593001 Mon Feb 02 17:45:26 -0800 2009 198 29 Not About Food 0 4381917 I'm on the Green Team at work and have made 147 cloth napkins (from fabric I got from a freecycler!) for the cafe at work and 90+ so far (from fabric from 2 other freecyclers!) for the group homes our agency runs. My husband and I use cloth napkins, even taking them with our lunches to work. How many of you use cloth napkins on a daily basis? Why/why not? Would you use them if someone gave you ones you considered attractive? Mon Feb 02 17:45:26 -0800 2009 169792 lgss 1 4381939 I use cloth napkins, always have. Why? Grew up using them; find them aesthetically superior to anything else (not just in looks, also in feel); no reason to use something disposable when there is an alternative (and a superior one, see previous). Mon Feb 02 17:55:19 -0800 2009 4381917 10074 Caitlin McGrath 2 4381959 I use them for partys. On a daily basis, Are you kidding? I work 50+ hours, have my own consulting and catering business, single mom, take care of my mom, have a son. do laundry when I can the last thing I need is cloth napkins. They are nice however I use them when I have a nice dinner. Party, special dinner, Valentines and many other occasions. But on a daily basis when having left over spaghetti or BBQ ribs. WHY? I think the alternative is great but cloth NO!! I want something I want to get rid of ... not something else to clean. I want to spend time with family and my son ... not have to worry about more laundry. Mon Feb 02 18:01:24 -0800 2009 4381939 232829 kchurchill5 3 4389329 Your response just seems weird to me. Do you also use paper towels instead of hand towels in the kitchen and bathroom? Napkins are much much less laundry than those. Thu Feb 05 05:46:26 -0800 2009 4381959 177724 tmso 4 4389705 I use hand towels in the kitchen and bathroom. I also use kleenex for some things and paper towels for others. I don't big up is the cat or dog puked with a towel I use a paper towel. I don't do laundry every day or every other day, I have enough clothes and towels. Probably 2x a week. My schedule doesnt not permit. I do have many nice cloth napkins and use them when appropriate ... not for tacos, fried chicken, ribs, burgers. Sorry, they get dirty and sometimed stained and then not usable for company. I use paper. I use green friendly sold at my market and have other good towels for most messes. But every day is yes paper towels and napkins. I like to spend the evening rock climbing with my son or going out with neighbors. With work sometimes I don't get home until late, so ... laundry may be on Sat. Less is better. Yes ... it only takes up some room but the less I can do means less time in the house and more time out of the house. It is not like when I lived up north, I was home much more. FL, we are outside all the time and I have become very active in a few volunteer groups so laundry gets done when I can. I sometimes have 6-9 people for dinner over during the week for a whim and cloth would add up especially when I do baby back ribs. So no for me there is no questions what so ever ... I would never consider it. Sorry, but dinner parties or special occasions, no question Thu Feb 05 08:10:36 -0800 2009 4389329 232829 kchurchill5 5 4390201 I wouldn't have spent so much time on a response. I would just have said foah. I use paper towels for dog puke and oil spills! Thu Feb 05 10:22:02 -0800 2009 4389705 137946 Scargod 5 4390486 I grew up with two sets of sheets, two bath towels, two hand towels and two cloth napkins; and it was my responsability to keep all of these things clean. And that's pretty much how things work in my house now, including when I have visiting nieces and nephews. If you're going to be eating with your hands, sure, I can see using paper; but otherwise, for ordinary use not using normal napkins seems like not using normal hand towels. Maybe it's the association that for me paper towels in the home are for spills, messes, things the cat throws up; not eating. Thu Feb 05 11:39:19 -0800 2009 4389705 177724 tmso 5 4777983 I like your reply. I wish my mother had put her children first rather than the outward appearance of her home. You have enough on your hands. Single people without all your responsibilities can launder cloth napkins. Tue Jun 16 10:21:46 -0700 2009 4389705 194774 Smachnoho 4 4778048 I use paper towels in our bathroom for people to wash their hands. My doc said it is more sanitary. As far as green goes - there is also an issue of extra water, detergents (phosphates) and electricity used with cloth. It is a world of trade-offs. I use paper when it makes sense (like lunch and breaky or if it is very staining/casual. Dinner, I generally use cloth. I like it. I also enjoy making my own napkins. I recently made some saffron colored ones and embroidered each of them with an Indian motif. Very satisfying- and great for curry meals laden with turmeric or spices. Tue Jun 16 10:33:44 -0700 2009 4389329 137755 Sal Vanilla 3 4389573 Interesting response. As a woman I've multi-tasked like a maniac all my life. I won't bore anyone with what I do/have done in my lifetime but I love cloth. I love the texture and I love the civility of it. My choice for cloth comes from a long lineage of strong women whose care of their homes was their pride....along with careers and raising productive and responsible adults. Using cloth napkins, laundering them, and spending time with family does not exclude one from the other. Thu Feb 05 07:31:29 -0800 2009 4381959 239340 latindancer 4 4390910 You are a good inspiration. We have heirloom linens (from the frickin Mayflower if I listened to my MIL). but never use them. Gonna start. Thu Feb 05 13:30:23 -0800 2009 4389573 93538 Passadumkeg 5 4390929 Just don't use bleach to wash them - that "happened" to me, and put holes in a lot of old linens. Thu Feb 05 13:35:40 -0800 2009 4390910 10985 MMRuth 6 4778055 I keep the Shout bottle at the ready. Sometimes I use table linens that match the food. if it spills I do not really give a rip. Tue Jun 16 10:35:28 -0700 2009 4390929 137755 Sal Vanilla 5 4402504 Thanks, Passadumkeg. I'm glad you're inspired. Your use of linens will be very rewarding, I'm sure. I love them and it gives my family and guests great pleasure to use them. It takes a bit of maintenance to keep them clean and pressed and stored properly but the payoff is worth it. Good luck. Mon Feb 09 18:17:47 -0800 2009 4390910 239340 latindancer 4 4394970 I love texture too..the higher the quality of thread count..the better. If I'm using a cloth napkin, all of a sudden my meal seems extra special...but being somewhat ocd, I worry about my lip gloss all over those things.. Do they make a 1,000 thread count napkins that gets the oil/grime out without using bleach? Fri Feb 06 19:13:08 -0800 2009 4389573 97452 Beach Chick 5 4400595 Bleach takes out color - not oil or grease-based stains. Try using dish washing liquid in the laundry or spot cleaning with DW liquid if the stains are really nasty. It cleans disgusting pots and pans, so why not napkins and kitchen towels? You can also try ammonia in the laundry to get out that sour smell of old grease. Calgon or borax (40-Mule Team) are great laundry boosters - not only for kitchen linens but for your kids' grimy clothes. Bleach is pretty useless in addition to being terrible for the environment and destructive to the fibers in cloth. It will absolutely ruin fabrics. Mon Feb 09 09:23:02 -0800 2009 4394970 32444 MakingSense 6 4400654 If you use dishwashing liquid in the washer, make sure it's dishwashing machine detergent, not hand dishwashing liquid, or you risk a Lucy moment with a laundry room overflowing with suds! Mon Feb 09 09:42:12 -0800 2009 4400595 14386 BobB 2 4381974 I also always use cloth napkins. I do have some paper cocktail napkins, that I occasionally use instead of cloth ones. While I'm fortunate enough now to have someone who irons them for me, even if I didn't, I'd still use them and iron them myself. I prefer how they look and feel, and my husband has an aversion to paper napkins (same aversion to plastic utensils and paper plates). For everyday, I have a selection of colored ones, and we'll use the same ones for several days, unless they desparately need washing. For parties, I usually use white ones that can be bleached if needed. Mon Feb 02 18:06:49 -0800 2009 4381939 10985 MMRuth 3 4381986 Yes, we definitely use the same ones for a few days when it's just the household. Mon Feb 02 18:10:15 -0800 2009 4381974 10074 Caitlin McGrath 3 4383105 We used cloth napkins, dinner size, every day. My parents did, my children do. We have napkin rings for each family member, sterling for Sundays and formal meals, and antique cloisonné for every day. They get laundered every few days. The everyday napkins do not need ironing but of course the linen ones do. If we have food that may be messy I have large homespun dish towels specifically for those meals. We simply like to use them rather than paper..... Tue Feb 03 07:11:07 -0800 2009 4381974 75332 Gio 4 4390005 This is the same thing my mom did. We used cloth napkins every day for dinner and used them for probably a week unless they were particularly dirty. Each person had their own napkin ring so no mix-ups. A few napkins once a week is NOT a lot of extra laundry in my opinion. And my mom was a working mom back in the day when mom's didn't work! Even though my family is very casual (we were a jeans and sweatshirt crew when at home), my mom always used cloth napkins at dinner and always had candlelight. All while the news played on the B&W TV behind me - during dinner. A funny meld of casual and elegance! But, I loved that she made the effort to dress up dinner in that small way. Thu Feb 05 09:27:26 -0800 2009 4383105 141672 Scirocco 5 4394905 Yes... I felt that we had to show the children what to expect at dinner... how to use the various place settings etc., and cloth napkins were part of that. There was never any anxieties and dinner.. in fact all the meals were pleasant and satisfying. We were generally casual and always came together at the dinner table to discuss the events of the day and enjoy the evening meal. I really don't know how that worked given their various after school activities, but we managed to set the example they continue to this day. Thank Goodness! Fri Feb 06 18:34:46 -0800 2009 4390005 75332 Gio 1 4381948 I use them, and they are not particularly attractive. About a year ago, I bought a load of white napkins, dish towels, and hand towels from Sam's Club. We use them as intended, plus as all-purpose rags. Every 10 days or so, I toss them all in the wash with hot water, detergent, and bleach. I've cut our use of paper