Should my partner get rid of her old dishcloths and sponges?

Charles and Alice have reconnected after decades apart and now live together in Zurich, but a domestic quarrel has surfaced. Charles says he cannot stand the wet sponges left in the sink and the dishcloths that are never washed; he pictures them as petri dishes of bacteria and wanted to launder them when he moved in.

He appreciates Alice’s support through difficult times and even liked the new smiley-face sponge she bought, yet he still wants the grubby cloths gone. Alice defends her routine: she uses dishcloths to clean surfaces and hangs them on the tap to dry, rarely uses sponges because she has a dishwasher, and bought a self-drying sponge for Charles.

She says she tolerates his habits — dirty ashtrays in the garden — and that they balance each other emotionally. She is open to a compromise, suggesting the cloths could be soaked in a weak bleach solution but adds that Charles will have to do that himself.

Switzerland, Zurich

charles, alice, zurich, dishcloths, sponges, bacteria, launder, sink, dishwasher, bleach