To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.

So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
rack in the first place. Or a rack that has some kind of integrated
clamp to keep towels from falling off. Google searches don't seem to
yield anything, though they tend not to if there is some kind of
industry jargon or term used which I'm not using.

Well, there is a product by Packtowl which is targeted at the camper
and has a snap loop. However, it's made of viscose, a synthetic
fiber, and doesn't seem to fit kitchen aesthetics (I need to sell it
to the family, see?).

Towel Grip is a towel rack replacement which seems to have the same
knock-down issue.

Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
floor?

"John White" > wrote in message

> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.

No three-second rule?

"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>

To be realistic, kitchen towels and sponges are vectors for the spread of
germs in your kitchen. I doubt that the germs on the floor are more
pathogenic than the germs on your counters. That probably seems
counter-intuitive, but I suspect it is true. You hands, sink, and counter
come into contact with contaminated food and the towel just spread the
contamination. The floor isn't as likely to have raw poultry or eggs on it.
I would just get rid of the towel instead of finding a way to keep them
around longer. I use paper towels for most cleaning. When I do use a
kitchen towel, I only use it once.

"Vox Humana" > wrote in
:

>
> "John White" > wrote in message
> om...
>> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the
>> rack onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>>
>
> To be realistic, kitchen towels and sponges are vectors for the spread
> of germs in your kitchen. I doubt that the germs on the floor are
> more pathogenic than the germs on your counters. That probably seems
> counter-intuitive, but I suspect it is true. You hands, sink, and
> counter come into contact with contaminated food and the towel just
> spread the contamination. The floor isn't as likely to have raw
> poultry or eggs on it. I would just get rid of the towel instead of
> finding a way to keep them around longer. I use paper towels for most
> cleaning. When I do use a kitchen towel, I only use it once.
>
>
>

At the risk of controversy, people may be worrying too much about germs.
We don't live in a sterile environment, and never will. Some bacteria
can be very bad and following good procedure is important to minimize
their risk. The "bad" germs are mostly the ones that grow on and in
food, not the ones we associated with dirt or general things in the air.
For example, it makes good sense to keep a separate cutting board for raw
poultry and to thoroughly clean it, knives, your hands after each use.
On the other hand, there are plenty of other germs around, and our bodies
are designed to deal with them. Unless one's immune system is
compromised due to disease or other frailty, they are not a big deal.
That's good, because we can't get rid of them anyway. They are in the
air, on our clothes, on and in our bodies, and on every tool and object
that we use.

Restaurants and other food preparation facilities must take special care
against food-borne diseases and the general issue of avoiding wide-spead
problems due to contaminated food being distributed to a large
population. Remember that at home a lot of food is fresh and prepared
for immediate consumption - this is a lot less problematic than food that
is put up in cans or jars for later use.

(FWIW, if someone in your home is sneezing, no amount of kitchen
cleanliness is going to eliminate your chance of catching his cold.
Besides which, colds are viral and not affected by things that kill
bacteria.)

To put this in perspective, I think about how my cats clean themselves
with their tongues. If my floors were breeding grounds of deadly
bacteria, certainly my cats were be under daily assault. However two are
very happy and healthy at 15 and show no indications of slowing down.
Remember that understanding about germs is a very recent thing in human
history. Until then, humans have had the same biological need to resist
environmental bacteria as my cats. It makes sense to keep things clean,
but we generally don't need a sterile environment to be healthy.

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

(John White) wrote:

> Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
> floor?

I'm thinking (since we use dishtowels exclusively, and have children who
run for the dishtowel at the least spill) something like they use in a
dentist's office to keep the bib on the patient. Alligator clips + bead
chain.

I bought at BJ's a paper towel holder that sits on the counter. The paper
towels stand vertically. The stand is heavy and perhaps stainless steel.
It is called Kamenstein Perfect Tear and sells around $14.95. (I got a $5
rebate is one of the reasons I tried it.) d Since I have it, I don't worry
about the whole paper towel roll falling off and onto the floor.

It seems I've seen them elsewhere -- like in Walmart?

Dee




John White" > wrote in message
om...
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> rack in the first place. Or a rack that has some kind of integrated
> clamp to keep towels from falling off. Google searches don't seem to
> yield anything, though they tend not to if there is some kind of
> industry jargon or term used which I'm not using.
>
> Well, there is a product by Packtowl which is targeted at the camper
> and has a snap loop. However, it's made of viscose, a synthetic
> fiber, and doesn't seem to fit kitchen aesthetics (I need to sell it
> to the family, see?).
>
> Towel Grip is a towel rack replacement which seems to have the same
> knock-down issue.
>
> Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
> floor?

