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Post by kenziekeeper on Apr 29, 2020 18:29:47 GMT
I bought two sets (matching, two packs of 8) at Target on impulse this morning. I’ve been toying with the idea for awhile and figured I have time to wash them right now, may as well give it a try. Any tips? Should I Scotch Guard these before we use them? They are white with a blue stripe, a darker color might be a better option...
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Post by ntsf on Apr 29, 2020 18:31:58 GMT
I bought some cloth napkins. I just have a stack in a holder on the table and wash as I go. no need to pretreat or anything. I am happy I made the switch.. inspired by a summer camp I know where they wash 100 napkins after every meal and fold them (they must have about 200). they last and last.. and it is a camp chore to do this. easy peasy.. my paper towels last forever now too as I have about 6 microfiber cloths I use to clean up around the kitchen.
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MaryMary
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Post by MaryMary on Apr 29, 2020 18:35:14 GMT
Mine are all just white so I can bleach them as needed.
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Apr 29, 2020 18:36:17 GMT
I bought some from the Target $Spot and some PW napkins from Walmart. I don't do anything special. I keep them in the holder where the paper ones used to be. I have a bucket in the laundry room that they go into after dinner. Then they just get washed as usual. And like ntsf, I grabbed some black and white cloths at Ikea and keep those for drying my hands off and the final wipedown of the night. I still like to have paper towels though because sometimes you just need something that will do a gross clean-up and throw away.
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Post by ntsf on Apr 29, 2020 18:37:20 GMT
I have paper towels.. but am using far less of them..
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Apr 29, 2020 18:50:18 GMT
I have paper towels.. but am using far less of them.. I have noticed the same thing. I buy the bulk package at Sams. Those have lasted me a very long time. I have even given some to my adult kids as I have traveled to them trying to use them up.
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Post by bianca42 on Apr 29, 2020 19:15:09 GMT
I've been using cloth napkins for almost 20 years. I replaced my old ones with a couple packages of rainbow colored ones from Amazon last year. The boys and DH know to pick a dark colored napkin if they're eating something dark colored, like spaghetti or pizza. I just throw them in the basket in the laundry room and wash them with kitchen towels once a week. I don't care if they are wrinkled. I don't care if they have small stains. If I'm having a dinner party, I'll use separate fancy ones.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 29, 2020 19:15:24 GMT
We've been using cloth napkins since we married in 1977. The only thing I do is hit serious spots with some Shout before I toss them in the washing machine. I usually do them in a load with the dish towels. All of them go into the dryer except for the linen ones for nicer occasions. Those I hang dry.
If you want a larger variety of napkins, for less money, you can make your own. You can get 4 from a yard of quilting cotton. Super easy to sew up. I've also used bandanas as napkins in the past, as well as cotton dishtowels.
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keithurbanlovinpea
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Apr 29, 2020 19:18:41 GMT
Every cloth napkin I have tried/encountered either aren't absorbent at all or get super wrinkly when washed. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I would love to cut back on my paper towel use.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Apr 29, 2020 19:26:54 GMT
Every cloth napkin I have tried/encountered either aren't absorbent at all or get super wrinkly when washed. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I would love to cut back on my paper towel use. I was going to ask the same thing. I've tried to make the switch a couple of times, but I can't stand the wrinkles, and I don't want to drag out the ironing board for napkins.
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Post by ntsf on Apr 29, 2020 19:48:56 GMT
mine are from wayfair.. ragan 20 inch cotton napkins, if I take them right out of dryer.. they are not wrinkled much and fold right up. stick with 100% cotton or linen.. and they will absorb and stand up to use.
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Post by Monica* on Apr 29, 2020 19:49:53 GMT
Cloth knapkin user for over 20 years. I have found that the more the knapkin is used and washed, the softer it gets. Almost like breaking it in. One thing I have found to cut down on wrinkles (because I'm not going to iron them except for special occasions) is to shake them out when you transfer from washer to dryer. This one little step really helps. Also, make sure you get them out of the dryer as soon as it finishes and fold them right away, hand smoothing as you go.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2020 20:00:52 GMT
I have a HUGE collection of them and normally use them for everyday use. I normally use white "restaurant style" napkins and have a stack of them. I do spray the food stains asap before I throw them in the wash, but I like them soft and user friendly, so, no starch or anything!
The really special napkins (like the delicate ones), I put out on the table but don't use them.
For this virus, however, I'm only using paper towel for everything (hand-washing and instead of hand towels or napkins). We have to be extra safe for DH.
The best ones for everyday use are the ones I've bought at BB&B, and they're the Restaurant Style line that they carry. HTH.
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dontsitstill
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Post by dontsitstill on Apr 29, 2020 20:06:58 GMT
I love my cloth napkins. I would not Scotch Guard anything I used on my skin, that stuff is toxic!
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ddly
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Post by ddly on Apr 29, 2020 20:08:13 GMT
We use cloth napkins and it makes a huge difference in how many paper towels I use. I was talking to Mom one day and she mentioned how many rolls of paper towels they have in storage and I was like, I have 2, but 2 lasts us for about a month. My Mom was quite shocked! LOL
Our napkins are all 100% cotton. They come out wrinkled sometimes but I just smooth them out and fold them up. I guess it doesn't bother me that much.
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Post by bc2ca on Apr 29, 2020 20:09:38 GMT
Every cloth napkin I have tried/encountered either aren't absorbent at all or get super wrinkly when washed. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I grew up with cloth napkins but went to paper after having kids. I've tried a few times to go back to cloth but the wrinkles defeat me. I loath ironing and may have a pile of clean, wrinkly napkins that have been sitting since January. The best ones for everyday use are the ones I've bought at BB&B, and they're the Restaurant Style line that they carry. HTH. Thanks!