napkins and paper towels to just about zero. It takes up a bit of my time, but I'm happy to cut down on the paper usage. Mon Feb 02 17:58:20 -0800 2009 4381917 11995 pikawicca 2 4381988 I really need to work on weaning myself off paper towels - I use far too many of them .... Mon Feb 02 18:10:32 -0800 2009 4381948 10985 MMRuth 1 4381976 We don't own cloth napkins. And I don't buy paper ones either. Most of the time we can get through meals without napkins at all. Almost all our meals at home are eaten with knife and fork, so we don't need to wipe our hands, etc. Mon Feb 02 18:07:01 -0800 2009 4381917 76025 mojoeater 2 4381996 You never drop food on your lap? Never get sauce on your upper lip and/or chin? Wow, you're pretty tidy. We use cloth. The only time I buy paper napkins is if we're having people over for an outdoor party. I also don't buy paper towels. Mon Feb 02 18:13:47 -0800 2009 4381976 11231 Glencora 3 4382038 But isn't it just as bad to be using water and electricity/ gas to wash and dry them (Unless youre beating them on stones and line drying them....) versus tossing out a Vanity Fair napkin? Looks like they'd bio-degrade in a week or two. Especially here in the Bay Area where water rationing is a sure thing this dry season? I use cloth for company, but good (or bad...) ol' paper for everyday. As far as paper towels, I always buy the "select-a-size" which gives the option of tearing a 1/2 sheet and I try to limit my use of them, but dishtowels or cloths for drying your hands are so-o-o skanky and gross after just one or two uses. Do you dry off your chicken, fish etc. w/ a cloth towel? Ewww...gross! Then it contaminates your entire laundry hamper or washload. Adam Edit: just saw this post and www gross is NOT a website (tho it shd. be ;) ) Mon Feb 02 18:24:59 -0800 2009 4381996 154787 adamshoe 4 4382072 You have a point about the paper towels. I just walked into the bathroom to get some toilet paper to use to grease a pan and I thought...hmmmm. As for tossing paper napkins versus washing cloth, I honestly don't know which is the "greener" choice. Mon Feb 02 18:37:01 -0800 2009 4382038 11231 Glencora 4 4382079 There are many environmental checks on both categories. While it's true that laundering consumes resources, some scarce (as does textile production), the production of those Vanity Fair napkins releases dioxin into runoff, consumes trees and a large amount of water in their manufacture. I'm not condemning your choice, just noting that it's not a simple equation to solve. Mon Feb 02 18:37:56 -0800 2009 4382038 10074 Caitlin McGrath 5 4382087 I suppose unbleached would be better. I use unbleached coffee filters. I used to use a gold reusable basket but scraping the grounds into the compost and washing the thing started to get old. Mon Feb 02 18:41:19 -0800 2009 4382079 11231 Glencora 5 5098272 - trees for Vanity Fair are farmed in stands that are replanted as they are harvested. - water is continuously recycled in the paper making process - there is no dioxin produced in the making of Vanity Fair Mon Oct 12 17:35:54 -0700 2009 4382079 1115860 luckybag91 6 5103882 They are bleached white thus they use chlorine bleach thus they create dioxin. Wed Oct 14 18:11:27 -0700 2009 5098272 10099 JudiAU 4 4394670 A dried off chicken (nice, organic chicken) has to be at least as disgusting as what most people have growing on their sponges, and at least a contaminated washcloth or handtowel goes RIGHT into the wash. I don't keep any paper towels in the house, and I don't even use bleach in my laundry. Yep, I'm cloth napkin girl. Fri Feb 06 17:00:22 -0800 2009 4382038 64882 Vetter 5 4394693 IMO, raw chicken juice requires bleach and hot water, organic chicken or not. Fri Feb 06 17:06:34 -0800 2009 4394670 11995 pikawicca 5 4394847 Off topic, but around here the kitchen sponge goes into the microwave after every meal. Bye bye, bacteria. Fri Feb 06 18:08:59 -0800 2009 4394670 58743 alanbarnes 6 4394850 I've read this before but can't remember, how long do you microwave it? Thanks. Fri Feb 06 18:10:25 -0800 2009 4394847 131001 c oliver 7 4394863 A couple of minutes does the trick. Fri Feb 06 18:15:28 -0800 2009 4394850 58743 alanbarnes 8 4778072 Why has it never dawned on me to mike the sponge? My husband puts them in the dishwasher and that skeeves me. So simple and obvious. Thank you Alan. Tue Jun 16 10:38:57 -0700 2009 4394863 137755 Sal Vanilla 7 4395458 and make sure it's wet .....2 minutes mine are in a ceramic bowl,every evening to th dishwasher,daily,sometime in the AM microwave 2 minutes TOO EASY Sat Feb 07 04:36:32 -0800 2009 4394850 203919 lcool 5 4402552 I"m with you on that. This is a very strange wakeup call for me. I don't use sponges for my dishes...one hour of viewing a Dateline segment, years ago, on the subject of what grows in those things was enough for me. I do have a large bag of them for my bathtub (the nonscratch kind) that I purchase at Target and a couple of uses and they're in the trash. I'm a huge proponent of those bar towels, that I wet, for cleaning that can be purchased by the bag....they're simply laundered after cleanups and they're good for the next use whatever it is....whether it's something that's dropped or spilled on the floor or a quit cleanup somewhere in my home. To me, paper towels are useless. Mon Feb 09 18:34:05 -0800 2009 4394670 239340 latindancer 4 4399719 Yes- I have quite a lot of cloth. And as to "contamination" that is what the detergent is for. Sterilization of the laundry is not necessary. Sun Feb 08 21:20:30 -0800 2009 4382038 14974 BeaN 2 4382003 I strongly advise that you ask dining companions outside of your family whether or not you need napkins. I suspect that you will find they disagree with your assumption. Mon Feb 02 18:16:16 -0800 2009 4381976 11995 pikawicca 3 4382054 pikawicca your reply is just.......so sweetly, hysterically funny. I can not imagine life without a napkin, but that's how I roll (or wipe) or... anyway. Cloth? Not usually, thought I do have many sets that I break out on holidays. My Mom started using cloth daily when she remarried, she accumulated quite a collection. She'd wash them when they got dirty, or every third day whichever came first. It's been a 2009 goal to slowly rid my home of paper towel dependency. Husband will grab 3 at a time and dry off the back of a teaspoon. Drives me nuts. We have animals, and find that the paper towels are very important for any "oops" you may step on in the dark of morning... Mon Feb 02 18:29:50 -0800 2009 4382003 110426 Boccone Dolce 3 4382229 How True!! Mon Feb 02 19:32:11 -0800 2009 4382003 232829 kchurchill5 2 4382035 This response surprised me too. I don't use napkins primarily for wiping my hands but rather "patting" my lips. In other words, I "dribble" and maybe need to do a little tidying up around the mouth area :) If I'm doing a ribs meal, I've been known to put a roll of paper towels on the table if they're really messy. And, yes, white napkins and bleach are my friends. Mon Feb 02 18:24:06 -0800 2009 4381976 131001 c oliver 3 4382097 It's just the two of us at home, and we don't need napkins most of the time. After work 5-6 days a week we have quick, short meals. The other 1-2 days are more relaxed. If we're eating ribs or other finger foods, you can bet the paper towels will come out. And yes, I can go an entire meal without having to wipe my mouth or drop food in my lap. Mon Feb 02 18:45:00 -0800 2009 4382035 76025 mojoeater 1 4382022 WOW, do I feel out ranked. I guess buying paper towels and nakins is not the going thing. Sorry guys I just don't have the time or energy I had BBQ ribs the other night. I would hate to see what my nice little white napkin would look like and No napkins or towels during during HOW is that possible.. I guess just me. Paper towels are to clean, napkins are for eating, I'm just totally surprised. Mon Feb 02 18:21:27 -0800 2009 4381917 232829 kchurchill5 1 4382028 I use cloth napkins every day. They don't take up much room in the laundry (I throw them in with anything except whites) , and they are really quick to fold. Mon Feb 02 18:22:38 -0800 2009 4381917 124908 jeanmarieok 2 4382142 Same here. We use our burgundy cotton napkins every day. They don't take any extra time as they just go in the regular laundry and for daily use, I certainly would never iron them. That would be a big waste of time. Mon Feb 02 19:01:17 -0800 2009 4382028 139219 Sooeygun 1 4382047 My son's school insists on garbage free lunches. So I bought 2 dozen at a restaurant supply store -- all cotton white so I can bleach them when needed. It is a little thing but really quite easy when you get used to it. On the same trip to restaurant supply, I bought a dozen forks and spoons for lunches. Took them home and painted the the handles with leftover nail polish. In 2 years, I've only lost about 3 of each. We use cloth at home on the weekends too. Mon Feb 02 18:27:42 -0800 2009 4381917 169994 pengcast 2 4382128 cool school! Mon Feb 02 18:57:33 -0800 2009 4382047 168667 saacnmama 2 4382237 I'm 50 and WOW, I would never even dream of it. Never want to do it and would never think of it. But if it makes you happy I guess why NOT. Mon Feb 02 19:34:52 -0800 2009 4382047 232829 kchurchill5 1 4382063 I've used linen table cloths and napkins since I got my first good paying job. Back then it wasn't about being green, it was about setting a proper table. As a side note, I have never used paper towels, I buy bar mop towels by the dozen for cleaning the kitchen and dining room. Mon Feb 02 18:33:10 -0800 2009 4381917 259011 Demented 2 4382095 I cannot bring myself to mop up raw animal blood or pet "accidents" with a cloth towel -- for those, I reserve paper towels. Mon Feb 02 18:44:35 -0800 2009 4382063 11995 pikawicca 1 4382117 So the cloth vs. disposable debate extends beyond toddlerhood! I used disposable diapers--tried a diaper service, but with all the processing they used, it was not any easier on the planet. Napkins don't take up nearly as much room in my washing machine as dipes, and since I airdry anything that fits on the drying rack, drying them adds humidity to our parched winter apt. We use cloth napkins. I just learned that some folk use paper towels to dry dishes--sounds willfully wasteful. I make sure that our 'dish cloths' are different colors from our 'floor cloths' and that hand towels are distinguished from dishtowels. It's not any more difficult than sorting socks and underwear--different uses, different items. I'm interested in responses to your closing question about if people would use unattractive cloth napkins if they got them as a gift. As best I can read the reactions of visitors to our home, most