JEANNE BRAGG, Post Columnist
Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010 7:10 am

Monday is “wash” day at my house, and as I folded clothes I thought about how much things have changed.

I remember when my grandmother washed clothes in a big freestanding tub with manual rollers on the top. And do you remember when dishtowels actually dried your dishes?

Even those of us who are spoiled with dishwashers have to use dishtowels, but the pieces of cloth they peddle as towels these days aren’t effective, in my opinion. They don’t seem to have any absorbency.

Many place mats, dishcloths, dishtowels, etc. you buy now are made so cheaply that when washed they shrink from a square or rectangle into a trapezoid two-thirds its original size. In addition, the colors bleed.

If I really like the pattern of the cloth and am concerned about whether it might “bleed,” I soak it in white vinegar (1/2 C per gallon of water) or salt (1/4 C per gallon of water). This has prevented many a disappointment at my house and works for clothing as well.

I bought some towels from the dollar store that looked like cotton but the small red pattern on the mostly white towel bled through the wash so badly that I immediately threw it away. That was a dollar wasted. Life’s too short to have a dishtowel that bleeds so I’ve ruled out the dollar stores in this pursuit.

It was not until a family member gave me some nice ones as a bread-and-butter gift that I realized mine were in such bad shape: time to toss out the old and bring in the new.

The gift towels from Williams Sonoma really work well. They are somewhat pricey ... four for $18 ($4.50 each) but they wash beautifully.

And if you apply the “cost per use theory” (if you use something a lot, it’s OK to pay a little more for it) you know they are worth it. Truthfully, I am reluctant to use them because I don’t want them to get too dirty too fast!

I went on a binge recently when I was buying dishtowels a lot. I made homemade aprons as gifts for friends (most of my friends are good cooks), and I decided to “invent” the perfect apron.

The bib aprons I now find in the store have long straps around the neck and waist. When I’m cooking for a long time, I get tired of that strap cutting into my neck. I also get tired of the waist ties getting twisted up in the wash.

So I made several patterns for the perfect apron, most of which incorporated minimal ties (some necks were fastened with buttons, others looked like smocks). Each had an attached flap to hang a dishtowel, and I bought them in coordinating colors.

They were real hits with my friends and I still enjoy using the ones I made for myself but unfortunately I didn’t have an army of fellow sewers to mass produce them.

Now if I give one as a gift, I retrofit store bought ones by attaching the dishtowel hanger and put a D-ring on neck straps to eliminate the knot. Waist straps are still an issue.

I suppose instead of complaining about dishtowels I should be grateful for my state-of-the-art washer that spins clothes until they’re virtually dry, unlike the one Granny used to have.

And I realized that good dishtowels would make a great gift for that someone who has everything.

I know they’re always welcome chez moi.

‘Til next week.