"Dee Randall" > wrote in message
...
> I bought at BJ's a paper towel holder that sits on the counter. The paper
> towels stand vertically. The stand is heavy and perhaps stainless steel.
> It is called Kamenstein Perfect Tear and sells around $14.95. (I got a $5
> rebate is one of the reasons I tried it.) d Since I have it, I don't
worry
> about the whole paper towel roll falling off and onto the floor.
>
> It seems I've seen them elsewhere -- like in Walmart?
>
> Dee

I have the same thing in white plastic. It works well and doesn't take up
much space.

"Debbie Deutsch" > wrote in message
. 97.132...
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > "John White" > wrote in message
> > om...
> >> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the
> >> rack onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
> >>
> >
> > To be realistic, kitchen towels and sponges are vectors for the spread
> > of germs in your kitchen. I doubt that the germs on the floor are
> > more pathogenic than the germs on your counters. That probably seems
> > counter-intuitive, but I suspect it is true. You hands, sink, and
> > counter come into contact with contaminated food and the towel just
> > spread the contamination. The floor isn't as likely to have raw
> > poultry or eggs on it. I would just get rid of the towel instead of
> > finding a way to keep them around longer. I use paper towels for most
> > cleaning. When I do use a kitchen towel, I only use it once.
> >
> >
> >
>
> At the risk of controversy, people may be worrying too much about germs.
> We don't live in a sterile environment, and never will. Some bacteria
> can be very bad and following good procedure is important to minimize
> their risk. The "bad" germs are mostly the ones that grow on and in
> food, not the ones we associated with dirt or general things in the air.
> For example, it makes good sense to keep a separate cutting board for raw
> poultry and to thoroughly clean it, knives, your hands after each use.
> On the other hand, there are plenty of other germs around, and our bodies
> are designed to deal with them. Unless one's immune system is
> compromised due to disease or other frailty, they are not a big deal.

That's sort of the point I was making. The germs on the floor probably
aren't the ones that we have to worry about. It's the germs on food like
raw poultry. A kitchen towel that is use to clean up counters and wipe
hands after food preparation is much more likely to spread serious pathogens
than a towel that touched the floor. I still maintain that the longer a
towel remains in the kitchen, the higher the likelihood that it will become
a vector for disease. I would simply get a clean towel to dry dishes or
clean up a mess and then put it in the laundry. Finding ways to prolong the
use of a towel is just asking for trouble in my opinion. It probably won't
land you in the hospital, but who need unnecessary bouts of diarrhea and
malaise that are associated with food born illnesses?

"Vox Humana" > wrote in
:

>
> That's sort of the point I was making. The germs on the floor
> probably aren't the ones that we have to worry about. It's the germs
> on food like raw poultry. A kitchen towel that is use to clean up
> counters and wipe hands after food preparation is much more likely to
> spread serious pathogens than a towel that touched the floor. I still
> maintain that the longer a towel remains in the kitchen, the higher
> the likelihood that it will become a vector for disease. I would
> simply get a clean towel to dry dishes or clean up a mess and then put
> it in the laundry. Finding ways to prolong the use of a towel is just
> asking for trouble in my opinion. It probably won't land you in the
> hospital, but who need unnecessary bouts of diarrhea and malaise that
> are associated with food born illnesses?
>

Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
(Can you tell that I am single and the only cook in my kitchen?) For
wiping up I have a big sponge used for sopping up big liquid spills and
use paper towels for everything else. For dish washing I have a separate
scrubby sponge used only for that purpose. I replace it every month, but
still think that it is the one place in my kitchen where "bad" germs may
be an issue. However I can't sanction using a new one every day (too
much cost) and I won't switch over to a brush due to cleaning preference.
(I just like using a sponge with a scrubby side in conjunction with a
good squirt of dish detergent as required.) On the other hand, I do not
obsess over the sterility of my counter or wooden cutting board (no meat
touches it, for that I have polypropelene that can be bleached and/or
washed in hot water) or even things that fall and land briefly on the
floor. Also, I tend to let washed things air dry rather than drying by
hand. The germs in the air are rather benign; also I recall reading that
air drying is a cleaner way of drying than towelling off.

The good news is that white (bleachable!) towels for hand-drying and
dish/glassware drying are pretty inexpensive. You can buy a bunch for a
few dollars, and clean the heck out of them as part of your laundry
routine. They may not be decorator items, but they are a perfect
addition to a practical kitchen - low cost and plenty effective.

Debbie

Debbie
--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

About 6 years ago, I decided to get out of the paper-towel habit. (I just
recently bought a new paper towel holder as I feel that I had more-or-less
broken the habit of grabbing a paper-towel.

