What to do with wet rags?

[MsLeah]

I'm living out of a Volvo wagon, with part time cleaning jobs. What to do with these wet rags that I have rinsed out after cleaning people's homes, or my car.  Then I have a wet swim suit and towel from the gym. Oh, I've tried placing them under the car's heater vent and they could stay there a week with no improvement. I've tried using the gym's sauna, but the swim suit just won't dry and I can't very well bring the wet rags in.  Too cold outside for it to dry. Rains at night so can't hang from car. Can't put in a dryer, only have some 5 rags per job.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Couple suggestions.
Don't use cotton but substitute for microfiber/synthetics which doesn't soak up water like cotton. 
Use a microfiber cloth instead of a towel. Dries much faster, just hang, in the wind or in front of a 12v vent fan from Walmart.
Same for synthetic clothes like polyester and nylon. Dry faster and don't require a dryer, just hang. Been using a microfiber cloth after shower and works great, dries quickly unlike cotton bath towels which take forever and can get mouldy smelling if not properly dried.

Disposable rags? Get from thrift store and throw away. Use a sponge? Roll of paper towels is a dollar.

High humidity environment and cold?
Will require heat and air flow to dry, can't get away from that.
Hope that helps or gives you ideas, alternatives.

 

[saracatherine]

For the rags part, maybe you could tell your clients they need to provide their own rags or towels? I have a housecleaner come sometimes and have a bucket of rags and old hand towels for him. When he’s done, I wash and dry them and they’re ready for next time. I also provide all the cleaning supplies, mop, vacuum, etc....that was just the deal he stated from the outset. Maybe you could try that with new clients and see how it goes over, then you don’t have lug around all those supplies yourself.

 

[rm.w/aview]

Dang, after those two great suggestions I got nothin'. Fortunately the swim suit is exposed to chlorine, bromine, or whatever is used in the pool and will not grow an odor, it'll just be a little cold to put on next time.

 

[Weight]

Go to a laundrymat ?

 

[ZoNiE]

Go to a laundrymat ?

X2 on that. If you are earning money with those rags, then it shouldn't be a problem to spend a couple of bucks at the laundromat to clean and dry them for the next job. After all, just drying them after rinsing them out really doesn't clean them and you are bringing not so clean rags into a person's home with the filth of the last one... :dodgy:

 

[MrAlvinDude]

You might be able to get the items almost completely dry, by using a spinner.
Unfortunately I do not know if it possible to get a spinner only.

But here are two videos showing washer/spinner combos that spin so well, that clothes are almost completely dry, after they have been through the spinner.

 

[MrAlvinDude]

I doubt that these salad spinners can be spun as fast as the motorized spinners in those washing machines. Otherwise salad spinners might be a cheap method of spinning the swim suit. And perhaps one rag at a time could also be spun.

The trick is to get the "bowl"/spinner with as high a diameter as possible, as this will give the highest centrifugal force.  Centrifugal force, and air flow while spinning, are the two components that will help you get the items as dry as possible.

https://www.walmart.com/c/ep/salad-spinner

 

[Charlotte's Web]

What to do with wet rags?   Same as I do with wet blankets.
Avoid them!

Charlotte
Just Hang Them Out To Dry.

 

[MsLeah]

For the rags part, maybe you could tell your clients they need to provide their own rags or towels? I have a housecleaner come sometimes and have a bucket of rags and old hand towels for him. When he’s done, I wash and dry them and they’re ready for next time. I also provide all the cleaning supplies, mop, vacuum, etc....that was just the deal he stated from the outset. Maybe you could try that with new clients and see how it goes over, then you don’t have lug around all those supplies yourself.

BEST REPLY Good cost saving suggestion about them supplying the rags.  Maybe they'll get some nice ones.  I use disposable only when cleaning the toilets.  Especially the ones that know I am homeless, they should supply.  Except I have a special mop and would have to give them a mop head or hold that one item.

 

[VanKitten]

In my misspent youth, I bummed across Europe.

The dryers were (and still are) so small and take way too much time.

The wet laundry was hung from the rear windows and dried while driving.

Perhaps you can rinse them really well at the clients house and do something the same? A clothes line across the back from each window...hang them with safety pins ??

It will look odd...but effective.

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm in a low humidity region with lots of sunshine and all I need to do is spread damp wash cloths on the dash or drape my towel over the steering wheel for an hour or so.

 

[WanderingCanuck]

It would be an interesting experiment to try and rig something under the hood, above the engine where there's a LOT of extra heat and good air flow. The trick would be to keep them spread out, fixed in place, away from exhaust (fire hazard) and ideally not smelling like the engine bay. If you keep the area somewhat clean it should help with the latter. Beyond this out-of-the-box idea, I haven't thought much about implementation. Perhaps others might have some ideas to expand on this.

 

[Weight]

This is a crazed thread. It is a simple answer. If using cleaning supplies commercially, the "rags" can not be used at the next customer. They must first be cleaned. Laundromat washer and dryer clean. There are sanitary requirements.

 

[Stretch]

This is a crazed thread. It is a simple answer. If using cleaning supplies commercially, the "rags" can not be used at the next customer. They must first be cleaned. Laundromat washer and dryer clean. There are sanitary requirements.

Yeah, I’m completely grossed out by the thought of ‘rinsed’ rags being used in multiple clients’ homes.  :-/

 

[MsLeah]

Yeah, I’m completely grossed out by the thought of ‘rinsed’ rags being used in multiple clients’ homes.  :-/

You misread, or on control trip - never do I reuse rages.  Maybe you drank too much.

 

[MsLeah]

It would be an interesting experiment to try and rig something under the hood, above the engine where there's a LOT of extra heat and good air flow.  The trick would be to keep them spread out, fixed in place, away from exhaust (fire hazard) and ideally not smelling like the engine bay.  If you keep the area somewhat clean it should help with the latter.  Beyond this out-of-the-box idea, I haven't thought much about implementation.  Perhaps others might have some ideas to expand on this.

 

[MsLeah]

In my misspent youth, I bummed across Europe.

The dryers were (and still are) so small and take way too much time.

The wet laundry was hung from the rear windows and dried while driving.

Perhaps you can rinse them really well at the clients house and do something the same?  A clothes line across the back from each window...hang them with safety pins ??

It will look odd...but effective.

You're sweet.  I did hang my swimsuit from the window one evening, then forgot and drove into McD and parked.  This man said, "you have an article of clothing hanging from your car."  And the thing still wasn't dry.  Don't want to obstruct my vision as I change spots often.

 

[Sentient Loon]

Since you only use five rags per house, I would pick up a bulk bag of microfibers from the automotive section (much cheaper than the one's sold as cleaning rags), and then take the load to a laundromat at the end of the week. Some people use old newspapers to wipe windows, which could be a disposable option. I used to clean houses for income, and hand scrubbing/drying a few rags every day becomes extremely tedious, and can introduce excessive moisture (+mold) into your vehicle.

 

[Victor]

I go to the gym often and when it was warm out, I had a problem with the gym clothes stinking up the car. So I got a air tight container that I found at Target. You can probably find them at various retail locations. Find one that is the right size to fit the rags between your scheduled wash. If your not using a laundry facility you can wash in a bucket. There is also a thing I came across called Scrubba Washing Bag. As far as drying after washed? I don't know. If your car has handles or hooks to hang clothes you can tie clothes line from window on right side to window on left side. and get paper clips or even wooden clothes pegs. If you run your car on high heat for a while with the air conditioning on they will dry out. (This is a waste of energy but it would work).