Making the Switch to Cloth Napkins

Switching to cloth napkins when you are used to using paper can be a little bit intimidating. It took us a bit longer than I wanted, but when we finally did switch, we never went back to paper napkins. Read on for some tips to make the switch and staying with cloth napkins a bit easier.

We are a family of five and when we started with cloth napkins, we had three small children. It seemed daunting to add more laundry to what I was already doing especially with the cloth diaper laundry I already had.

But it was something that bugged me for awhile and I wanted to do away with purchasing paper napkins. I felt like it was wasted money and we went through them so fast.

If you are in the same place – wanting to switch, but needing some encouragement, you are in the right spot. Read on for how we made the switch quite easily.

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1. Where to Purchase Napkins

When we first switched over to cloth napkins, our budget was less than dismal. Therefore I knew I needed to find something cheap. So I started to watch at the thrift stores for napkin sets. And to my luck, I found a couple sets on a Monday 1/2 off sale. I liked the feel of the thick 100% cotton material much better than many of the napkins sold most places. As as are many things thrift stores, these napkins had never been used.

If you are handy with a sewing machine, you could also purchase any fabric you like and sew it up just the size you like.

Otherwise you can find cloth napkins just about anywhere.

2. Have Enough

For me enough meant that I didn’t have to wash more than once a week before running out. With our family, we have been able to do this with three large sets. Sometimes it is a bit more often if we have really messy meals or extra spills, but for the most part, we are able to wash about once a week and not run out.

3. Napkin Material

When I was looking out for napkins at the thrift store, I was looking for 100% cotton as I knew these would be the best at absorbing. I have been to too many restaurants that use polyester napkins that won’t work to get my hands clean. I also had a set that we never used because of the material not wicking away the liquid or messes.

Along with the cotton, you can look for linen and that wold be a major score if you found them second hand in good shape.

Also, if you found a great cotton or linen table cloth that felt nice to the touch, you could cut it up into napkins.

Make sure you like the feel of the material and that it will absorb. These 100% cotton napkins look really nice and functional. The darker patterns would be your best bet. I love some of the patterns with white, but would probably steer clear due to staining potential. And then there are these linen napkins that look amazing, but definitely cost more than the cotton.

4. Have a Routine for After Dinner

We usually are all around the dinner table and most of the napkins are needing to be sent to the wash. It is the job of the youngest to collect all the napkins and toss them into the bin in the laundry room. This was super simple when our laundry was right off the kitchen. It is a bit farther now, but still an easy after dinner chore that most any child can do.

5. How Often to Wash

Along with the planning for having enough napkins, we are not washing after each meal. For the most part, the napkins will be used all day long if we are all home and saved on the table for each meal. If we only eat dinner at home and the napkins were barely touched, we will leave them for the next morning.

Mostly, the napkins last for a whole day and then get tossed into the laundry room.

Obviously if we have a messy napkin from breakfast that needs a wash, we won’t leave it hanging around for the day.

6. Storage

One thing that we have played around with is where to store our napkins. We have been in three houses since starting to use them, so it has changed. But what hasn’t changed how close to the kitchen table we store our napkins. We use a medium sized basket and placed it on a shelf near the table that all the kids can reach. It’s their job to get out the napkins and set them on the table, so they need to be accessible.

7. Kids fold the Napkins

Along with putting the napkins into the laundry room basket after dinner, the youngest kids have the chore to fold the napkins out of the laundry. They are a great size for little hands to handle and improve their folding skills. I have been amazed at how far my sons have come in their folding skills by folding the napkins the last few years. When they are done folding, they take the pile of napkins to the basket near the table.

This is not a chore moms should be doing. Give it to your kids and watch them grow in their skills.

8. Napkins for Company

Have a special set that you use for company. Our regular ones get cleaned often, but they are also stained and I’m not sure if company would believe me that they were indeed clean. So to save some embarrassment, I bring out the company set when others are over.

Or if it’s a big crowd, I’ll just pull out a stash of paper and won’t worry about it for the night.

9. Special Circumstances

I mentioned that we have been in three different homes since starting our cloth napkin journey. That means three moves. All out of state. That means that I did not have the time or energy to put into anything extra, even washing and asking the kids to fold the cloth napkins.

So, I bought a pack of paper napkins and got my cloth ones packed up and into a box sooner than I wanted, but early enough to relieve the stress the care of them would have caused.

Some times it’s like that and we need to give ourselves a break if its one of those times. A new baby or another big change? Grab a pack of paper napkins and don’t worry about the cloth for a short time. You will go back to them and it’s ok to not use them for awhile.

There you Have It

That’s how we made the switch quite easily to cloth napkins and how we also keep our sanity with using them.

Find a routine that works for you, and you will also wonder why it took you so long to make the switch.

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