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Post by lucyg on Apr 29, 2020 20:14:04 GMT
I use a mix of paper napkins and cloth napkins. I like all cotton and I haven’t found staining or wrinkling to be a big problem. It’s possible I’m less picky than some of you, though. I do stick to paper napkins when we have something with tomato sauce, or anything particularly messy/greasy, like ribs, for instance. ETA are you people with wrinkly napkins folding them immediately after drying? Are you using linen instead of cotton? That’s more wrinkly.
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Post by ~summer~ on Apr 29, 2020 20:14:12 GMT
We only use cloth napkins - I just keep them in a basket on the table - I don’t do anything special with them.
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peaname
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Post by peaname on Apr 29, 2020 20:28:59 GMT
I got flannel ones on Etsy, some black. I have a plastic bin in my vacuum cleaner closet to collect the dirty ones. I wash them on a sanitizing cycle.
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Apr 29, 2020 20:30:34 GMT
Every cloth napkin I have tried/encountered either aren't absorbent at all or get super wrinkly when washed. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I would love to cut back on my paper towel use. GiantsFan The Pioneer Woman napkins do not wrinkle. They aren't paper napkin absorbent but they are really decent.
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Post by Merge on Apr 29, 2020 20:38:32 GMT
I'm with Lucy- if you fold immediately out of the dryer, they don't seem wrinkled to me. I mean, they're not like pressed or anything, but they're not a wrinkled mess.
Mine are all brightly colored and patterned so staining isn't really a problem. I don't really look to a napkin to be absorbent, per se. It's more for wiping. We use hospital-style blue huck towels in place of paper towels for any messes that need to be absorbed. They're very absorbent.
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Post by ~summer~ on Apr 29, 2020 20:47:19 GMT
Mine are also brightly patterned and on purpose mismatched. I got them from Anthropologie - definitely are absorbent and I don’t worry about wrinkles at all
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Post by jennifercw on Apr 29, 2020 20:59:47 GMT
We use cloth napkins most of the time.
I don't use scotch guard and don't bother to iron our every day napkins. I have some blue and white gingham napkins that are made out of a synthetic material that doesn't wrinkle at all but I prefer the plain white cotton ones so I can bleach them. Those wrinkle a little bit and the edges tend to fold up on themselves but it doesn't really bother me. Also, despite the bleach they are slightly stained in some areas (d@mn marinara sauce!) so I would never use them for company. Company gets the fancy, ironed, and unstained white linen napkins!
Unless a napkin is obviously soiled during a particular meal we tend to use the same napkin for a couple of days before throwing it in the laundry basket. Everyone just grabs a new napkin as needed. We do each have a different style of napkin ring so we can tell which napkin is "ours".
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on Apr 29, 2020 21:43:35 GMT
When I couldn't get paper napkins at the store, I bought a package of waffle weave dish cloths at the grocery store. It was something like 2-3 dollars for a dozen. So far they are holding up just fine. They are stored in the napkin holder and we ( just 2 of us) use them for a day or 2 then throw into the wash.
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Post by littlemama on Apr 29, 2020 21:45:27 GMT
The darker colors show grease spots more, the lighter colors show stains. We tried them for a while and gave up.
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Post by ChicagoKTS on Apr 29, 2020 21:55:15 GMT
Long time user of 100% cotton napkins. I have had the ones we use for over 12 years. they are in a variety of colors to match our Fiesta dishes. I wash them on the sanitizing cycle in hot water, using Dawn detergent, not laundry detergent. They have no spots and even after 12 years they look fine. They are just starting to look worn around the edges.
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on Apr 29, 2020 22:06:07 GMT
Long time user of 100% cotton napkins. I have had the ones we use for over 12 years. they are in a variety of colors to match our Fiesta dishes. I wash them on the sanitizing cycle in hot water, using Dawn detergent, not laundry detergent. They have no spots and even after 12 years they look fine. They are just starting to look worn around the edges. Like how much Dawn? Is a quarter cup too much? A few tablespoons full? I would not want the washer to get too soapy.
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Post by lisae on Apr 29, 2020 22:08:15 GMT
We use cloth napkins all the time. Some wash up better than others meaning that some shrink a lot and wrinkle; others come out of the dryer ready to use. You just have to experiment. Home Goods is another place to get pretty and good quality napkins.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 29, 2020 23:42:41 GMT
Every cloth napkin I have tried/encountered either aren't absorbent at all or get super wrinkly when washed. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I would love to cut back on my paper towel use. Stay away from anything with polyester in it. Good quality cotton won't wrinkle as badly. A good way to test fiber content is to grab a corner of the napkin and bunch it up in your hand. When you let it go, look to see how bad the wrinkles are. If there are none, odds are they aren't 100% natural fiber so they won't be absorbent.
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Post by ChicagoKTS on Apr 30, 2020 0:02:08 GMT
Long time user of 100% cotton napkins. I have had the ones we use for over 12 years. they are in a variety of colors to match our Fiesta dishes. I wash them on the sanitizing cycle in hot water, using Dawn detergent, not laundry detergent. They have no spots and even after 12 years they look fine. They are just starting to look worn around the edges. Like how much Dawn? Is a quarter cup too much? A few tablespoons full? I would not want the washer to get too soapy. Yeah, a quarter of a cup would probably create a mess. I don’t measure, I just squirt a ring around the tub of my top loader machine. It’s usually just a small load so it’s not much different than if you would fill a large sink to do dishes. I suggest you start with a small amount and see how it goes. I have never had a front loader so I am not sure how that would work.
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