Mild? This was news to him. If one needs to clean something quite dirty, one should use something strong. Or at least that seemed to be more logical. He gave her a puzzled look and tried to rationalise what she'd said. Perhaps concession had to be made for the difference between washing something like a cauldron and something living, like skin.
Now it came to the point and he had to sort of mentally brace himself. Of course she'd need to 'look' - hadn't he examined George Weasley's ear minutely before using the counter-curse to allow it to be healed? But it was very strange to be in the position of supplicant of sorts to one of his former students.
"Not at all," he answered, hoping he sounded more casual about it than he felt, consciously forcing himself to leave his hands relaxed against the armrest rather than to reveal his tension by clutching at it.
"How long have you been here in the village, then?" he asked, by way of fumbling about for conversation to take his mind off his embarrassment.