I bought probably 3-4 dozen of the white bar towels at Costco which I use
just as I would a paper towels. I keep a bucket beside my trash-basket
where I throw them in when they are either wet, dirty or totally used.
(Just like us ole folks used to do baby diapers.) When I've got a bunch, I
throw them in the washer with some soap and bleach.
Dee




<snip> The good news is that white (bleachable!) towels for hand-drying and
dish/glassware drying are pretty inexpensive. You can buy a bunch for a
few dollars, and clean the heck out of them as part of your laundry
routine. They may not be decorator items, but they are a perfect
addition to a practical kitchen - low cost and plenty effective.
"Debbie Deutsch" > wrote in message
. 71.230...
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > That's sort of the point I was making. The germs on the floor
> > probably aren't the ones that we have to worry about. It's the germs
> > on food like raw poultry. A kitchen towel that is use to clean up
> > counters and wipe hands after food preparation is much more likely to
> > spread serious pathogens than a towel that touched the floor. I still
> > maintain that the longer a towel remains in the kitchen, the higher
> > the likelihood that it will become a vector for disease. I would
> > simply get a clean towel to dry dishes or clean up a mess and then put
> > it in the laundry. Finding ways to prolong the use of a towel is just
> > asking for trouble in my opinion. It probably won't land you in the
> > hospital, but who need unnecessary bouts of diarrhea and malaise that
> > are associated with food born illnesses?
> >
>
> Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
> that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
> Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
> (Can you tell that I am single and the only cook in my kitchen?) For
> wiping up I have a big sponge used for sopping up big liquid spills and
> use paper towels for everything else. For dish washing I have a separate
> scrubby sponge used only for that purpose. I replace it every month, but
> still think that it is the one place in my kitchen where "bad" germs may
> be an issue. However I can't sanction using a new one every day (too
> much cost) and I won't switch over to a brush due to cleaning preference.
> (I just like using a sponge with a scrubby side in conjunction with a
> good squirt of dish detergent as required.) On the other hand, I do not
> obsess over the sterility of my counter or wooden cutting board (no meat
> touches it, for that I have polypropelene that can be bleached and/or
> washed in hot water) or even things that fall and land briefly on the
> floor. Also, I tend to let washed things air dry rather than drying by
> hand. The germs in the air are rather benign; also I recall reading that
> air drying is a cleaner way of drying than towelling off.
>
> The good news is that white (bleachable!) towels for hand-drying and
> dish/glassware drying are pretty inexpensive. You can buy a bunch for a
> few dollars, and clean the heck out of them as part of your laundry
> routine. They may not be decorator items, but they are a perfect
> addition to a practical kitchen - low cost and plenty effective.
>
> Debbie
>
> Debbie
> --
> Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
> throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
> and when it is found by spammers.

"Debbie Deutsch" > wrote in message
. 71.230...
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > That's sort of the point I was making. The germs on the floor
> > probably aren't the ones that we have to worry about. It's the germs
> > on food like raw poultry. A kitchen towel that is use to clean up
> > counters and wipe hands after food preparation is much more likely to
> > spread serious pathogens than a towel that touched the floor. I still
> > maintain that the longer a towel remains in the kitchen, the higher
> > the likelihood that it will become a vector for disease. I would
> > simply get a clean towel to dry dishes or clean up a mess and then put
> > it in the laundry. Finding ways to prolong the use of a towel is just
> > asking for trouble in my opinion. It probably won't land you in the
> > hospital, but who need unnecessary bouts of diarrhea and malaise that
> > are associated with food born illnesses?
> >
>
> Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
> that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
> Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
> (Can you tell that I am single and the only cook in my kitchen?) For
> wiping up I have a big sponge used for sopping up big liquid spills and
> use paper towels for everything else. For dish washing I have a separate
> scrubby sponge used only for that purpose. I replace it every month, but
> still think that it is the one place in my kitchen where "bad" germs may
> be an issue. However I can't sanction using a new one every day (too
> much cost) and I won't switch over to a brush due to cleaning preference.
> (I just like using a sponge with a scrubby side in conjunction with a
> good squirt of dish detergent as required.) On the other hand, I do not
> obsess over the sterility of my counter or wooden cutting board (no meat
> touches it, for that I have polypropelene that can be bleached and/or
> washed in hot water) or even things that fall and land briefly on the
> floor. Also, I tend to let washed things air dry rather than drying by
> hand. The germs in the air are rather benign; also I recall reading that
> air drying is a cleaner way of drying than towelling off.
>
> The good news is that white (bleachable!) towels for hand-drying and
> dish/glassware drying are pretty inexpensive. You can buy a bunch for a
> few dollars, and clean the heck out of them as part of your laundry
> routine. They may not be decorator items, but they are a perfect
> addition to a practical kitchen - low cost and plenty effective.

You can saturate the sponge with water, put it on a plate, and microwave it
for several minutes. That should all but sterilize it with the exception of
vegetative spores (like from hepatitis B). If you did that each day it
wouldn't cost anything and would limit the spread of pathogens.

