Ultimate Cloth Napkin and Paper Towel Alternative Roundup!
Napkins above are Amanda Lindroth
Many of you asked for a post on cloth napkins and other re-usable cleaning cloths and paper towel alternatives. So here I am, with a heck of a roundup of all those things! It’s a nice, environmentally conscious thing to do, even if simply driven by paper goods shortages due to a pandemic. :) It also will help make mealtime at home feel a bit more special. I’m super partial to the great block print options out there! Many of these sets are on sale, so stock up! More casual types of napkins looks good without needing to iron (because who wants to iron napkins right now?) but I did include some more formal monogrammed options too because it’s a good excuse to finally get yourself some proper napkins!
CLOTH NAPKINS
(click images for links except those with letters which are linked below)
I am about ready to toss my dirty, mismatched dishtowels and replace them with fresh ones. And also quite interested in these great microfiber cleaning cloths. Also included are some bulk packs of paper towel alternatives– keep these in a basket under the sink or next to a bathroom sink and another basket for people to toss them for the wash– having a single hand towel in the bathroom used by multiple people doesn’t feel the cleanest right now.
DISHCLOTHS & REUSABLE CLEANING CLOTHS
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I’m such a sucker for good linens, this was fun to click through. I would LOVE to see a version of this for powder room hand towels – I’m having a terrible time finding something pretty and customizable that isn’t made out of fluffy towel material….
We use cloth napkins daily, I even put one in my daughters lunchbox. I highly recommend picking colored napkins because white or mostly white napkins for daily use with show stains (think curry, tomato sauce, chipotle) overtime. You want to make it easy on yourself … not another thing to stain clean etc. Also buy an inexpensive basket to store them in near where you eat.
I often find lovely (and like-new) cloth napkins at thrift stores!
Swedish Dishcloths – THE BEST THING SINCE NETFLIX. I love them, and you can get them in sweet patterns on Amazon as well, as plain. I actually gave them with Christmas Gifts last year and everyone LOVED them!
My daughter makes napkins from her kids’ artwork via Spoonflower. Great fun for all of us, and a way to save the art.
Brilliant idea! I am going to try this!
As another reader mentioned, reusing cloth napkins throughout the day or until ready for washing is an old and very green practice. I started making monogrammed ceramic rings recently and my husband loves the new practice. If you’re looking for a custome napkin ring let me know
Cloth napkins are the best!! We used them even when our children were little! Have so many to use , even though the table clothes are long gone!! I have some old linen ones, 35 year old ones and many in between!! when my daughters visit with their families, they will say,” oh I remember these!” Never been a fan of paper things anyway!!
I love the old tradition of keeping cloth napkins straight – whose is whose? – for reuse: each person can have her own napkin ring (from monogrammed sterling to interesting/favorite color/pattern/shape). I came across a set of wooden napkin rings (1/2″ slices of 3″ diameter tree limb, hollowed out in the middle) that were “engraved” (wood burned?) with full name (“Mrs. Erin Gates”) and the year of visit (“2020”) from a famous mountain resort to which folks in the South fled in summertime to escape the heat. My grandmother had kept hers and her parents:’ a treasure that I shared with a friend who has a vacation home there. (When I first came across them in a box, I thought they were vertebrae!) Back in the day, even very nice hotels/resorts (with assigned seating) kept their guests’ cloth napkins for reuse until they needed washing.
Yup! Finally a use for all the pretty cloth napkins I’ve had tucked away for years. Shame on me, but they always seemed too pretty to use so I saved them for guests. Now they are a necessity, as are all of our hand towels which I swap out every day just to be safe. Thanks, Erin!
I’ve always had a thing for cloth napkins in fun or beautiful prints and that’s all I’ve ever used. I’m not that fancy, just practical. I keep a basket of them out in my kitchen. One tip- for daily use, a busier print is better at hiding stains. World market is a great source for inexpensive, daily use napkins. We’re only a household of two and use the same napkin several times until it’s actually dirty. As for paper towels, I only use those for things like draining bacon, never cleaning. I have a set of towels for cleaning and a set for drying hands/dishes.
Our family has been using cloth napkins for over 20 years. It’s a wonderful alternative to paper and more durable. I had a multitude of patterns, but went to one color a few years ago, just makes things a little easier. And microfiber cleaning clothes are the 💣 !
I have a sister with a serger sewing machine who loves to make mix and match napkins for the family. I’ve got a stack in bright cheerful colors to enjoy. Haven’t used a paper napkin in our home for a very long time. Much more colorful this way.
Thank you for providing inspiration for a beautiful option to disposable!
Hi Erin, I am happy to say that I have used cloth napkins for at least 5 years. After one use I round them up and immediately throw directly in the washing machine until I do next load. I have had great luck buying tons of new cloth napkins and towels at church yard sales. There is nothing more comforting than using a cloth napkin. thanks for this post!
Very pretty alternatives. Many will work for Easter. thank you