I want the stain *in* not out!

December 21, 2016 8:19 PM

I have two sets of white cotton wash cloths -- one old, one new. I want to keep the old ones for cleaning, but I want to permanently mark them so I can visually differentiate between the two when I'm folding/organizing laundry, with very little effort.

Stripes, dots, whole cloth dye, it doesn't matter, but I want to mark them somehow -- and, it be, like, forever permanent, that will not bleed in the regular wash and ruin many other things. And easy to do, because I'm lazy; they're rags, not art.

Mefites who have permanently stained things that did not stain other things -- give me your tragic-but-permanent substance!

posted by liquado to Home & Garden (18 answers total)

Well, I just ruined some pants with molten solder, but that might scratch whatever you later wipe.

Permanent marker or Sharpie is usually good.

Also, cutting a corner off, but that will lead to gradual degradation of the fabric over a few washings.

You could fold a corner down and sew it.
posted by amtho at 8:21 PM on December 21, 2016

Best answer: A sharpie laundry marker will make a mark that won't wash out.
posted by Karaage at 8:25 PM on December 21, 2016 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Fabric pens would do it. Sharpie as suggested above.

I hear you on the lazy, but a few stitches in contrasting thread would also do the trick.
posted by bunderful at 8:26 PM on December 21, 2016 [11 favorites]

Do they have a sewn-in loop? I'd add one with ribbon, problem solved and easier to hang for drying.
Otherwise, silver Sharpie along the edges.
posted by TrishaU at 8:37 PM on December 21, 2016 [6 favorites]

I use black permanent Sharpie for this purpose and then keep using any given rag for years. It's okay to use the cloths right after marking them; you don't have to wash them first. I wash the marked cleaning cloths with detergent and bleach in hot water. After a while, the marks fade but usually don't disappear. Only once have I had to re-Sharpie a towel. When marking, draw lines slowly or repeatedly to get a solid line.
posted by wryly at 8:40 PM on December 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you go the sharpie route, you may want to test it to make sure the mark is truly set. In my experience rubbing alcohol (or hand sanitizer) can take sharpie out of anything.
posted by pintapicasso at 8:50 PM on December 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Get a big-eyed needle, like the kind they use for upholstery or knitting, and poke a bit of ribbon through to make a loop. If you have a sewing machine and a useless mismatched sock, you can just cut the sock into loops and sew the loops to the edge of any rags (or potholders or oven mitts that have ridiculously useless too-small ones).
posted by cobaltnine at 8:55 PM on December 21, 2016 [5 favorites]

Cut off one of the corners.
posted by unknowncommand at 8:56 PM on December 21, 2016 [3 favorites]

Get some worsted weight cotton yarn like this and a sharp-pointed tapestry needle. Quick & dirty whip stitch around one or more edges of the cloths, tucking the ends beneath the whip stitching. It'll put up with any cleaning chemicals, not harm anything in the wash, keep every part of the cloth functional for washing and scrubbing, stay intact in boiling and bleach.
posted by Mizu at 8:58 PM on December 21, 2016 [3 favorites]

I do a few random stitches in the corner(s) with coloured thread, basically an asterisk of thread. Quick and easy to spot. Has the benefit of also being distinguishable by feel.
posted by tavegyl at 9:16 PM on December 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My white towel rags were so quickly dingy from cleaning dirt even after washing and bleaching, they in no way would be mistaken for nice towels. No sharpie needed!
posted by cecic at 10:46 PM on December 21, 2016 [2 favorites]

Nthing coloured thread - I do this with my umpteen pairs of black leggings. One colour stitched into the inside waist hem for cropped, a different colour for full length because unfolding them to figure out which type they are is a pain.
posted by Ness at 3:35 AM on December 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You can soak them for a few hours/overnight in a pot of water that's been boiled with tea bags left in. It'll stain them a delightful light brown.
posted by Polychrome at 4:19 AM on December 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Hit one corner with a little spray paint, and work it into the material with another rag or an old toothbrush or something. It ought to take a while for that to wash off.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:54 AM on December 22, 2016

I stitch a line of embroidery floss in a contrasting color along the end of towels meant to be used as rags, just below the edge finishing. This works just as well in the neckline of T-shirts too ratty or stained for my husband to wear out of the house. It's called "the red thread of shame".
posted by DrGail at 7:36 AM on December 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The sharpie laundry marker is under $2 and hasn't washed off my kids' clothes or bled into my laundry. But it. Write"rag" in big letters.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 8:34 AM on December 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

India ink, specifically one that uses a shellac as a binding agent. Or, barring that, a drop of liquid acrylic paint.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:32 AM on December 22, 2016

I marked my grotty, but good for sleeping white cotton tee shirts with a swipe of sharpie in the back of the neck. I also wrote RAG on my grotty kitchen towels to differentiate those. All have help up fine with multiple, bleachy launderings.
posted by sarajane at 11:20 AM on December 22, 2016