Cloth or Paper?
As I was reading the strange eating habits thread, HeartofGlass posted that a napkin was required at mealtime. That brings up another issue in my world. I use cloth napkins at dinnertime. Whether it is just the two of us or if company is here. When company comes, I bring out the laundered napkins. (there is NO way I can get them clean) The rest of the time, we use the ones that go right into the washer. ( I also do not use paper plates!) Do you use cloth or paper napkins?
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26 Comments:
Paper napkin, made of recycled paper products. They, in turn, are recycled. Why waste water, soap, and electricity?
beth1 at 10:30PM on 06/19/08
Cloth ... I launder them with the rest of kitchen & bath towels. Not really extra water since I would wash them anyway.
kjgibson at 12:33AM on 06/20/08
Paper - I'm a massive mess when I eat!
Steamy Kitchen at 12:40AM on 06/20/08
Cloth napkins. My wife and I use them for a few days to a week depending on what we had for dinner (anything finger food will tend to mean the napkins go right into the hamper). They add essentially nothing to the laundry load and we need throw nothing out. Same deal with kitchen towels vs. paper towels.
ccbweb at 1:07AM on 06/20/08
Cloth napkins, almost always. I have some dark blue ones that I use when I do ribs or messy finger food.
they add only a skosh to a laundry load and are much nicer to use.
suegsf at 3:25AM on 06/20/08
Neither, I use my shirt.
All kidding aside, I really use none.
Cassaendra at 7:30AM on 06/20/08
cloth napkins, all the time, except when we have cook outs.
hammondcheese at 7:39AM on 06/20/08
Wow, now I'm totally napkin-intimidated! I only use paper, rationalizing that as a single person it would take more energy to clean cloth--I haven't used cloth since I was a child living with my parents, and then usually only on special occasions!
HeartofGlass at 7:46AM on 06/20/08
I used recycled unbleached paper napkins that then go into my compost. I would like to use cloth, but the idea of buying or making that many sets of napkins (I don't have a washing machine, so I'd have to buy enough to last between trips to the laundromat) is a bit exhausting for me at this point. Someday though!
producestories at 8:05AM on 06/20/08
See, there's a lot about napkins that gross me out. I absolutely hate crumpled napkins, maybe cause it was my job to throw them away when I was little and clearing the table, but they just gross me out. We use paper napkins, but I always keep them folded and make BF throw his own away.
Cloth napkins gross me out just as much, however, so I don't use them. I don't know why, I mean, they don't get crumpled, and you just throw them in the wash, but they never go RIGHT into the wash, so there they are just sitting there with bits of food and saliva on them. Paper's safer, except for special occasions.
embolini9 at 9:28AM on 06/20/08
Good question! I use paper towels as napkins, but I use the ones that tear into smaller pieces. And I use kitchen towels in place of paper towels for messes, clearing the counter top, etc. So a roll of paper towels lasts for months.
Kerosena at 9:48AM on 06/20/08
Paper napkins & cloth....depending on the mood, occasion, and what we're eating. Always cloth for messy foods like ribs, chicken that will be eaten w/fingers....I hate it when the paper napkin sticks to your fingers when you're eating sticky foods!
@producestories - thanks for the idea of composting the napkins, I'm going to look for unbleached napkins myself so I can 'borrow' your idea! I compost everything else, why not napkins?
mepolo at 10:32AM on 06/20/08
For my sanity, we use paper napkins on a regular basis and cloth - for more formal dinner affairs. Why "for my sanity", you ask? Because I certainly would not be able to use the same cloth napkin for more than one meal, no matter how clean they may remain. It would also drive me crazy to let them just sit in the hamper until I have enough for a decent laundry load (hello there, embolini9:-)). And of course, it is absolutely wasteful to run the machine for 2-4 cloth napkins, even on the lowest setting.
So yes, paper it is. I probably use a couple at each meal (because I hate being messy...oh dear, I guess my husband may have a point about that OCD:-)), and promptly throw each one away once I've used it (because crumpled napkins on the table during dinner are quite nasty).
brooke29 at 10:39AM on 06/20/08
Alone, I just use a kitchen towel, generally the same one I used while cooking. Casually with company, we use recycled paper towels, as the meals I make for a crowd tend to be messy. But for special occasions, I always break out the cloth napkins...and avoid serving anything tomato or berry based.
rosezilla at 11:02AM on 06/20/08
Like Kerosena, I use paper towels exclusively for napkins. I basically don't use them for anything else, with a very few exceptions. I use a sponge for counter cleanup, etc.
Lilla at 11:24AM on 06/20/08
I'm with Kerosena and Lilla. Hurrah for the paper napkins that are perforated every 4 or 5 inches.
I do use cloth napkins on special occasions. They come from the thrift store and move to the rag bag (for kitchen counters, range etc.) when they get stained or frayed.
