you lose a lot of profit by going through tons of paper towels?



Related question, what do you all use to wipe up counters, tables, etc, etc. I've used clorox wipes which I love, but too expensive. Sponges, but dirty? Paper towels and spray seems time consuming and wasteful of resources and profit. Thoughts?

Legally unlicensed, so I don't have to worry about regulations, I'm just looking for common sense and best tricks of the trade!

Thanks!

We do ALOT of hand washing here, because of this we go through at least 5 towels a day because they never fully dry, the wet damp hand towels allow for bacteria to grow much more rapidly. I also have several SA kids. I don't really like to stand over them to watch to make sure that they are washing their hands the correct way every time they use the restroom (so I'm sure their hands could be cleaner !)

I use Clorox clean up and paper towels for my counters, tables and toys. But you could also just use a simple bleach to water solution, 1/4 tsp bleach per cup of water. This solution can be mixed in a spray bottle, but must be mixed daily or it looses its effects.

[CrackerJacks]

I do what I learned in one center - buy white towels/rags in bulk (cheap @ Walmart) & just toss them in a bucket after each child & run a small bleach load at the end of the day or as needed. I usually take a couple days to get a loads worth; I just hate the idea of using/buying disposables all the time. If I did use disposables I would definitely use the industrial style that another poster mentioned

Does each child get their own towel for the day, or is it a one time use and then get tossed in the bucket? If each child is given their own towel for the day, how to you know who's belongs to whom?

[LoraJenkins]

I tear off paper towels, fold them in half and store them in a box on the counter. It is so much easier for the little ones to use. I only go through 1 roll a week on average so the cost isn't that much.

[Angelsj]

We do the white towels and wash cloths for diapering and handwashing/drying. I have a bucket in my (non accessible) laundry room where I toss them all, and run a bleach load at the end of each day.

I do have paper towels for the older kids mounted a bit above where the littlest ones can reach, but they are all pretty good about not unrolling. It has happened a few of times, and it was almost always the older kids. I make them help with clean up, and they usually discover it wasn't THAT much fun.

[MamaBearCanada]

I bought each child 5 facecloths and they each have their own colour. They hang on a hook where you push the facecloth into a plastic disk that grabs them. They get a new one each day and I run them through a hot wash at the end of the week. This was suggested by someone in an earlier thread so I can't claim credit. It wasn't expensive and it's easy. We have very little sickness. For SA I would probably get actual hand towels.

[Blackcat31]

I use this paper towel dispenser. It is similar to the ones you see in public restrooms. The kids have never had an issue using too much paper towel or had any issues operating it.

It costs $6.28 at Sam's Club. I pay around $40 for 6 rolls of refills. The refil rolls are about 580 ft long so they last a looooong time.

For cleaning up after lunch and snack, I use a dish cloth but use a new one for each time. I have STACKS of them.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/scott-slimroll-hand-towel-system-white/prod7010079.ip

[MissAnn]

I bought each child 5 facecloths and they each have their own colour. They hang on a hook where you push the facecloth into a plastic disk that grabs them. They get a new one each day and I run them through a hot wash at the end of the week. This was suggested by someone in an earlier thread so I can't claim credit. It wasn't expensive and it's easy. We have very little sickness. For SA I would probably get actual hand towels.

We cannot use a cloth more than once. One time use only. Honestly using the same cloth all day does not seem very sanitary to me.

[LaLa1923]

There's a holder I bought at Wal-Mart that allows you to pull only one off and you could do it with one hand., they only get one paper towel at a time and I use sparkle select a size., I do like the rag idea, but used like a paper towel. I will look into the cost.

[snips&snails]

Does each child get their own towel for the day, or is it a one time use and then get tossed in the bucket? If each child is given their own towel for the day, how to you know who's belongs to whom?

Its a one time use then tossed in the bucket - however I have debated getting each child a different color & using it throughout the day