I Made “Dishcloth Soup” to Clean My Stinkiest-Smelling Kitchen Rags, and They Feel Brand-New

If there’s one surface in my home that’s always sparkling clean, it’s my kitchen counters. I clean this area a minimum of twice per day since my husband cooks breakfast and dinner almost daily. My routine is simple: I spray the counters down with a surface cleaner and let it sit for a few minutes, scrub it with a designated sponge and a few drops of dish soap, and wipe everything up with a dishcloth. Easy!

I have four dishcloths that I have on a weekly rotation; three are microfiber and one is a hand-knit cotton cloth. This particular cloth is my absolute favorite thanks to its large open weave that air-dries quickly, so I tend to favor it and use it way more than the others. While I rigorously wash this cloth with dish soap and warm water after every time I use it, it’s not always as fresh as I’d like it to be.

Since washing the cloth in the washing machine every few days isn’t the most sustainable option, I knew there’d be a solution on my favorite corner of the internet: #CleanTok. The answer I found was something that doesn’t exactly sound appetizing, but worked like a charm.

The dishcloth soup recipe I found on TikTok from Tanya of International Furniture Saskatoon is just as simple as my kitchen counter cleaning routine. All you need to do is fill a pot ¾ full with water, throw in your dirty kitchen rags, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dish soap, a half cup of white vinegar, stir it with a plastic spoon, and bring it to a boil. Stir it every once in a while and turn down the heat after a few minutes to prevent hot splashes. Turn the water off and let them cool before throwing the rags in the washing machine. Then, she says, they’ll be good as new! Since I only had one particularly funky cloth to clean, I used a much smaller pot and adjusted the measurements (I used ⅓ cup of vinegar and ½ teaspoon of Dawn Free & Clear dish soap), but followed the instructions and watched as the magic happened.

I made my soup, let everything boil, and stirred it every few minutes before turning the heat down. After turning it off, I let the pot sit and cool for about half an hour and then poured some of the water into a Mason jar. Despite cleaning this cloth regularly, I was shocked to see how grimy the water was — and how much better the fabric itself looked.

Now that my cloth was looking a lot more fresh, I rinsed it with soapy water and let it air-dry (though if I had more, I would throw it in the wash). It didn’t have even a hint of a stench and felt clean and fluffy enough for a thorough kitchen counter cleanse.

If, like me, you have a favorite dishcloth you’d like to extend the life of (or maybe just de-stink), this “dishcloth soup” recipe is a cure-all, no matter the season. My dishcloth was a handmade gift from a friend, but it works on all kinds of materials and cloths — so the next time you go for a rag that’s seen better days, try this. You probably already have everything you need!