people seem to think of cloth napkins as "fancy". I would expect that most folks (with the exception of the poster who, like me, is a single mother and works close to 60 hr per week) would find them almost too nice to use. There does, however, seem to be a problem with BBQ ribs. I'm a vegetarian, but perhaps folks who like ribs might want to keep something other than fine linen on hand for that job. Mon Feb 02 18:54:24 -0800 2009 4381917 168667 saacnmama 1 4382160 In my house, we use cloth napkins 90+% of the time. They get washed once a week or so (more often if necessary), and put in rings on the table between meals. When it comes to especially messy meals, though (ribs and Buffalo chicken wings come immediately to mind), either paper towels or wet-naps are definitely called for. Mon Feb 02 19:07:14 -0800 2009 4381917 58743 alanbarnes 2 4386402 Ditto for the Maine Green Team. For a shore dinner, however, the whole roll gets set on the table w/ a bowl for shells. Wed Feb 04 07:41:42 -0800 2009 4382160 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4382187 I use the high quality paper napkins (like Vanity Fair or similar). I have a whole stack of used ones, though, and routinely use them a second, third, even more times. I only do this for myself and my husband; at meals with guests, of course, we all get fresh ones! (But I'm not above adding even the guests' napkins to the reuse stack if they are left generally clean.) I probably have close to 50 on my reuse stack now, and won't need to use fresh ones for ages. I try generally to be "green," but I don't think cloth napkins work as well, and they take other resources, including valuable time, to maintain. I feel a lot better about using paper ones because I reuse them multiple times. On the other hand, I never use any other disposables: no paper or plastic plates or cups. Mon Feb 02 19:17:15 -0800 2009 4381917 159087 queenscook 2 4382219 I wish they made napkins in the "select-a-size" version, so you could tear one in half... Maybe I should just use the PTs and wean myself off the Vanity Fairs...all is Vanity ;) Adam Mon Feb 02 19:29:55 -0800 2009 4382187 154787 adamshoe 2 4382282 Hello, my name is c oliver and I re-use paper napkins also. Yep, there are at least two of us. I also re-use paper plates. I do this totally for the environment, figuring re-using paper perhaps uses less water and does less pollution than washing cloth napkins. But I always use cloth for guests. A balancing act, I guess. Also not sure I'm right but it's what I'm thinking. Mon Feb 02 19:45:46 -0800 2009 4382187 131001 c oliver 1 4382212 Cloth napkins. I have never liked paper. They shred. Either there is too much paper for a meal, or not enough. The paper napkins that don't just fall apart are expensive. I have heirloom napkins for special occasions, and these are a pain to clean. But they are so beautiful, and I love seeing the initials of people who are no longer with us. Everyday, we use cotton napkins and when they are dirty, they get thrown into the laundry [along with the dishtowels.] Later, when we are washing clothes and/or sheets, we throw them in. Each member of the family has a special ring so we don't mix them up. We have extra rings for overnight guests. I also use tablecloths and placemats. Keeping the napkins clean doesn't feel any harder than keeping my shirts clean. Obviously, we have enough napkins for at least two full turnovers. I don't do this to be green. It just makes me happy. Mon Feb 02 19:27:03 -0800 2009 4381917 59258 smtucker 1 4382252 My only comment ... TOTALLY AMAZED AND SHOCKED! I can't understand the cloth napkins but hey, that is just me. I don't spend time doing laundry, and folding silly napkins, I spend it with family and enjoying life. Sorry guys. Mon Feb 02 19:39:15 -0800 2009 4381917 232829 kchurchill5 2 4382317 I can't say I use them either. I don't have my own washing machine, so that's probably a big factor. I'd need to buy enough to last the two to three weeks I go between towel loads and it's just not worth it. I don't think the machines I have to use are paragons of energy efficiency, so I am not sure using paper towels is any less green than napkins. I do tend to reuse the paper towels if it's just for myself. Mon Feb 02 19:56:17 -0800 2009 4382252 107671 queencru 2 4382328 Why do you assume that I don't enjoy my family and my life based on the fact that I use cloth napkins? I enjoy both completely. Folding 12 cloth napkins takes about 2 minutes. [I love clean sheets too and still have time to raise a child and make family dinners nightly in addition to a full time job.] Mon Feb 02 20:00:23 -0800 2009 4382252 59258 smtucker 2 4383149 I can understand (and empathize), but in the last six years I have totally switched to cloth napkins. When I was raising my son, by myself, I used paper napkins. Cloth was for special occasions. Back then, at my GF's house, we used cloth a lot, but not always. Now, I really like the feel, and feeling special. I don't fuss with the napkins. I/we use them for one to three times (SO is much neater than I), and then they go in with the usual laundry. I don't fold them half the time and I sure as hell don't iron them! I have to wash dish cloths anyway, so why not some napkins? When I use paper towels I buy the ones that can tear as half-sheets. Even then, if the cleanup-throw-away project is small, I will tear off a smaller portion. Habits of growing up poor, or just being sensible? Tue Feb 03 07:27:42 -0800 2009 4382252 137946 Scargod 2 4383927 As others have mentioned, with just two of us in the house there are not a lot of napkins and they just go in the same laundry load as sheets and towels, adding exactly zero to the laundry workload, and maybe two seconds afterward to fold them. I presume you (or someone in your house) washes sheets & towels from time to time? You don't need to use cloth napkins but there's no need to accuse those who do of having no life. Sheesh... Tue Feb 03 10:57:29 -0800 2009 4382252 14386 BobB 2 4387535 I use cloth napkins always have and I am very lazy about house work and laundry never found them to be more of a burden just doing sheets and underwear. Wed Feb 04 12:47:11 -0800 2009 4382252 59001 PurpleTeeth 2 4387778 Weekly stack of napkins and kitchen towels isn't even 1/4 of whatever load.Where's the work?? Or to paraphrase Jim Beard about napkins, can't take five minutes for YOUR friends at your table?? He had some Beardisms,eating with chop sticks made as much sense as eating while wearing boxing gloves Wed Feb 04 13:49:01 -0800 2009 4382252 203919 lcool 1 4382331 I live mostly in the Florida gulf, the rest in Mexico, and my two favorite restaurants here, Berns Steakhouse in Tampa , and the Columbia (since 1905) in Ybor City and Sarasota, give me mountains of their logo'd napkins. I don't even have to ask anymore. On my way out, I get a stack. Works for me. I have place settings of the Homer Laughlin China from the Columbia, but that is a sordid story for another day. Mon Feb 02 20:02:20 -0800 2009 4381917 57170 Veggo 2 4382428 Oh you tease!!! Let's hear the place setting story soon. Pretty please?? Adam Mon Feb 02 20:46:53 -0800 2009 4382331 154787 adamshoe 3 4382531 I would love to keep it short, but there were a lot of moving parts. I solo'd for lunch at the Columbia at St Armands immediately after I bought a home here, 4 years ago. I enjoyed the lovely 1905 salad, with garlic shrimp, prepared tableside. I liked the oval, cobalt- on- white signature 1905 plate, and asked my server if I could buy a few. Sure, she said, in our adjacent gift shop. Not truthful. Growl. After my meal, I stroll to the gift shop and ask about the 1905 plate. They looked at me like I'm from Mars, and said have a nice life. Growl. I'm annoyed, and my wheels are spinning. They didn't know that I do have a nice life, every day, with or without their cooperation. Several weeks later, I had houseguests and we went to the Columbia. I asked of them if I could choose a sidewalk table, no problem, and then asked if I could order for all of us, no problem. I brought with me a beach bag and plastic bags. End of story: we all had the 1905 salad, prepared tableside with garlic shrimp, which we all enjoyed. I paid for the meal with cash. But I took all 4 of the signature 1905 plates, wiped them off, and put them in my beach bag. Separate from the meal check and tip, I left a letter I wrote the day before about how I must own things that are not for sale. It is among my top 10 human faults. I left a personal check payable to The Columbia equal to the cost of the plates, that included my name and address. I had been very careful about our initial seating in order to expedite our hasty retreat, which none of my guests were aware of or party to. My buddy and his wife from Pennsylvania were convinced I would be arrested for theft ,what with all the accurate personal information I provided on the check. Two days later, I showed my friend on -line that the check was cashed. He laughed for an hour. I remain a diligent customer of the Columbia at St. Armands. And I have a lot of napkins! Mon Feb 02 21:56:22 -0800 2009 4382428 57170 Veggo 1 4382353 We have 4 kids and use cloth napkins approx. 