"Debbie Deutsch" > wrote in message
. 97.132...
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > "John White" > wrote in message
> > om...
> >> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the
> >> rack onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
> >>
> >
> > To be realistic, kitchen towels and sponges are vectors for the spread
> > of germs in your kitchen. I doubt that the germs on the floor are
> > more pathogenic than the germs on your counters. That probably seems
> > counter-intuitive, but I suspect it is true. You hands, sink, and
> > counter come into contact with contaminated food and the towel just
> > spread the contamination. The floor isn't as likely to have raw
> > poultry or eggs on it. I would just get rid of the towel instead of
> > finding a way to keep them around longer. I use paper towels for most
> > cleaning. When I do use a kitchen towel, I only use it once.
> >
> >
> >
>
> At the risk of controversy, people may be worrying too much about germs.
> We don't live in a sterile environment, and never will. Some bacteria
> can be very bad and following good procedure is important to minimize
> their risk. The "bad" germs are mostly the ones that grow on and in
> food, not the ones we associated with dirt or general things in the air.
> For example, it makes good sense to keep a separate cutting board for raw
> poultry and to thoroughly clean it, knives, your hands after each use.
> On the other hand, there are plenty of other germs around, and our bodies
> are designed to deal with them. Unless one's immune system is
> compromised due to disease or other frailty, they are not a big deal.
> That's good, because we can't get rid of them anyway. They are in the
> air, on our clothes, on and in our bodies, and on every tool and object
> that we use.
>
> Restaurants and other food preparation facilities must take special care
> against food-borne diseases and the general issue of avoiding wide-spead
> problems due to contaminated food being distributed to a large
> population. Remember that at home a lot of food is fresh and prepared
> for immediate consumption - this is a lot less problematic than food that
> is put up in cans or jars for later use.
>
> (FWIW, if someone in your home is sneezing, no amount of kitchen
> cleanliness is going to eliminate your chance of catching his cold.
> Besides which, colds are viral and not affected by things that kill
> bacteria.)
>
> To put this in perspective, I think about how my cats clean themselves
> with their tongues. If my floors were breeding grounds of deadly
> bacteria, certainly my cats were be under daily assault. However two are
> very happy and healthy at 15 and show no indications of slowing down.
> Remember that understanding about germs is a very recent thing in human
> history. Until then, humans have had the same biological need to resist
> environmental bacteria as my cats. It makes sense to keep things clean,
> but we generally don't need a sterile environment to be healthy.
>
> Debbie

Thanks for the excellent, clear post. As you say, many people are fearful of
"germs" because they are ignorant. I find it useful to buy inexpensive
towels in large quantities - several dozen at a time. Then I can always grab
a clean one when there is any question that the previous one has been
contaminated.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Dee Randall" > wrote in message >...
> I bought at BJ's a paper towel holder that sits on the counter. The paper
> towels stand vertically.

Sorry if I wasn't clear on this issue: I'm talking about cloth towels which
might be used to dry dishes.

"John Gaquin" > wrote in message >...
> "John White" > wrote in message
>
> > To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> > onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> No three-second rule?

It was a dish-towel, not a cookie! :-)

Debbie Deutsch > wrote in message .71.230>...


> Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
> that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
> Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.

So, I have to say that I'm puzzled about your two responses. I'm looking
for a way to keep my kitchen towels from falling onto the floor. You
post a message about your philosophy of sanitation, don't suggest any
equipment, but in general, imply that towels on the floor ... what ...
aren't a problem?

Then, you follow up with someone who was making the same point, but disclose
that you keep your towels on a rod.

Why don't you keep them on the floor? :-)

Why did you hijack my towel thread to discuss your sanitation philosophy? :-)

-I- have a problem with going through the motions of washing my dishes,
then drying them with towels which have fallen on the floor. Thus, I'm
looking for suggestions from the community on equipment which might keep
that situation from arising. Hence, my post in rec.food.equipment.

If you think that my sanitation ideas are out of line, that's fine. I'm
sure it will make for a lively discussion in rec.food.sanitation.philosophy.
But it's not helping me, the original poster, at all.

Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
Any ideas?

:-)

(John White) wrote in
om:

[SNIP]

>
> So, I have to say that I'm puzzled about your two responses. I'm
> looking for a way to keep my kitchen towels from falling onto the
> floor. You post a message about your philosophy of sanitation, don't
> suggest any equipment, but in general, imply that towels on the floor
> ... what ... aren't a problem?
>
> Then, you follow up with someone who was making the same point, but
> disclose that you keep your towels on a rod.
>
> Why don't you keep them on the floor? :-)
>
> Why did you hijack my towel thread to discuss your sanitation
> philosophy? :-)
>

[SNIP]

> ... it's not helping me, the original
> poster, at all.
>
> Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
> Any ideas?
>
>:-)
>

Dear John,

I saw all the smilies in your response to me and can't figure if you are
serious or having some fun with me.

