In the latest installment of Guardian's 'You Be the Judge', Charles and Alice, a couple who rekindled their romance after nearly 40 years, find themselves at odds over a surprisingly domestic issue: the state of Alice's dishcloths and sponges. Charles, 62, moved to Zurich to be with Alice, 60, after reconnecting on Facebook, but he is horrified by what he considers unhygienic habits around the sink.
The Prosecution: Charles
Charles describes his disgust at Alice's wet sponges left in the sink for weeks and her reluctance to wash dishcloths. 'Whenever I see Alice's cloths, I imagine all the bacteria that must be crawling over them,' he says. Having lived in Hong Kong with a domestic helper who bleached and rotated three sets of sponges and cloths, Charles finds Alice's habits foul. He appreciates her gesture of buying a smiley face sponge with a holder, but he wants permission to throw away the old dishcloths. 'Through karma or fate, we have ended up back together. I just want her dirty dishcloths out of the house.'
The Defence: Alice
Alice, however, sees no issue with her dishcloths, which she uses to clean surfaces and hangs on the tap after wringing them out. She notes that Charles leaves dirty ashtrays around the garden, which she finds worse. 'I like using dishcloths to clean surfaces. I hang them on the tap afterwards, but Charles would prefer to throw them all away immediately after using them,' she explains. Alice, a homebody who values her independence, has compromised by buying a new sponge holder but feels Charles should also make an effort. 'If I wasn't pretty sure that Charles and I would work out, I wouldn't have had him move in,' she adds.
The Jury of Guardian Readers
Readers weighed in with mixed opinions. Ed, 51, suggests Charles should respect Alice's lifestyle and wash the dishcloths himself. Kayleigh, 35, agrees that ashtrays are worse and that Charles should clean up his act. Rosalind, 65, emphasises compromise but finds grotty dishcloths hard to stomach. Alex, 34, notes that Alice already compromised by getting a new sponge and putting up with ashtrays. Misha, 35, warns that dishcloths harbour more bacteria than toilet seats, urging Alice to wash or replace them for health and relationship wellbeing.
Now You Be the Judge
In our online poll, tell us: do the old sponges need to go? The poll closes on Wednesday 10 June at 9am BST. Last week, 81% of readers said Amy was guilty of taking her hatred of plastics too far.