90% of the time. We both work full-time and I dislike laundry immensely, but a few cloth napkins added to our loads is a TINY job in our family. We also have napkin rings for each family member. We actually were spurred to do it by our youngest who (like another poster's child) also went to a school that really taught "green" practices. Really not as complicated or fancy as it seems... Mon Feb 02 20:11:57 -0800 2009 4381917 142391 danoc 1 4382375 My personal objection to cloth napkins only extends to those horrible things made out of synthetic fabric that one often finds at restaurants - it's like wiping with a piece of upholstery. And they certainly don't absorb worth squat. Paper at our house for everyday - which means we average about 1 napkin a day per person, what with eating out and tidiness. I use terrycloth towels, guest-towel size, for Thanksgiving, that match my tablecloth and dishes. And I have real linen and cotton for company meals, found at a yard sale, that must be from the 1930's or earlier, they're so big and heavy. Love 'em, but just not something I want to wash and bleach and iron every week. Mon Feb 02 20:22:56 -0800 2009 4381917 90114 lemons 1 4382391 We have a set of 12 cloth napkins we use for everyday use. I got them at Crate and Barrel and they are some sort of washable silk blend. With only two of us, I have to wash these about every 2-3 weeks as we do reuse them if they don't get really dirty(a meal like ribs this saturday night though sends them straight to teh laundry basket). Out of the wash and onto the line(Who needs to use a dryer when you live in Arizona?). I don't bother ironing and they use come off the line and get folded but if they do look a bit rumpled I will toss them in the washer and run through the steam function. No time involved really. It's faster to fold the napkins than the rest of the laundry so no big deal. I've bought two package of paper napkins in the past three years and still have about 80% of the second package on hand. The "company" napkins do get ironed but those don't get used often. Family friends who visit us frequently get the everyday napkins. No one has every complained about wrinkles and I"ve had a few people tell me they've also switched to cloth after visiting us a few times. Mon Feb 02 20:28:31 -0800 2009 4381917 16406 ziggylu 1 4382502 Most of the time we just use dish towels as napkins. They live by our "places" at the table for a few days, and then get washed. We have a few real cloth napkins for when a parental unit or other guest is staying with us. Oddly when we have a party the paper napkins come out. Paper towels last 1-2 months a roll, and are usually for greasy things, or anything exceptionally gross. Mon Feb 02 21:39:42 -0800 2009 4381917 215278 corneygirl 1 4382862 I use cloth napkins at home. They were actually sold as dish towels. However I am starting to wonder if they are not less green than paper. Each use of the napkin requires washing. That's hot water, detergent, machine drying, sometimes ironing. Yes, I wash them after each use. I can't imagine reusing a napkin from one meal to the next. Besides being disgusting, it's a germ harbor. Anyway, washing creates a lot of carbon footprint. How does it compare with using paper napkins? I'm not sure it's an advantage. Tue Feb 03 05:13:38 -0800 2009 4381917 248284 taos 2 4382924 I use paper, dish towels when needed. I just don't have time to keep washing and then they get dirty. And I don't reuse. Sorry, too busy to worry about no napkins cuz I didn't have time for laundry. My family comes first and a walk on the beach or having some fun comes before that load of laundry and napkins. Paper maybe a waste but the hot water, electric and soap ... not worth it for me. Tue Feb 03 05:56:00 -0800 2009 4382862 232829 kchurchill5 3 4383027 For us - and we're just two - the dish towels and napkins just get thrown in with the regular loads of laundry, so we're not doing more loads of laundry. Tue Feb 03 06:47:07 -0800 2009 4382924 10985 MMRuth 3 4383079 We do one load of laundry a week, for the three of us, napkins included, cold water only, no ironing. Folding takes two minutes, a bit less than sock-sorting. It's a small house, so all time is family time. Kid is reading on sofa, laundry is sorted on floor, cats are jumping in the piles... Tue Feb 03 07:03:44 -0800 2009 4382924 11231 Glencora 4 4383168 And hubby is sitting in his easy chair, smoking a pipe? Seriously, it sounds very special. Tue Feb 03 07:33:55 -0800 2009 4383079 137946 Scargod 5 4383647 Very funny. I was just saying life isn't always a walk on the beach. Just as well, since I have a hell of time budging my son off of the sofa and out of the house. Tue Feb 03 09:55:52 -0800 2009 4383168 11231 Glencora 1 4383078 For everyday use we use bandanas. They fit in w/ our regular laundry, so they don't add any loads of laundry as I have to laundry regularly regardless. thet have the added bonuses of being cheap(if you buy them by the dozen), patterned(washed in stains don't show), and they look better a bit wrinkled, no specila folding or ironing needed. I cooked in restaurants for 15 years so it would never dawn on me to use a paper towel for anything but draining bacon or drying chicken. Happily kitchen towels also fit in w/ the regular laundry. Tue Feb 03 07:03:31 -0800 2009 4381917 136906 lucygoosey 1 4383144 We prefer cloth napkins, and use kitchen towels which are tossed into the laundry. I'm not a big fan of paper towels, but do keep paper napkins on hand for disgusting clean ups (they're in a holder, partially hidden somewhere). My husband grew up with paper towels, as napkins, as well as cloth. At my grandparents' house, there were both. As well as neat things laminated as placemats (old books and fashion magazines; there was a laminator at my gp's house). Patterned cloth napkins are preferable, as they hide stains. My husband insisted that we get placemats and cloth napkins with some of our wedding booty, so I caved in. The ancient white/off white linens don't work well for tomato-based or other brightly-coloured food dining. Old napkins, as with old woven shirts and sheets and pocket squares, feel so much better against one's skin than paper. But I have dry and sensitive skin, so I'd rather use an old clean shirt (or sock) that's past it's prime than something which simply dries out my skin more. I blame my husband these days, as he spent half of his life in Santa Cruz and SF, although we both know that's really not the case. :) Tue Feb 03 07:27:25 -0800 2009 4381917 224238 Caralien 1 4383180 I don't see what "time" has to do with it. We use nothing but cloth. They are not fancy and we don't iron them or anything, we just store them in a bag in the pantry and just grab 2 when we eat. Our paper towel bill and paper napkin bill is now zero per year. As a busy mom with 2 adults who both work 2 jobs, I find it hard to believe someone really could argue "time" as the problem with using cloth, especially given the cost. If you spend even $300 a year on these products, that's $300 less than I have to spend on other things like bills or food. As to water, it's not like we have to do 2 separate loads just to deal with the cloth napkins, that's a silly argument. We don't do any additional laundry because of cloth napkins. And NOTHING biodegrades in a landfill, even if it's biodegradable, because of all the stuff it's surrounded by. Tue Feb 03 07:39:17 -0800 2009 4381917 19518 rockandroller1 2 4383863 I'm with you completely. We use plain old dishtowels for everyday use, and nicer napkins when company comes. The dishtowels get reused a couple times until they are dirtied, then tossed into the laundry. When it comes time to wash, I don't think I even notice they're in there! And ironing? Come on...only for the Big Holidays. And continuing on the subject of the "time", I'd say that if you've got kids, let them do some laundry. When they're young, they can play in the laundry room as you spend your 3 minutes folding. Start teaching your kids that taking a little extra time to use cloth napkins or cook your own dinner (or, expanding, grow your own vegetables or make your own bread) can be more than just a chore, but a positive thing that might make your life and the planet a little heathier. Oh - and here's a good review of the eco-friendly-ness of various options, in case you're still trying to convince yourself that plain old paper napkins are just as enviro-friendly as the cloth ones: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/paper-towels-and-napkins-vs-cloth.html Tue Feb 03 10:42:15 -0800 2009 4383180 201585 RosemaryHoney 1 4383395 Cloth 98% of the time, paper for really messy stuff like ribs where one napkin isn't going to be enough. Tue Feb 03 08:44:12 -0800 2009 4381917 14386 BobB 1 4383950 This thread has given me food for thought. My "company" cloth napkins DO get ironed so I hadn't actually considered that I could use cloth ones that are just wrinkled messes! But what I like better is the idea of using dish/hand towels --- but not new ones because new ones took energy to manufacture. (I read that about the best way to go green with one's car is to not buy a new one. Made sense.) It will be easy for me to snag some from the kitchen or bath and use them for us. I think that's a really good idea. Thanks to all. You've converted at least one person. Tue Feb 03 11:03:44 -0800 2009 4381917 131001 c oliver 2 4384917 Yayyy! Tue Feb 03 15:42:45 -0800 2009 4383950 19518 rockandroller1 2 4387877 If you use cloth blend napkins and pull them out of the dryer right away they aren't a wrinkly mess Wed Feb 04 14:18:55 -0800 2009 4383950 59001 PurpleTeeth 3 4388176 I pretty seriously don't like "blends" when that means part polyester. Not in napkins, sheets, anything. But I do like the idea of either buying second hand or using dish towels. I have scads of cloth napkins for guests that I DO iron. Just hadn't considered a middle ground until this thread. Having a late lunch right now with a dish towel right beside me :) Wed Feb 04 15:55:03 -0800 2009 4387877 131001 c oliver 1 4383997 Cloth napkins everyday. We usually use the same one for a week and they go in the laundry with everything else. We have several sets. They’re not fancy, but the nicest ones are out for guests. I also rely heavily on cloth towels for wiping up spills, drying dishes, etc. I never could justify buying pack after pack of paper napkins to be wasted or thrown away after one use. Cloth always seemed more practical to me. However, I do use paper napkins and towels for draining bacon and fried foods, and drying produce and meat. Tue Feb 03 11:16:26 -0800 2009 4381917 233294 cuccubear 1 4384862 Cloth always, except for informal parties where we drag out the disposable-but-reusable plastic plates & cutlery, then we'll get those nice thick paper ones. At the in-laws' house we observe the French style, and have a cloth napkin-holder with each person's name embroidered on it; unless the meal has been messy and greasy these napkins get washed just two or three times a year. At home we have nice linen ones for dinner parties and then some old white - or they used to be white! - heavy cotton ones for every day use. After fifteen or twenty years they're pretty ugly, but we're used to that, and nobody but our nearest and dearest ever sees them. I grew up with cheap paper napkins, and now I can barely tolerate them at hot dog stands. Tue Feb 03 15:24:23 -0800 2009 4381917 11478 Will Owen 2 4385041 Cloth napkins that "get washed just two or three times a year" would put most folks off the idea of cloth napkins forever. Sorry, Will (love most of your posts), but this is simply disgusting. Tue Feb 03 16:23:19 -0800 2009 4384862 11995 pikawicca 3 4385952 I'm not understanding the logic behind not washing cloth napkins after every use. Think about how a napkin is used and what's on it. It's used to wipe food from the hands and mouth. The thought of not washing after each use is kind of disgusting. Wed Feb 04 01:29:15 -0800 2009 4385041 248284 taos 4 4386000 Often the napkins sit in our laps for the whole meal and are not used, at least in our home. Wed Feb 04 03:39:43 -0800 