Just in case you were being serious, remember that newsgroup threads do
tend to creep sometimes. The discussion may get into areas that were not
the intent of the original poster, but that doesn't mean they are not
interesting or useful to other people. In this case, I got into a
conversation with Vox about some points that she was making and some
other people responded to me. Neither of my previous posts in this
thread was a direct response to one of yours. Neither of my previous
posts in this thread precluded anyone from responding to your question.
Any inference on your part that I was criticizing your sanitation is in
the eye of the beholder only. However one thing I said to Vox may well
apply - if you have a bunch of clean towels available, why not just dry
your dishes with a fresh towel that you know is clean? After all, no
matter where you put your in-use towels and what equipment you have, you
can never be sure that someone else hasn't dropped the current one while
using it.

Debbie

--
Anti-spam advisory: The email address used to post this article is a
throw-away address. It will be invalidated and replaced with another if
and when it is found by spammers.

John White wrote:
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> rack in the first place.



Two comments:

Keep in mind that it is illegal to dry dishes in a commercial
establishment with ANY kind of a towel Air or heat drying is all that is
allowed (using towels leads to cross contamination).

Train your family member better. A lot more cost effective than a new
towel system.

Colin

> > To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> > onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
> >
> > So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> > or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> > rack in the first place.

If you just want a towel for drying your hands, then you can buy towels
with a button loop that hook around drawer handles. These are often
found at craft stores (the top section is usually crocheted).

These are usually too small to use for anything but hand wiping, but
they're handy for that purpose. I keep one hanging on a drawer near the
sink just to wipe my hands after washing them - it's out of the way and
doesn't get mislaid.

I wouldn't get too worked up about a dropped towel, though - if you have
dirty pets maybe it's an issue, but how many germs would you really get
from a momentary drop onto the floor?

Karen

"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> Debbie Deutsch > wrote in message
.71.230>...
>
>
> > Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> > kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> > drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
> > that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
> > Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
>
> So, I have to say that I'm puzzled about your two responses. I'm looking
> for a way to keep my kitchen towels from falling onto the floor. You
> post a message about your philosophy of sanitation, don't suggest any
> equipment, but in general, imply that towels on the floor ... what ...
> aren't a problem?

If you look at your original post, the root problem was that you were
concerned about the towel falling on the floor because of the possibility
that it would become contaminated with pathogens. I simply pointed out that
the floor is the least of your worries if you intend to reduce cross
contamination of pathogens. Your towels are more likely to contaminate the
floor. Debbie expanded on that by saying that there are bacteria
everywhere, but the most pathogenic are from raw food that one would find
above floor level. Your "solution" was to find a way to prolong the use of
the towels by using a retaining device. Again, the solution to reducing
pathogens is to avoid using towels. When you do use a towel, you should
immediately set it aside to be laundered. There was nothing implied or
explicit that said it was acceptable to have towels in contact with the
floor. I don't see how you came to that conclusion.

John White wrote:
>
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> rack in the first place. Or a rack that has some kind of integrated
> clamp to keep towels from falling off. Google searches don't seem to
> yield anything, though they tend not to if there is some kind of
> industry jargon or term used which I'm not using.
>
> Well, there is a product by Packtowl which is targeted at the camper
> and has a snap loop. However, it's made of viscose, a synthetic
> fiber, and doesn't seem to fit kitchen aesthetics (I need to sell it
> to the family, see?).
>
> Towel Grip is a towel rack replacement which seems to have the same
> knock-down issue.
>
> Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
> floor?

Why not sew some velcro on it? Or just keep a handy supply of towels
and throw the dropped ones in the wash, like I do...
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

I'll respond to your query again, this time regarding a "kitchen towel." I
guess some of us thought you were talking about paper towels. And you wrote
it just as plain a punch.

Here is what I do, but it is probably not fool proof.

I've attached a cup hook at the bottom of my cabinet by the sink and one
farther away from the sink.

The type of towels that I dry my hands on are the bar towels or other
coarse-weave hand towels, with a large enough weave that I just "pull" the
towel thru the weave onto the hook. Of course you can just lift it off
easily enough.

I do the same thing with the kitchen dish towels, which I think is what you
are referring to -- towels to wipe dishes with -- pulling them thru the
weave over the cup hooks. One cannot do this with the fine weave egyptian
cotton dish towels, but it works well on other towels. As for destroying
the towels, I don't think it does much damage if you move the towels
carefully back and forth over the hook to get them thru the hole. And they
come off easily enough when you are ready. I think it discourages
sloppiness.

Anyway, it sure is a handy way of keeping towels close at hand. Otherwise
when I'm cooking, I try to attach a hand-towel to my garment.