Blue Iris at 12:22PM on 06/20/08
My antique hand-embroidered Irish linen napkins are beautiful and have been passed down for several generations. They require ironing!!!! I remember using my iron before a wedding last summer, but I'll be doggone if I can remember where I put it. Oh wait......the iron and board hang on a wall somwhere in the house. Hmmmm.......
For guests, I have lots of other cloth napkins that are less precious and easy to launder. For just me, it's a paper napkin or paper towel. For picnics, paper all the way, unless it's a picnic for two. Then I dress my picnic basket and blanket to impress.
PerkyMac at 12:31PM on 06/20/08
Paper, paper, paper. I'm not running a restaurant here, Hon! It really depends on what kind of dinner party I'm having. Have you ever tried to get barbecue sauce off off linen? For the high holidays for example I'll use linen even though I detest having to iron them. But to just have dinner at home I use the good quality paper napkins. Also I have old dish towels that I use for messy foods like fried chicken, etc.
RichardCrystal at 1:09PM on 06/20/08
About 10 years ago, we were hosting a neighborhood party. I bought a dozen dish towels from Cost Plus. I liked the fact that people could really cover their laps AND have something generous for their fingers. They're Indian cotton with pale green stripes (that is, they look good with almost anything). They cost $20 or so. We use them daily, change them frequently, accumulate them in a basket on top of the washer. Despite all this use, they're still in great condition.
For really special dinners for guests, we use 26" damask ones that a friend's grandparents in Germany had hidden from the Nazis along with paintings and silver. I am always moved by their history and journey to our table.
islandexile at 1:16PM on 06/20/08
For myself, I use paper towels. For guests, I use the best embossed PAPER napkins. Whenever I'm a guest and am given a cloth napkin, I feel odd wiping my mouth and my lipstick gets all over it.
SavtaShayna at 1:26PM on 06/20/08
Cloth, all the time! I certainly don't bother to iron or bleach our everyday ones, but I think everyone should use cloth napkins. For those who are worried about the energy it takes to wash them, you could easily/quickly wash them in the sink. I know people aren't into that kind of thing, but honestly...not much trouble, and even recycled paper products involve some kind of manufacturing process.
I have noticed that guests are nervous about using cloth napkins, especially when I try to get them to use linen cocktail napkins with drinks and nibbles. As a guest, you can, I think, safely assume that your host expects you to get lipstick/red wine/barbecue sauce/chocolate/etc. on his cloth napkins. You certainly can at my house. Don't be shy!
Robin Bellinger at 2:54PM on 06/20/08
Funny topic--never realized people could feel so strongly about napkins.
(No disrepect to the antiques and heirloom linens--those stories are wonderful)
We use paper napkins. They're pretty nice as paper napkins go, embossed, fairly large, fairly weighty. Costco--yeah, you know the ones I'm talking about.
I have a crapload of cloth napkins and they are laundered and ironed and waiting for the next great event. I really don't know why we don't use them. Maybe it just seems too nice for the two of us...which sounds silly seeing as how we make a point to use nice crystal wine glasses specific to varietal and we really try to cook great food as often as we can.
I'm interested in the demographics behind our preferences. Is it cultural, generational, classist?
wookie at 3:31PM on 06/20/08
I just started using cloth napkins a couple of month's ago to cut down on my
paper consumption. Now I may re-think this based on some comments.
Eww !!
stacemace at 10:25PM on 06/20/08
Cloth... almost always.
When there is an occasion where I must use paper, I make sure the brand uses recycled materials, and contains no gratuitous dyes or chemicals (usually Seventh Generation Natural).
The trick is to find a color of napkin (in an all-natural fabric, like cotton) that will show as few stains as possible and still look great with your table setting. That's the ticket!
Brownie at 8:57AM on 06/21/08
Cloth, unless we have a large crowd for dinner- then it's paper, simply because I don't have more than 30 cloth napkins.
Our laundry is right around the corner from the kitchen, so when we're done with dinner, the napkins are tossed directly into the washer, so they're there when the next load comes in to wash- there's no germy food bits lying around "getting everyone". Half of mine are a basic cotton blend- no ironing required, just wash, fold and put away, and the other half- I made from flannel. I love those ones. Not only are they effective and wash beautifully, the patterns hide stains if that's a concern, and they're comfy to use.
I love cloth napkins, and it cracks me up when company with children comes over and eyes my napkins warily- "what is this?" or "don't you have any real napkins?" Lol.
ErikaWaz at 9:38AM on 06/21/08
For formal (festive, celebratory, holiday) occasions, the linen ones I inherited that I have to wash and iron carefully. Most days, paper towels. But I had a friend who often had crowds over and who used cloth (I think cotton) napkins exclusively - in a paisley print that revealed no stains. I always admired her cleverness.
Likeswords at 2:32PM on 06/21/08