Caring for your Swedish Dishcloth

A little care goes a long way.

After each use, give it a rinse and hang it somewhere it can dry out fully, over a tap or on a hook works well.

Avoid leaving it balled up or sitting in a puddle on the bench, as that is what shortens their life.

A weekly wash in the machine or dishwasher keeps it fresh, then hang it back out on the line to dry.

One cloth can comfortably see several months of daily kitchen use, though often it is the artwork fading rather than the cloth wearing out that signals it is time for a change, usually somewhere from two to two and a half months onward.

When it is ready to retire from the kitchen

A cloth that is past its best for dishes and benches still has plenty of life left in it elsewhere.

• Keep one in the car for wiping down the dash or cleaning foggy windows

• Use one in the garden for wiping down tools or as a quick kneeling pad

• Keep one in the garage for checking the oil, wiping the dipstick clean before you take your reading

• Handy in the workshop for wiping hands during a gluing job

• Use it as a floor rag for general household mopping up

• Keep one by the door for cleaning muddy paws after a walk

Once it has truly reached the end, it is biodegradable, so it can go straight into the garden or a flower pot, where it will break down over time. Even then, its last job is a good one, helping to keep the soil a little more moist.