Hope this helps.
Dee



"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> rack in the first place. Or a rack that has some kind of integrated
> clamp to keep towels from falling off. Google searches don't seem to
> yield anything, though they tend not to if there is some kind of
> industry jargon or term used which I'm not using.
>
> Well, there is a product by Packtowl which is targeted at the camper
> and has a snap loop. However, it's made of viscose, a synthetic
> fiber, and doesn't seem to fit kitchen aesthetics (I need to sell it
> to the family, see?).
>
> Towel Grip is a towel rack replacement which seems to have the same
> knock-down issue.
>
> Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
> floor?

You could put large grommets on the towels and hang them on a hook. You
can buy them where they sell fabric. I think some bar towels have
grommets on them.

I agree 100%. Germs are exercise for our immune systems. I think there is
normal cleanliness and then there is paranoia that our society seems to be
in the middle of. It seems every product has an "antibacterial" version. You
know what? Plain soap is antibacterial, so it hot water. It's a dirty, germy
world people, get over it. Even things like Salmonella and E. Coli...are
manageable in small quantities. Just don't lick the cutting board after
fooling with raw chicken!
As far as advice for a towel dropping on the floor? If you don't want to use
it, put it in the laundry and replace it with a clean one.

Bonnie (who does have a clean house, despite what you may think after this
post)




> At the risk of controversy, people may be worrying too much about germs.
> We don't live in a sterile environment, and never will. Some bacteria
> can be very bad and following good procedure is important to minimize
> their risk. The "bad" germs are mostly the ones that grow on and in
> food, not the ones we associated with dirt or general things in the air.
> For example, it makes good sense to keep a separate cutting board for raw
> poultry and to thoroughly clean it, knives, your hands after each use.
> On the other hand, there are plenty of other germs around, and our bodies
> are designed to deal with them. Unless one's immune system is
> compromised due to disease or other frailty, they are not a big deal.
> That's good, because we can't get rid of them anyway. They are in the
> air, on our clothes, on and in our bodies, and on every tool and object
> that we use.
>
> Restaurants and other food preparation facilities must take special care
> against food-borne diseases and the general issue of avoiding wide-spead
> problems due to contaminated food being distributed to a large
> population. Remember that at home a lot of food is fresh and prepared
> for immediate consumption - this is a lot less problematic than food that
> is put up in cans or jars for later use.
>
> (FWIW, if someone in your home is sneezing, no amount of kitchen
> cleanliness is going to eliminate your chance of catching his cold.
> Besides which, colds are viral and not affected by things that kill
> bacteria.)
>
> To put this in perspective, I think about how my cats clean themselves
> with their tongues. If my floors were breeding grounds of deadly
> bacteria, certainly my cats were be under daily assault. However two are
> very happy and healthy at 15 and show no indications of slowing down.
> Remember that understanding about germs is a very recent thing in human
> history. Until then, humans have had the same biological need to resist
> environmental bacteria as my cats. It makes sense to keep things clean,
> but we generally don't need a sterile environment to be healthy.
>
> Debbie

"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> Debbie Deutsch > wrote in message
.71.230>...
>
>
> > Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> > kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> > drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on things
> > that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad germs.
> > Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
>
> So, I have to say that I'm puzzled about your two responses. I'm looking
> for a way to keep my kitchen towels from falling onto the floor. You
> post a message about your philosophy of sanitation, don't suggest any
> equipment, but in general, imply that towels on the floor ... what ...
> aren't a problem?
>
> Then, you follow up with someone who was making the same point, but
disclose
> that you keep your towels on a rod.
>
> Why don't you keep them on the floor? :-)
>
> Why did you hijack my towel thread to discuss your sanitation philosophy?
:-)
>
> -I- have a problem with going through the motions of washing my dishes,
> then drying them with towels which have fallen on the floor. Thus, I'm
> looking for suggestions from the community on equipment which might keep
> that situation from arising. Hence, my post in rec.food.equipment.
>
> If you think that my sanitation ideas are out of line, that's fine. I'm
> sure it will make for a lively discussion in
rec.food.sanitation.philosophy.
> But it's not helping me, the original poster, at all.
>
> Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
> Any ideas?
>

Tie a spring clothespin to the rack.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
. com...
> "John White" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Debbie Deutsch > wrote in message
> .71.230>...
> >
> >
> > > Yes, we are pretty much on the same page. I use two towels in my
> > > kitchen. One (terry) is for my hands, the other (lint-free) is for
> > > drying dishes, glassware, and cookware. Since it is only used on
things
> > > that have been washed, I am not so worried about it carrying bad
germs.
> > > Also, both towels hang on a rod, and are NEVER placed on the counter.
> >
> > So, I have to say that I'm puzzled about your two responses. I'm
looking
> > for a way to keep my kitchen towels from falling onto the floor. You
> > post a message about your philosophy of sanitation, don't suggest any
> > equipment, but in general, imply that towels on the floor ... what ...
> > aren't a problem?
> >
> > Then, you follow up with someone who was making the same point, but
> disclose
> > that you keep your towels on a rod.
> >
> > Why don't you keep them on the floor? :-)
> >
> > Why did you hijack my towel thread to discuss your sanitation
philosophy?
> :-)
> >
> > -I- have a problem with going through the motions of washing my dishes,
> > then drying them with towels which have fallen on the floor. Thus, I'm
> > looking for suggestions from the community on equipment which might keep
> > that situation from arising. Hence, my post in rec.food.equipment.
> >
> > If you think that my sanitation ideas are out of line, that's fine. I'm
> > sure it will make for a lively discussion in
> rec.food.sanitation.philosophy.
> > But it's not helping me, the original poster, at all.
> >
> > Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
> > Any ideas?
> >
>
> Tie a spring clothespin to the rack.

