http://www.care2.com/greenliving/set-the-tone-cloth-napkins.html
Green Chi: Set the Tone with Cloth Napkins
It was a quiet pleasure to go to the cabinet and take out cloth napkins for a weeknight supper at my fiancé Len’s house. I’d given the napkins to him as a gift a few months ago. I bought him an everyday set, as well as a set for festive occasions. I am sure that he and his teenage son rarely, if ever, use them when I am not here (do they use any napkins?), but I am not hurt by that.
I’m finding it is simply satisfying for me to have cloth napkins for when I am there. Paper napkins grate me, and using cloth instead has become as much who I am as is cooking without chemically-laden packaged food. It isn’t that I am trying to force tree-saving, eco-friendly living on Len and his family, I realize, but that the cloth napkin habit is more about my own comfort level.
Most of my pleasure in cloth napkins reflects my love of trees, wanting to be their ally, not wanting to waste them. Maybe when I sit down to dinner and pick up a cloth napkin the symbol of them sparks my feelings about trees and it exudes through me in a way, opening my heart. Maybe it is that a table set with cloth napkins becomes a form of reverence, a gesture of gratitude for nature, the way a prayer before eating would.
I haven’t bought paper napkins in about 15 years, so you can only imagine how ingrained the cloth napkin habit has become instilled in me. But what you might not know is the fun of cloth napkins.
We have a napkin drawer at home and each napkin in there has its own history of where it came from. Many are gifts, like the set one of my sister’s gave us to go with the heirloom table cloth I inherited from our mother and that I bring out every Thanksgiving. Many I bought for specific festivities, such as brightly colored ones for a dinner party I gave mid-winter, just to allay the winter doldrums. And many I bought because they were so pretty. I think of these stories every time I set the table. Each napkin carries a fond memory and family history.
Recently named one of the top 20 environmental leaders by Body and Soul Magazine, Annie has authored four books, including “Home Enlightenment” (Rodale Press, 2005) and “Better Basics for the Home” (Three Rivers Press, 1999). A renowned expert in non-toxic and green living, Annie is the executive editor of Care2’s Healthy & Green Living.
related stories
-
Have you ever wondered whether dishtowels are better for…
(169 comments)
-
Sleep pillows—little herb-filled pillows that have…
(13 comments)
-
If you, or anyone in your family, is allergic to dust, it…
Annie B.
Melissa
Jana
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Heather L.
Lynn
Carl
Betsy
Cait
Avery
The Gallands
Eric
Andrew
Dave
Deepak
16 comments
add your comment »HI--
Melissa wrote a great article about the environmental impact of cloth vs. paper napkins.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/paper-towels-and-napkins-vs-cloth.html
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
As far as stains go - we use darker colored napkins for "saucy" meals & just wash right away after use. I try to make sure to grab the stained ones for those messy meals when they are sure to get more added.
Sure, some napkins get stained, but we make sure we have lots on hand... so it really does not matter too much if one is stained.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I sew up cloth napkins from old t-shirts & sheets, extra fabric, stained tablecloths, anything really. Our napkin collection is a rainbow of colors & sizeS. Everyone likes getting something different at meal time, & guests never complain that they all don't match.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I love the idea of using cloth napkins, but how do you keep them clean? The thought of spaghetti sauce, red wine, BBQ sauce, ketchup, and the like sends me in a hurry back to paper napkins. Any advice?
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
To all those who think using cloth napkins as not being cost effective I beg to differ. After all you just add them onto your pile of dirty washing so you are not doing them as an extra wash. Then when you iron them and fold them nicely it is a joy to put them on the table giving one the sense of cleanliness and smartness. Well done on you Anne, I always use mine, such a difference to paper ones.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
We have been using cloth napkins for years. Every family member has their own engraved napkin ring to identify their own. When dirty they go into the wash. If a little wrinkled - who cares? If they go into the dryer with other clothes and only until heated through and then hung up immediately - they are crease free. I do this with all my laundry. Heat and hang! For bigger parties I rent linens and dishes so that everything matches and I'm not filling the landfills with paperplates disposable cloths and napkins. You return them dirty. I have a huge collection of table cloths/napkins that I've purchased from yard sales and thrift shops. When we have a community or family event I break them out. It's fun to see these vintage looking linens used in modern times!
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
My husband and I really need to start using cloth napkins (we currently use paper napkins made from recycled paper, but I don't think it's 100%). I love vintage items, so I'm thinking I'll go antiquing and find some old tablecloths with holes or other imperfections, and then I'll make them into napkins. I don't sew, but I've been wanting to learn. Making these napkins will be a great way for me to learn.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
We use cloth napkins at home too. Each family member has their own unique napkin which they save for the next meal if it didn't really get used. When the user thinks it needs to go in the wash, it gets popped into the next laundry load. I hardly think that the few extra napkins added to one's regular laundry are going to make such an impact on the environment as to make them a less eco friendly choice than paper. As for ironing - if you smooth them out and fold them as soon as the dryer stops, they look perfectly fine. We don't have lots and lots of napkins, but the ones we have are good quality cotton that doesn't become a wrinkled lump in the dryer, so I really never iron them unless they're really bad and I'm already ironing other things, then it takes a few extra minutes to iron a set of napkins. Again, not a major impact on the environment.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
On the other hand, there is the cost of water, gas to heat the water, electricity to run the washing machine, and laundry detergent. Then there is the run off from the greywater from the washing machine that pollutes my back yard. Not to mention my time and energy to do the extra laundry. If I want them to look good I have to iron them. So whereas this seems like a good idea, I advise people to really think it through. I buy very cheap paper napkins made from recycled paper, and after I use them for a meal, I'll re-use them to mop up spills on the counter and stove. Then I'll toss them in the compost pile.
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I am wondering about the cost of laundry products,the drying and ironing which in turn affects my utility bill. I do like cloth but is it cost effective? Yes, I love trees but I also like to not have a huge utility bill...
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?