2009 4385952 10985 MMRuth 5 4386040 is that because you are super neat and never get a milligram of food on your hands or face or because they just don't get used despite the need? And is that the case for every single meal? Never, ever used? Wed Feb 04 04:37:53 -0800 2009 4386000 248284 taos 6 4386056 I am not super neat, but for some meals I do manage to eat without getting food on my face - since I always use silverware, I don't have occasion to get my hands dirty. When I need to remove food from my face, I do use a napkin. As I said above, "often" the napkins are not used, but that is certainly not the case for every meal. If a napkin looks soiled, I put it in the hamper and get out a fresh one. If it doesn't look soiled, it usually stays. Regardless of soiling, they get washed at least once a week, but I'd say it's more likely that we go through two napkins each a week. Wed Feb 04 04:50:55 -0800 2009 4386040 10985 MMRuth 7 4386794 Ditto, here. I use a corner, then move to the next corner; then repeat with other side. Up to eight meals, max! Kidding a little..... Wed Feb 04 09:35:53 -0800 2009 4386056 137946 Scargod 8 4387088 I was just tidying up the dining room table and was thinking that maybe I should photograph the napkins after each meal until they go into the wash, and then post back here with the photos! Wed Feb 04 10:47:07 -0800 2009 4386794 10985 MMRuth 1 4385049 Cloth 100 %..We have probably 60-70 cotton dinner napkins collected over the years and another 30 cloth cocktail napkins that we use daily and wash after every use ( in with everything else). The only time I iron is for company ( there are only the 2 of us) . We had dinner parties this summer with 25 guests 2 nights in a row and it was a pain but I really liked the way the tables looked ( the napkins are intentionally all jewel shades of blues and greens ). A great part of my dinner enjoyment is setting the table. We use kitchen towels for non gross clean up and drying pots etc . We use too many paper towels...and will try to be better. I had a friend who collected antique dinner napkins ( all white) and had a gorgeous collection. TIP OF THE DAY : she soaked them in denture cleaner to whiten them ... Tue Feb 03 16:25:30 -0800 2009 4381917 11784 capeanne 2 4388651 Great tip....thanks. I'm a huge collector of textiles.. All my linen vintage tableclothes and napkins are prized posessions and although they require tremendous maintenance it's always nice to hear about new 'tips' to use in order to keep them well maintained. Wed Feb 04 19:09:27 -0800 2009 4385049 239340 latindancer 1 4385846 We always use cloth napkins. For just us we use them for a day or few, and replace as needed. You can find dozens of never used napkins that are machine washable at thrift stores for a song. I have a basket full of cotton napkins in a variety of colors and patterns which mix and match well. They get thrown in with regular laundry and folded immediately like the rest of the laundry. You could iron if you wanted, but slightly rumpled for everyday use doesn't bother me in the slightest. The go with us in brown bagging it to work, car trips and picnics. I have a package of pretty cocktail paper napkins I received as a hostess gift 10 years ago...they get used once in a blue moon for finger food at parties if I am short on dishes. Old dish towels take the place of paper towels for everything except raw meat clean ups, grease draining and cat hair ball clean ups. For cleanup of grease dregs from frying I do use my shredded paper first, then finish the wipe with paper towels. One roll of the "chose your size sheet" lasts us (2 adults) probably 4 - 5 months... I use newspaper covered with a paper towel for draining bacon or fried foods. I've spent many years in restaurants - you just get used to a nice big stack of bar towels at the ready in a kitchen. I do the same at home. If you only have "nice" towels, you just won't really use them hard. Same with most of the household cleaning - use and abuse then wash with hot water and bleach when there is enough for a full load. Tue Feb 03 22:26:57 -0800 2009 4381917 111267 meatn3 1 4386383 It amazes me the extent to which people have become paranoid about germs. A cloth napkin usually sits in your lap, periodically touches your hands, and occasionally brushes against your face. The notion that it's unsanitary to use a napkin for more than one meal really boggles the mind. And the notion that it's "greener" to throw away several pounds of paper products a year rather than to wash a load of napkins every day is a false dichotomy - the green thing to do is use cloth napkins and wash them when they get dirty. The sole original purpose of the napkin ring was to identify an individual's napkin from meal to meal. They have been in use for at least 200 years, and although they were originally a bourgeois phenomenon, even royalty were using them by the 20th century (the noted silversmith Georg Jensen designed and created a personalized napkin ring in 1940 as a christening gift for the present Queen Magrethe II of Denmark). Nobody is performing surgery with used napkins, and last I checked it was not good manners to stick your napkin in your mouth or use it to blow your nose. Most people use silverware at most meals, and most diners that I've seen outside of rib joints don't end up with copious quantities of food smeared on their face or hands. So where's the problem? You're concerned about touching a piece of cloth that may have a few molecules of food on it? Do you autoclave your underwear, too? Sheesh. Wed Feb 04 07:36:40 -0800 2009 4381917 58743 alanbarnes 2 4386417 Not only are you insanely smart and learned but funny as hell also. Thanks for helping my coffee start me on a nice day. Wed Feb 04 07:46:11 -0800 2009 4386383 131001 c oliver 2 4386509 "Do you autoclave your underwear, too?" With your permission, my new line of the day. HA! Wed Feb 04 08:12:50 -0800 2009 4386383 139219 Sooeygun 2 4386543 mr. rockandroller unfortunately uses his to blow his nose - only at home of course. He has a vagus nerve thing and gets very runny nose when he eats, so we do put them in the laundry basket after every use, but it's not like we have to do a separate load just for napkins. Wed Feb 04 08:22:33 -0800 2009 4386383 19518 rockandroller1 2 4386845 Did anyone see the SNL fake commercial skit where they are selling edible baby diapers? It would be "super green" to use an edible napkin! Various dessert flavors... Could be made to look like a crepe, for instance. Wed Feb 04 09:48:42 -0800 2009 4386383 137946 Scargod 3 4386898 Think Ethiopian! The injera is tablecloth, utensil, and napkin all rolled into one. Don't know how it would work as a baby diaper, though... Wed Feb 04 09:59:18 -0800 2009 4386845 58743 alanbarnes 4 4388040 U D Man! Fantastic idea! I'm getting some of the grain so I can experiment with injera. My dog will eat the "diaper"!! Wed Feb 04 15:08:29 -0800 2009 4386898 137946 Scargod 2 4388255 HAHA! I'm with you alanbarnes. I see so many germaphobic people - I know someone who scrubs and puts on latex gloves to unload her dishwasher. Sometimes I wonder how these people managed to conceive their children. I have several mental images in mind that involve quite a lot of plastic wrap , but I've never been able to bring myself to ask. Wed Feb 04 16:26:03 -0800 2009 4386383 14974 BeaN 2 4388415 You need a reality check, Alan. Try using a white napkin and then tell me that you think Will's approach to laundering napkins "2 or 3 times a year" is at all rational. Wed Feb 04 17:21:21 -0800 2009 4386383 11995 pikawicca 3 4388555 Huh. Given that he said of his own cloth napkins, "They get washed once a week or so (more often if necessary), and put in rings on the table between meals," I assumed Alan was responding to the posters who said they thought it was disgusting or unsanitary to use a napkin more than once, not to Will's post about his in-laws. Wed Feb 04 18:22:24 -0800 2009 4388415 10074 Caitlin McGrath 4 4388567 And there's a huge difference between "stains" and unsanitary/unhealthy/etc. And don't we know that air drying kills lots of "germs"? Wed Feb 04 18:28:19 -0800 2009 4388555 131001 c oliver 3 4388564 My reality check is sitting on the table right in front of my seat. It's a white napkin. It's been used for a couple of days. And it's plenty clean, thank you very much. When it's dirty, I'll toss it in a basket with other napkins, kitchen towels, etc. that need to be washed, and they'll get added to a load of sheets or towels. Will is apparently much neater at the table than me; I do well to get a week out of a napkin, less if we have finger foods. But the notion that a piece of cloth becomes unhygienic because it sat on your lap for half an hour is just silly. Seriously, how much food do you smear on your face and hands during the course of a meal? And if you aren't mopping up food with the napkin, the only thing that makes it "unclean" is that it briefly touched your hands and face. Do you use hand towels more than once before washing them? Do you change your bed sheets every morning? You spend the whole night with your face on the pillow; how is a napkin inherently dirtier? If the napkin's clean, keep using it. If it's dirty, toss it in the laundry and get a fresh one. What could possibly be more rational than that? Wed Feb 04 18:26:42 -0800 2009 4388415 58743 alanbarnes 4 4388582 Uh, I never said "that a piece of cloth becomes unhygienic because it sat in your lap for half an hour." I look over my (white) napkins and consign them to the laundry based on when they look grotty (usually 24 hours or so). It's not so much a matter of hygiene, as of aesthetics. Wed Feb 04 18:36:02 -0800 2009 4388564 11995 pikawicca 5 4388629 I said that "the green thing to do is use cloth napkins and wash them when they get dirty." You said that I "need a reality check." Now you say that the you use cloth napkins and "consign them to the laundry based on when they look grotty." Which sounds an awful lot to me like washing them when they get dirty. Given that we appear to be in complete agreement, why did you go on the attack in the first place? Peace, Alan Wed Feb 04 18:59:51 -0800 2009 4388582 58743 alanbarnes 6 4388663 Sorry, Alan. This thread has collapsed more than I can cope with. I do not believe that napkins must be washed after every use. I do (strongly) believe that they must be washed more than 2 or 3 times a year. In my experience, they should be washed after a day or so. Wed Feb 04 19:11:38 -0800 2009 4388629 11995 pikawicca 7 4388708 My Rx: a glass of wine and a peaceful evening, or what remains of it wherever you are. All the best. Wed Feb 04 19:27:31 -0800 2009 4388663 58743 alanbarnes 1 4386862 Yes Wed Feb 04 09:52:03 -0800 2009 4381917 10285 Candy 1 4386918 Cloth 99% of the time,tossed into the laundry 3 or 4 times a week.Was raised with cloth and find it's an easy habit to just wash napkins in what ever load. If it's really messy I offer paper towel or a damp towel.When ribs,mussels or crabs are the menu even the table maybe papered. Lunch boxes have silverware (metal) and a cloth napkin or shop towel. Wed Feb 04 10:04:49 -0800 2009 4381917 203919 lcool 1 4387231 One thing that is surprising to me is how often people are doing laundry. 