My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates the issue
with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the need for
equipment. <;}

cynthia mason wrote:
>
> You could put large grommets on the towels and hang them on a hook. You
> can buy them where they sell fabric. I think some bar towels have
> grommets on them.


I use snap on plastic loops from Lakeland Limited. And after a day's
use or a drop on the floor, they go in the boil wash.
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> So now I'm looking for a kitchen towel line that has some kind of tie
> or other connector (velcro, maybe) to keep it from falling off the
> rack in the first place. Or a rack that has some kind of integrated
> clamp to keep towels from falling off.

How about you get one of those spring loaded key ring thingies that janitors
and such wear. You know, the kind where the keys are on a wire that spins
back into the casing like a tape measure. Any way, mount one near the towel
rack and attach the towel to the wire, you can even modify the wire so that
you can reach the whole kitchen. When you are done with the towel, just let
go and *WHOOSH*, it flies back home. Feel free to apply this idea to any
small kitchen item: the self replacing pepper grinder, the never lost potato
peeler and so forth. Just don't attach your knives to such a system. You
don't want them flying around the kitchen on their own. Alternate idea:
install pneumatic tubes like banks and warehouse stores. Use your towel,
stuff it in the canister, insert in tube and *WHOOSH* (again) towel flies
back home. HTH.

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 19:32:09 -0500, (Karen
Wheless) wrote:

>If you just want a towel for drying your hands, then you can buy towels
>with a button loop that hook around drawer handles. These are often
>found at craft stores (the top section is usually crocheted).
>
>These are usually too small to use for anything but hand wiping, but
>they're handy for that purpose. I keep one hanging on a drawer near the
>sink just to wipe my hands after washing them - it's out of the way and
>doesn't get mislaid.

At a restaurant supply store, we found one of those little clamp
things they used for bar towels -- it screws into the side of the
cabinet, you ball up the corner of the towel and tighten the clamp on
it. That's for the "clean towel" that just gets used for drying
hands, knives, etc.

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003, (cynthia mason) wrote:

>You could put large grommets on the towels and hang them on a hook. You
>can buy them where they sell fabric. I think some bar towels have
>grommets on them.

If the OP was looking for a terry cloth towel to dry hands, golf equipment
places sell them with grommets in a corner. The golfers then clip them to
their golf bag.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

(John White) wrote in
om:

> To my horror, I saw a family member knock a kitchen towel off the rack
> onto the floor, then pick it back up and place it on the rack.
>
> Any ideas for products which would keep my kitchen towels off the
> floor?


dude.....relax.....

> My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates the issue
> with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the need for
> equipment. <;}

It's kind of inconvenient to run to the laundromat every day, not to
mention the $3.50 per load cost.

Not everyone has a washer at home.

Karen

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:42:14 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

> Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
> Any ideas?

Those towel holders which are made of a fairly hard rubber with two
intersecting slits at right angles work well for us. You just push any
part of the towel through the slits, and it _stays_ there until you
give it a hard pull.

-- Larry

Karen Wheless wrote:
>
> > My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates the issue
> > with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the need for
> > equipment. <;}
>
> It's kind of inconvenient to run to the laundromat every day, not to
> mention the $3.50 per load cost.
>
> Not everyone has a washer at home.

Oh. Here washing machines are so prevalent that laundrettes have all
but vanished, and even student accommodation has automatic washing
machines.
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

"Vox Humana" > wrote in message >...

> If you look at your original post, the root problem was that you were
> concerned about the towel falling on the floor because of the possibility
> that it would become contaminated with pathogens.

If -YOU- look at my original post, you'll see that the root problem
was that
I was concerned about the towel falling on the floor. I've
double-checked
to make sure... I didn't use the word pathogens a single time. I want
to keep
the towels from falling onto the floor. And I'm looking for
-equipment- to help me do that.

That's all.

If I had ever asked whether I should be worried about floor pathogens
vs. counter
pathogens, I could see how this discussion would be relevant. I never
did.
I'm looking for equipment, to keep towels from falling onto the floor.

And this time you get no smilies. :-)

Ok, just the one.

"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message .com>...
> "John White" > wrote in message
> om...

