French Washcloth

Cindy’s hands make it hard for her to grip and scrub with a standard washcloth, but she can slip her hand into a pocket-style washcloth.

A blue cotton washcloth that's sewn into a pocket insert. So a hand goes inside the cloth, making a full grip unnecessary.

In Situ

Cindy's hand covered by the blue washcloth. This is one of her key daily care devices.

Description

Cindy’s hands make it hard for her to grip and scrub with a standard washcloth. When she first came home from the hospital, one of her Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) was from France and noticed the potential usefulness of this design that’s widely available in France: a pocket-style washcloth that you slip your hand into. The PCA provided Cindy with one French washcloth, and when a friend who can sew saw it, she bought a pack of a dozen washcloths and made Cindy a collection of her own.This mass-market design is a perfect example of accidental adaptation: a clever re-imagining of a household object that makes it more naturally ergonomic for many bodies. See more adaptive self-care devices here.