3 or 4 times a week? Really? How is that environmentally responsible? Wed Feb 04 11:24:02 -0800 2009 4381917 76025 mojoeater 2 4387268 Kinda depends on how many people are in your household. For the four of us, 3 or 4 loads a week seems low. I'll use my napkin all week long, but a fresh pair of socks every day doesn't seem like too much to ask. Wed Feb 04 11:34:18 -0800 2009 4387231 58743 alanbarnes 3 4387277 We've got two people and do laundry less than once a week. We make sure to have enough socks and undies to last two weeks or more! Wed Feb 04 11:36:59 -0800 2009 4387268 76025 mojoeater 4 4387289 But isn't there a difference between how often one does laundry a week, and how many loads one does when one does do laundry. We have a tiny machine (NYC apt, and I'm ever so grateful), and need to do about four loads on laundry day to get clothes, sheets and towels done (plus of course, all those napkins! - jk). To me, it's not an issue of having things to last two weeks, but to wash, in a full load, the dirty things when they pile up. Wed Feb 04 11:43:40 -0800 2009 4387277 10985 MMRuth 5 4394641 We have larger machines and do 2-3 loads on laundry day. And I prefer not to have food in the machine when I wash my clothes. If more than a drip of food is spilled, I use paper towels. If it's just water or I have to spray the counter, dish towel. If an entire batch of tomato sauce goes down my front, I'm hand washing that shirt rather than adding food to my laundry. Fri Feb 06 16:51:19 -0800 2009 4387289 76025 mojoeater 6 4394661 That just strikes me as strange...do you wash undies separately? In the same machine??? Why is food so bad to have in the wash if a thorough wash is done? Fri Feb 06 16:57:50 -0800 2009 4394641 11784 capeanne 7 4394674 If I had a child (which I don't) and something was in the undies, they would never go in my machine. Fri Feb 06 17:00:53 -0800 2009 4394661 76025 mojoeater 7 4395465 This is where a good ol' fashioned solar powered clothes line come in handy. A natural disinfectant. Blows my mind that some upscale communiies hve banned the good ol' clothes line. I hang up last night wash before going to work in the morning. Cool seein' frozen stiff blue jeans. But they dry and Dow Chemicals cannot reproduce that fresh smell. Mr Natural Sat Feb 07 04:51:31 -0800 2009 4394661 93538 Passadumkeg 8 4396840 re: "ol'fashioned solar powered clothes line." I call mine a "Solar/Wecs" dryer. Sounds so greeeen, so sophisticated, but is just practical to me. I actually did some research on this topic a few years ago and found out that clothes dryers account for about 6 to 7.5% of residential energy usage in the U.S. And I too was astounded at the number of "upscale communties" that prohibit clotheslines, especially in California, which seems kind of ironic. Gary Trudeau even did a weeks worth of Doonesbury cartoons spoofing this. Most Home-Owners' Associations ban them. The silly reasoning is that they think they might decrease real estate value. But I think that the real problem is that they are just using boiler-plate homeowners' agreements when they incorporate, and so are not really thinking it through... I am most definately in the cloth napkin and dish-towel camp. I call it "my life without paper towels." We have a couple of dozen of each (heck, sometimes the Solar/Wecs dryer is out of service, especially in January). I don't care if they are wrinkled, (no ironing in this house,) stained, or fraying at the edges. It's usually just us! And, making napkins yourself is a great way to teach a kid to sew. Sat Feb 07 16:22:46 -0800 2009 4395465 57199 clamscasino 9 4396878 We also have lines down the cellar and a rack for infront of the wood stoves. What kid of pooch? All our kids have silver napkin rings w/ their name and date of birth engraved; a Norwegian custom. Sat Feb 07 16:45:20 -0800 2009 4396840 93538 Passadumkeg 10 4396940 Got a rack in the spare bedroom. Napkins and towels are already half-folded when dry. :) Pooch is a boxer/lab. I call him my second kid. He's good at cleaning the floor, but not doing the dishes. (My dishwasher, BTW has two arms and two legs.) Our napkin rings (which we don't bother with) are some wood-carved ducks. Got silver, engraved baby mugs though. My only complaint about dish-towels is that good ones are so hard to find. Sat Feb 07 17:16:54 -0800 2009 4396878 57199 clamscasino 11 4399825 We have a freebee choc lab that I brought home from school. We live 150 yds from the ocean and she swims in the winter and loves to roll in the snow. Do you live on Block I. We lived on Isslands here in Maine (North Haven & MDI) nd in Norway and had a summer cabin on an island 1/2 hr from Helsinki. Funny, my wife sometimes wants a paper napkin to wipe her hands before using the cloth one. Clams casino was the first "gourmet" food I ever learned to cook. My dad taught me in 8th grade. I go clamming for "hen" clams (large quohogs) on spring tides and make clams casino & chowder. Sun Feb 08 23:03:54 -0800 2009 4396940 93538 Passadumkeg 12 4399985 A'yup, we live on the Block. This clam isn't too good with a rake though. The day I finally stopped lurking and finally chose a screen name was the day a visitor from Maine gave me a bag of clams...felt like I had hit it big at the casino... Mon Feb 09 04:41:25 -0800 2009 4399825 57199 clamscasino 11 4400244 I haunt thrift store for good cotton and LINEN.Simply will not pay the market price at Williams Sonoma etc.It seems most are donated even without regifting because so many recipients are puzzled by the gift.Latest find was 3 dozen Damascus Cloth 23" linen napkins from Spain NEW, $0.50 each;HALF OFF seniors day = $9.54. Mon Feb 09 07:25:26 -0800 2009 4396940 203919 lcool 10 4396957 <"All our kids have silver napkin rings w/ their name and date of birth engraved; a Norwegian custom."> We do too.... It's an Italian custom too, apparently. Sat Feb 07 17:27:06 -0800 2009 4396878 75332 Gio 11 4399831 Gio, I wonder if the silver napkin ring for kid's birth is European wide? I so miss the quality of life there. I made my qurarterly trip to Wally World yesterday. What an ugly place. My son's girlfriend in Thailand is an Ecuadorian named Gio. Sun Feb 08 23:08:01 -0800 2009 4396957 93538 Passadumkeg 6 4394663 And you can get a batch of tomato sauce out of a shirt by hand washing? I can understand perhaps not wanting to throw chicken bones :) or something into your washer but "more than a drip of food"? What's the rationale? I'm sure you have a perfectly good one but I can't fathom it? Please enlighten me. Fri Feb 06 16:58:17 -0800 2009 4394641 131001 c oliver 7 4394686 I don't want chunks of stuff in my machine. It's not like a dishwasher with a garbage disposal attached! Fri Feb 06 17:03:05 -0800 2009 4394663 76025 mojoeater 8 4394710 Chunks of food (or baby poop) don't go in washing machines that I'm aware of. And actually I believe that the plumbing for a dishwasher and washing machine are pretty much the same. If there are dishwashers with garbage disposals attached, it's certainly not anything I've ever heard of. There's a pipe that carries the "stuff" (water, detergent, other things) out of the machine and eventually to your sewer line and/or septic tank. Dishwashers run with hot water in order to make the contents clean enough to eat off. Since we don't eat off our clothes, most can be washed in cold water. Fri Feb 06 17:10:13 -0800 2009 4394686 131001 c oliver 9 4394759 I also don't put any kind of chunks in my machine. If there are chunks of food I scrape and/or rinse them off before the washing machine just like I take the lip balm and nickels out of the pockets of the pants. Maybe we need a thread about how we do laundry. Is it me? Fri Feb 06 17:28:13 -0800 2009 4394710 136906 lucygoosey 10 4394821 No argument with you at all. And I look for golf tees also :) But there's a big difference between "chunks" and anything more than a "drip." I'd rarely wash anything if a "drip" were the cutoff point. Fri Feb 06 17:58:58 -0800 2009 4394759 131001 c oliver 9 4395459 Many "American style" dishwashers do have disposals built in.At all three of our homes are Euro types,scrape/wipe before loading or empty the trap. Septic systems have some special needs about household plumbing Sat Feb 07 04:42:41 -0800 2009 4394710 203919 lcool 9 4395481 My dishwasher does have a part of the pump that is for grinding up chunks; essentially a disposal. If I have large chunks on my clothing (but why would I?), I would let my dog lick them off, just like she does the pre-wash of our dishes. I also wash my cups, plates and clothes together. Like beating your clothes on rocks.. Saves on water. Can we have that thread about how to do laundry?? Sat Feb 07 05:03:53 -0800 2009 4394710 137946 Scargod 10 4395499 We had 5 (five) dishwashers, but they all went off to college. Sat Feb 07 05:12:42 -0800 2009 4395481 93538 Passadumkeg 11 4395958 We only had four,did the same as yours.Then they graduated and became their own debts.From age 12 or so 75% or more of the laundry, 100% of the the table top and dishes,their ironing,some yard and garden. Plus side is that the three with children are repeating the chores,good grades etc process.don't tell the government Sat Feb 07 10:01:40 -0800 2009 4395499 203919 lcool 12 4396199 And now we leech off them. I love it when we visit our daughter in Austin. She was more trouble than all 4 boys added together. Now we sleep in her bed, drink her booze and stay out late at night and worry her! Got tickets to Korea in June to visit #1 son (Weslyan, bailed on a state dept. posting to Morocco 3 days before he graduated. I still want to kill him.) and a side trip to Thailand to visit #2 son (Cornell trained chef and rest. mgr. Bailed last year, got a Ma in Span and ESL, bumming around the world by teaching, just like his papa.) They all learned to do their own laundry early on, to dine every night by candle light and w/ cloth napkins. All cook well and only the girl calls to say "Poppy, how do you cook....? Peace at last. Sat Feb 07 11:47:26 -0800 2009 4395958 93538 Passadumkeg 13 4396305 I can relate,girls cost at