so i started my seedlings yesterday and i have them in a 600 ml plastic bottle which i cut in half and i have a washcloth covering around the sides because i heard that the roots cant get direct light through the sides just wanna know if this is okay that the washcloth isnt hurting my plants

No problem, even if light can get to the roots it's only the outer ones. Maybe not ideal but you don't plant to keep it on that anyway right, it's just temporary.

Lots of people have gone against the grain and use clear soda bottles or water bottles or white or clear plastic cups etc. I just ran an experiment with rooting in every medium I had on hand and one of the experiments was clear plastic 16oz or so water bottles with only tiny lava rock leftovers as a media and it worked just fine, had roots all around the outside and I didn't attemp to block the light from them.

Out of all the things I tried what has taken off the most and done the best is jiffy pellets, but everything worked that I tried. Jiffy pellets just got a head start and transplanted in soil better, those are twice as big if not more as the rest. YMMV

okay so i should just take off the washcloth then eh

Wont matter either way...

okay thxs for the help reps