> > Kitchen towels. Equipment to keep them from falling on the floor.
> > Any ideas?
> >
>
> Tie a spring clothespin to the rack.

Nice. Thanks for answering my question! I hadn't thought of that,
and I'll look into it.

"BonnieJean" > wrote in message >...
> I agree 100%. Germs are exercise for our immune systems. I think there is
> normal cleanliness and then there is paranoia that our society seems to be
> in the middle of.
[snip]
> As far as advice for a towel dropping on the floor? If you don't want to use
> it, put it in the laundry and replace it with a clean one.

1) I don't understand your point. Are you saying that I shouldn't worry about
dish towels falling on the floor? Do you store your dish towels on the floor
tell everyone that it's to exercise their immune system? And after all that,
you advocate laundering the towels!?

2) I'm not worried about me. If I drop a dish towel on the floor, I pick it
up and drop in in the laundry. It's everyone else I'm worried about at least
one of them just puts it back on the rack.

3) If you think my question is without merit, then please feel free to think
that. Why are you bothering to clutter up the thread with non-responsive
responses?

"Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
m...
> > My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates the
issue
> > with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the need
for
> > equipment. <;}
>
> It's kind of inconvenient to run to the laundromat every day, not to
> mention the $3.50 per load cost.
>
> Not everyone has a washer at home.

If you accumulate an entire load of towels each day then there is a bigger
problem.

"John White" > wrote in message
om...
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in message
>...
>
> > If you look at your original post, the root problem was that you were
> > concerned about the towel falling on the floor because of the
possibility
> > that it would become contaminated with pathogens.
>
> If -YOU- look at my original post, you'll see that the root problem
> was that
> I was concerned about the towel falling on the floor. I've
> double-checked
> to make sure... I didn't use the word pathogens a single time. I want
> to keep
> the towels from falling onto the floor. And I'm looking for
> -equipment- to help me do that.
>
> That's all.
>
> If I had ever asked whether I should be worried about floor pathogens
> vs. counter
> pathogens, I could see how this discussion would be relevant. I never
> did.
> I'm looking for equipment, to keep towels from falling onto the floor.
>
> And this time you get no smilies. :-)
>
> Ok, just the one.

You were concerned that the towel would fall on the floor and then it would
be placed back on the rack. The issue wasn't gravity, it was sanitation.

"Vox Humana" > wrote in
:

>
> "Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
> m...
>> > My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates
>> > the
> issue
>> > with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the
>> > need
> for
>> > equipment. <;}
>>
>> It's kind of inconvenient to run to the laundromat every day, not to
>> mention the $3.50 per load cost.
>>
>> Not everyone has a washer at home.
>
> If you accumulate an entire load of towels each day then there is a
> bigger problem.
>
>
>

I'm late to this thread, but I've found that most home stores carry
cotton towels that have a loop or strap attached that can be fastened
around the handle of a fridge, oven, or drawer. Is there a reason why
those wouldn't be suitable?

Wayne

P. S. - Is your floor *that* dirty?

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
. ..
> "Vox Humana" > wrote in
> :
>
> >
> > "Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
> > m...
> >> > My suggestion to launder them after each use completely eliminates
> >> > the
> > issue
> >> > with towels falling to the floor from a rack between uses and the
> >> > need
> > for
> >> > equipment. <;}
> >>
> >> It's kind of inconvenient to run to the laundromat every day, not to
> >> mention the $3.50 per load cost.
> >>
> >> Not everyone has a washer at home.
> >
> > If you accumulate an entire load of towels each day then there is a
> > bigger problem.
> >
> >
> >
>
> I'm late to this thread, but I've found that most home stores carry
> cotton towels that have a loop or strap attached that can be fastened
> around the handle of a fridge, oven, or drawer. Is there a reason why
> those wouldn't be suitable?
>
> Wayne
>
> P. S. - Is your floor *that* dirty?

It is my position that food born pathogens are spread by towels and
sponges. The longer one uses a towel, the higher the likelihood that it
becomes contaminated and spreads pathogens. Finding ways of prolonging the
use of a towel is contrary to good sanitation. The OP was concerned that
the towel would be dropped and then re-used. (Presumably because he is
concerned about sanitation rather that any damage to the towel.) I simply
pointed out that the towel was more likely to contaminate the floor and that
the real issue from a sanitation standpoint is to avoid using towels more
than once. No hardware is needed to retain a towel that is used once. To
use an extreme analogy, think of toilet paper. It gets contaminated from
the primary usage. That it might fall on the floor is almost irrelevant.
To find a way to clip it to a towel rack for later use just ignores the fact
that it is already unsuitable for further use. Another analogy might be
finding a way for a drunk to get the key into the ignition of his car. One
might suggest any number of methods to keep the key from falling to the
floor - you could use clips and chains, retractable cords, magnets and so
on. Would providing the method without looking at the totality of the
situation be rational?