least 3 times as much as boys $,time,Valium oh and bathroom.Girl,then twin boys 14 months later.Next real insanity,11 years on,LET'S have another.GIRL,spent half her time in the formative years angling for pampered.Her siblings bought into none of that,thank ?? for small favors.First daughter,married,in Switzerland,boy and twin girls. Twin boys,1 married in Italy 2 boys,2 girls,1 Married in BVI's 2 girls.Last the youngest,(27) in Chile,gave up the manicure for farming.I was certain she was lost to the age of electronics,climate control and salons.You just never know. Visit us they do table top and dishes.We visit them,they still do table top and dishes. seems fair to me Got to the edit in time,how could I forget the years of "could you get ,send ,find ? I forgot,"so did we.Worked in exchange for tabletop etc not done in a timely manner. Sat Feb 07 12:38:48 -0800 2009 4396199 203919 lcool 14 4396522 Youngest is just 19 and is a bio major , he is a gentle giant sweetie pie, ant at age 10 declared I'm becoming a herring gormet. Sat Feb 07 14:06:49 -0800 2009 4396305 93538 Passadumkeg 9 4395735 There was a separate thread on this recently, but in fact most modern dishwashers do have a built-in garbage disposal. I know mine does. As for stains (not chunks) in the clothes washer - I don't know what you're using but our high-efficiency Asko washer has cycles that will clean just about any stain out of anything, using only two to three tablespoons of detergent per load. For really bad ones we pre-treat with Shout. Sat Feb 07 07:56:46 -0800 2009 4394710 14386 BobB 2 4387755 The napkins get tossed in the laundry 3 or 4 times a week.Use at dinner,wipe a dogs face,in the basket.Nothing gets second use after guests or "the grand kids",mine or friends.We do a full load when we have one.Average 3 per week doesn't seem a big deal with 3 dogs,3cats and a constant parade of people. Wed Feb 04 13:42:27 -0800 2009 4387231 203919 lcool 2 4388276 The laundry gets washed as needed. Some people do all of their laundry on one day, others wash a load as needed through the week. I wash whites one day, dark colors another, bright colors when I have enough. The napkins get washed with the corresponding load. Do you only wash one load of clothes a week, everything together? Wed Feb 04 16:31:28 -0800 2009 4387231 14974 BeaN 2 4388637 I do laundry every day....at least two loads a day. I really don't think about how 'envirornmentally responsible' it is. I like clean sheets twice a week and clean towels every day. I use linen napkins and no paper towels and my dish clothes/towels are washed in the machine continuously. Wed Feb 04 19:03:54 -0800 2009 4387231 239340 latindancer 3 4388649 You don't *think* about environmental responsibility or you don't *care* about it? If it's *think*, maybe this thread will encourage you to think about it. Wed Feb 04 19:09:12 -0800 2009 4388637 131001 c oliver 1 4387255 I use cloth napkins everynight except for large gatherings and BBQs. I've found that using them saves $$ on buying paper, saves trees from being chopped down, cuts down on trash, and (honestly) you can always fit 4 more 12"x12" pieces of cloth into the washing machine each week. It also think that using cloth napkins make the meal fell more like you're eating at home then grabbing food to-go. That could just be b/c I was raised on cloth napkins every night growing up. Wed Feb 04 11:28:51 -0800 2009 4381917 133823 KaraK 1 4387683 I use cloth 99% of the time. Basically I just think they look nicer. I can imagine though if I didn’t have a washer dryer I would be less inclined to do so. I also like how linens can add to the feel of a meal, casual, formal, festive whatever. They are also, depending on where you go, a relatively inexpensive way to change the look of a table, certainly less than getting a new set of china etc. Regarding papertowel use, I use WAY too many for cleaning up. My SOs mom, has a huge array of rags under each sink, ripped up old t shirts etc etc that are used for cleaning, then laundered and returned to under the sink. I think that this is a great way to do things, and would like to move to doing that. It is funny that the "old fashioned" way of doing things ( cloth rags) is much more eco friendly than the modern way of doing things (paper towels). Napkins certainly dont cause me to do more laundry, they are small and can always fit in a load. Wed Feb 04 13:25:07 -0800 2009 4381917 158016 cassoulady 2 4387767 I found an unopened package of Brooks Brothers cotton undershorts in a chest of drawers I bought at a yard sale. They are lovely cotton and huge (42 inch waist.) It's a bit weird, but they make great rags. Wed Feb 04 13:44:37 -0800 2009 4387683 11231 Glencora 3 4389373 I was at a friends parents not long ago and a bottle of wine was knocked over and the mother ran off and came back with an old pair of ladies panties that she was wiping up the spill with. I thought it was hystertical, some of the other guests were horrified. She is from the waste not want not school of thought for sure. Hey it worked! Thu Feb 05 06:10:14 -0800 2009 4387767 158016 cassoulady 4 4389560 That's hysterical! One of my dogs, left unchaperoned, likes to carry my panties around. Maybe she could start attending my dinner parties - just in case :) Thu Feb 05 07:26:33 -0800 2009 4389373 131001 c oliver 5 4389903 That's not just a dog thing. One of my cats - nicknamed (doh!) Laundry Cat - spends half his life sleeping in the laundry basket and sometimes likes to grab a dirty sock or unmentionable and carry it around the house. Thu Feb 05 09:02:25 -0800 2009 4389560 14386 BobB 5 4389904 My cat has a fondness to undergarments, she likes to carry them out to the dog bed then lie with the two dogs while sitting on undies. Thu Feb 05 09:02:26 -0800 2009 4389560 158016 cassoulady 2 4395057 Old t-shirts that have been washed often are lint free and wonderful clean up rags. I will only polish silver with these rags. I was raised by a depression baby, and throwing out all cotton underwear was simply not an option. Fri Feb 06 19:53:03 -0800 2009 4387683 59258 smtucker 3 4395065 Totally agree. I have more rags than I can shake a stick at. Same family reason as yours. At least *I* don't try to scrape the burned part off of burned toast! Fri Feb 06 19:59:49 -0800 2009 4395057 131001 c oliver 4 4395070 Do you use a rubber spatula to get the last 1/8 tsp of mayonnaise out of the jar? Fri Feb 06 20:01:25 -0800 2009 4395065 59258 smtucker 5 4395093 Of course. Doesn't everyone??? :) Fri Feb 06 20:13:54 -0800 2009 4395070 131001 c oliver 6 4395462 YES ,and or the cat paw,busy for an hour at least Sat Feb 07 04:44:30 -0800 2009 4395093 203919 lcool 6 4395545 Empty ketchup bottles never get thrown out (recycled) without rinsing out with a little water and adding ketchup water to stew or soup. I also use up the last bit of Grey Poupon by making a batch of vinaigrette in the jar. I'm a cloth napkin user, can't you guess. Sat Feb 07 05:54:49 -0800 2009 4395093 211115 neverlate 4 4406325 I don't scrape off the burnt part of the toast either. Grandma taught us that 'it'll make you sweet(er)!' Wed Feb 11 03:31:55 -0800 2009 4395065 168667 saacnmama 1 4387948 I am an extremely messy eater. What can I say? At the burrito place I go through a giant pile of flimsy paper napkins. At home my one cloth napkin lasts me a few meals (or until the dog decides to grab it off the table and carry it off). I own 8 of them, wash them when they're dirty, fold them when they're clean and throw them in a bowl I keep on the table, and never run out (there are 2 of us). I am morally opposed to ironing anything, including napkins. Wed Feb 04 14:38:32 -0800 2009 4381917 75268 smittys 1 4388101 Hmmm... I've always used paper napkins (as well as far too many paper towels) because I have 2 children and lots of pet cleanups. The cost and extra waste bothers me, but cloth for everyday use always seemed like something I couldn't afford. The argument for cloth makes a lot of sense to me; I think I might switch over! Wed Feb 04 15:31:20 -0800 2009 4381917 257980 scoutmom1973 2 4388192 Yay! I just did. Wed Feb 04 15:59:34 -0800 2009 4388101 131001 c oliver 1 4388632 White linen starched and ironed. I've never bought a paper napkin in my life. I've never used paper towels either. Wed Feb 04 19:00:35 -0800 2009 4381917 239340 latindancer 2 4389906 We use cloth 99% of the time. I try to limit my paper towel use, I use mostly cloth dish towels as well. Paper towels get used for cat cleanups or if one of the kids spills milk or something. I made the mistake once of using a cloth towel to clean up a large milk spill in the summer and after one day in the laundry basket I went crazy trying to find out what that STENCH was. With two kids we end up doing a load of laundry 2-3 times a week. Its really nothing to throw in the cloth napkins in the loads. We wash mostly everything in cold water and I do line dry when weather is appropriate. I love that I've had one bag of Vanity Fair napkins in my closet for about a year. They get used only when we have a crowd, ie kids b-day parties etc. I got most of the napkins at salvation army and target. At Target II browse the linen section and wait till things go on clearance. I've got quite a colorful bunch but I like what they add to the table. I also have about two dozen and we never run out before more get laundered. We reuse the napkins through out the day and sometimes my DH and I can go a day or two with the same napkins but not the kids. I also use cloth diapers for wiping the babies face after eating, these get changed daily and add a bit to the laundry but I think it beats using several paper towels for every meal. I also like the Viva paper towels, they are very sturdy and when I do find the need to use one, I get alot out of it. Thu Feb 05 09:03:26 -0800 2009 4388632 57865 trishaluna 3 4390082 Ah, the horrible smell of old spilled milk. I think you're allowed paper towels for that one. Our last car never completely got rid of the stench. (And *why* did my SO let the kid drink milk in his car seat? But that's another thread.) And, yes, I remember cloth diapers being pretty useful, too. Thu Feb 05 09:52:35 -0800 2009 4389906 11231 Glencora 4 4391973 Both. I use cloth for dinner often, but not all the time. Not for breakfast or the occasional sandwich or whatever. It's too hard with kids and pets, but I have tried to be more conscious of my paper consumption. I use rags, too, outgrown kids undershirts and old maid socks are great for cleaning. but they end up waste anyway eventually. I have been appalled at other people's usage of paper towels. I know people that use them in the bathroom. Thu Feb 05 