I’m kind of embarrassed to put this out there. It’s just not the kind of thing you talk about in public. But I need some help here.
I can not get the stink out of Charlie’s washcloths. I’ve googled the hell out of this one and 
nothing works. I’ve soaked them in vinegar which supposedly does the trick on sports bras. (Personally, I only have a passing acquaintance with sports bras seeing as I don’t like to work out hard enough to break a sweat.) I even tried boiling the darn things, but that was just too home on the prairie for me. I’m at the point where I’m thinking about buying a stack of cheap, “disposable” washcloths. Wasteful, I know, but it’s a quality of life issue.
Now, I don’t use a washcloth, myself. I prefer those colorful meshy things which smell like my shower gel. Delightful! I’ve suggested this option to Charlie, and he looked at me like I’d lost my mind. He’s just an old school, washcloth kind of guy.
Here’s his poem about this sad situation.
For My Sorry Washcloth
Washcloth for cleanliness
Washcloth and soap
For my sorry washcloth
I’m giving up hope
Washcloth, my friend,
I’ve depended on you
But you stink to high heaven
Whatever we do
Pre-soaking in vinegar
Don’t do the trick
Nothing we’ve tried
Will get rid of the ick
Set washer on “boil”
Then dryer on “stun”
I smell you and think
That the stink is all done
But as soon as you’re wet,
Just like a curse,
The stench, it returns,
And it smells even worse
Washcloth, infernal!
Washcloth, I say,
Your odor’s eternal
It won’t go away
You won’t even do
As a rag, ol’ buddy
You’re bound for the landfill
Unless you’re too cruddy!
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
Hear Ida Tell It: Washcloth Dilemma
Coming Up This Week
November 3: Cold River Radio Show Live featured storyteller, 7:00pm, Theatre in the Wood, Intervale, NH
Upcoming
November 19: How Ida Changed My Life: The Power of an Alter-Ego, Seacoast Women’s Network, 6:00pm, Portsmouth Sheraton, Portsmouth, NH
December 4: How Ida Changed My Life: The Power of an Alter-Ego with Susan Poulin, Free Lecture Series, , 7:00pm, Kittery Community Center, Kittery, ME