20:28:58 -0800 2009 4390082 189528 Whosyerkitty 5 4392275 what they use paper towels for in the bathroom is unclear in your post, but perhaps we don't want to know anyway. Fri Feb 06 01:49:58 -0800 2009 4391973 168667 saacnmama 6 4394653 It's not that gruesome. For hand drying. Instead of hand towels. In their house. Fri Feb 06 16:55:46 -0800 2009 4392275 189528 Whosyerkitty 1 4394815 Thankfully and happily, in Toronto, we toss used paper napkins and paper towels into our green bin, which gets picked up every week, which then goes into a giant municipal composting program, and then comes back every April as free compost for residents on Environment Day. So we use paper every day. Cloth for special dinners. http://www.toronto.ca/greenbin/ Fri Feb 06 17:58:18 -0800 2009 4381917 98493 JamieK 2 4394859 Thank you thank you ... I do recycle most of my paper too and it gets reused ... Fri Feb 06 18:13:55 -0800 2009 4394815 232829 kchurchill5 2 4394869 I'm so jealous. We did a house exchange in SF a few months ago and they have that program. It was SO great. A daughter and SIL in Seattle have it also. Fri Feb 06 18:16:57 -0800 2009 4394815 131001 c oliver 2 4395555 You're still contributing to the cutting down of trees. Nothing environmental about that. Sat Feb 07 06:01:02 -0800 2009 4394815 19518 rockandroller1 3 4395578 Don't come to Maine and say that. They'll make you use plastic toilet paper! Logging is a major source of income in many states and Maine is shutting down mill due to the importation of rainforest products. Wipe w/ Made in the USA paper! Sat Feb 07 06:19:06 -0800 2009 4395555 93538 Passadumkeg 3 4395670 It's not the cutting down of trees that is the real damage to the environment, it's all the energy, water and chemicals that goes into the process of turning the tree to paper. Sat Feb 07 07:11:41 -0800 2009 4395555 10195 KTinNYC 4 4395771 Agreed with KT. Both aspects of producing paper products are bad. Sat Feb 07 08:21:59 -0800 2009 4395670 19518 rockandroller1 2 4400861 Composting does not absolve your sins even if it makes you feel good. Think about how many vehicles that paper has ridden on from the time it was a green tree growing in a forest. Ground up into pulp by mechanical means and converted into paper using chemicals and a lot of water, heat and energy, even if they skip chlorine, made into products that were carried through the wholesale distribution system to a store near you - far from that original forest. All of those intermediate stops - mills and factories - were heated and cooled, using vehicles powered by energy. The products were packaged with either a corn- or petroleum-based covering, maybe printed with soy-based ink. Think of how those products came to the party and how much energy was used producing those coverings before they wrapped those paper products that you are spending hundreds of dollars a year on. Most people use energy to get the products to their homes from lighted, heated and air-conditioned stores. The Green Bins are emptied by trucks that use energy to carry them to valuable land where they have to be turned by vehicle that use more energy to produce compost that is finally carried by more vehicles to your community. Recycling has an environmental cost. All so people can feel good on Environment Day looking at a pile of compost? Some of us have vintage linens that have been thrown in with larger loads of laundry for decades. Manufactured once. Going on to a second life as cleaning rags when they get too shabby to use at the table. Hmm? Mon Feb 09 10:42:04 -0800 2009 4394815 32444 MakingSense 3 4400989 You're completely correct but I sure don't want to discourage anyone from doing even the teensy bit of conservation. I have some 60-70 year old towels that my grandmother had. There are still a few little squares left for polishing silver. Paper I shred is kept for packing material. NowI'm working on breaking my dependency on paper towels. This is about day 5 of using a kitchen towel in stead of a paper napkin. It's feeling natural and *good*. I think some people just need to have their consciousness raised and others don't give a damn (I know a few of the latter unfortunately). Baby steps. Baby steps. Mon Feb 09 11:07:28 -0800 2009 4400861 131001 c oliver 3 4401904 We don't look at the pile of compost. We shovel it into wheelbarrows and tubs and take it home to throw into our gardens. Mon Feb 09 14:58:57 -0800 2009 4400861 98493 JamieK 4 4402034 Here in Berkeley we can pick up free compost once a month. I compost at home and only put diseased, thorny, or gone-to-seed plants in the bin, yet somehow they make great compost out of it all. We can throw milk cartons into the bin, too, which is nice. We don't use paper towels or napkins, but we do go through a lot of milk. Mon Feb 09 15:36:10 -0800 2009 4401904 11231 Glencora 4 4402117 I wasn't assuming that you and your neighbors pulled up lawn chairs and drank toasts to the compost. The point is that ANY single use disposable products, including packaging materials, burden the environment well beyond the simple "paper or plastic" question. There is an enormous amount of energy expended in converting and conveying the product from raw materials through the processing system to the consumer and on through a recycling process. It includes the energy used for transportation, plus that used in the facilities where the products are processed, warehoused and sold, that are heated and cooled and otherwise serviced by bathrooms, telephones, roads, and services for employees. That is true even in recycling facilities because they use energy. You could carry it further to amortizing the equipment necessary for all of that, and the environmental costs of manufacturing that equipment.... It doesn't matter if you are making bio-degradable disposables or bleached paper napkins. There is a cost for single use items that is beyond the dollar amount that we pay. The goal should be less packaging and fewer disposables, not more compost. Mon Feb 09 16:00:43 -0800 2009 4401904 32444 MakingSense 5 4402425 Love the idea of drinking toasts to the compost! Will incorporate that into our next environment day or neighourhood clean-up day or plant-a-tree day or street-garage-day-sale to help re-use whatever or neighbourhood shade audit or earth-day-turn-off-lights event, etc . Oh, wait a minute, I forgot about weed-picking days, you know, ever since we banned pesticides in T.O., it's been crazy around here. (although mind you I haven't used pesticides since 1985). Thanks! Mon Feb 09 17:48:05 -0800 2009 4402117 98493 JamieK 6 4402817 Try a little white vinegar on the weeds - right on the roots. It works as well as most weed killers - which BTW are herbicides. Unless you find that some are edible. Mon Feb 09 20:32:32 -0800 2009 4402425 32444 MakingSense 1 4395242 Yes, we use them in our home for dining, and paper cocktail napkins. Fri Feb 06 22:13:42 -0800 2009 4381917 207176 grantham 1 4402154 I am a big fan of the cloth napkin...my husband, not so much. We use them with most meals. They are soft and absorbent, easy to care for, and always ready to go! I think that the more you use them, the more you like them. Mon Feb 09 16:09:35 -0800 2009 4381917 257470 CucinadiNana 1 4402308 Almost always use cloth. Mon Feb 09 17:07:26 -0800 2009 4381917 162977 sarah galvin 1 4402901 Cloth 95% of the time. They are little to no work. Having a job/toddler/graduate school reduced the percentage that get ironed but I am okay with that. Paper would mean something in my life was terribly wrong. I hate them. The "time argument" doesn't hold. They require minimal upkeep and go in with the weekly laundry. My family had a lot of double standards growing up. Holiday we had whipped cream and during the week there was cool whip. The same was true for napkins and butter/margarine. Only one of the options was any good and we are firmly a butter/whipped cream/real napkin household. Mon Feb 09 21:21:05 -0800 2009 4381917 10099 JudiAU 2 5103886 Ha! Turns out that my niece will email them for minimal payment. Wed Oct 14 18:13:48 -0700 2009 4402901 10099 JudiAU 1 4407283 We switched to cloth napkins years ago at home. Haven't purchased paper napkins in more than a dozen years. My wife made our first ones out of scraps of cloth, then we began buying them; she likes to vary the "look" of our table. Old ones become Extremely Casual Napkins -- such as ordering in pizza or wings for "movie night" at our house or eating really messy foods. I'd give up paper towels if I could; I do think we use them much less frequently than we used to. Wed Feb 11 09:59:04 -0800 2009 4381917 113176 jmckee 1 4410143 I do child care for three kids along with my own family during dinner time and we all use cloth napkins at the table. I like to set a pretty table and I see using the dining experience as part of their training for table manners and by extension, for adulthood. And cloth napkins are just a nice way to catch dribbles, etc. We use clean ones every evening, but I'm going to look for my old napkin rings after reading this thread and being reminded about them. We don't use many paper towels at all, but I have put them in the bathrooms since we started the child care routine. Oh, and cloth napkins aren't a bother for us, and I have to say that starching and ironing is really good 'therapy' for me and I like it (although I don't iron the napkins every time they come out of the wash)! Too busy! Thu Feb 12 06:58:12 -0800 2009 4381917 249199 dumas 1 4784439 As a grad student on a tight budget, I use cloth napkins as well as cloth dishrags to wipe up my kitchen counters. I've had them for about five years now. They're all white cotton and go in the wash with my towels and sheets. They hardly add anything in terms of bulk or time to the laundry. A napkin usually lasts me about two days. I also keep a bucket of rags (cut-up old t-shirts) on hand for messier spills (i.e., dropped egg or tomato sauce on the floor). I also have a very cute set of vintage cloth cocktail napkins that I trot out occasionally. I just couldn't bear to spend what little money I have on something I'd use once and then toss in the garbage Less money on paper products = more money to spend on food and wine. Thu Jun 18 09:35:27 -0700 2009 4381917 138455 smallfrog 1 5139021 One funny thing this made me think of-- using cloth napkins (which we've done for years) means we have to use the unscented laundry detergent. I absolutely hate wiping my mouth with a napkin that is "breezy fresh" or whatever. Fabric softener? Forget about it. Even dryer sheets are a no go. Can't stand the residue and scent while I'm eating. Wed Oct 28 18:44:02 -0700 2009 4381917 36325 Procrastibaker