Make every meal a cloth napkin meal!

When having fancier meals or eating at expensive restaurants, cloth napkins are usually on the table -- but have you ever stopped to think about why?  Reasons could include because they're nicer than paper napkins, have a certain upscale feel to them and look prettier on the table.  It's a throwback to an earlier time when folks embraced simplicity and all napkins were made of cloth.

There's been a resurgence of reduction of paper products and getting back to simpler things, so I decided to try swapping out my ever-present Mardi Gras print paper napkins for some of the fabric variety.  About a month into this experiment, I have to say I am quite pleased with the swap and I'm really enjoying the cloth napkins over the paper ones! 

 

The research I found on the web seems split between which napkin is "greener" (disposing vs washing), but I think in my own experience the cloth ones may be greener for me.  Throwing these small cloths in with my weekly laundry means no more detergent and no more loads -- I just include them in with my towel load. 

I was using approximately 4 paper napkins a day (almost 1,500/year) and replaced these with twenty 6.5" x 5.5" flannel napkins.  They fit into my existing napkin holder perfectly and work great!  They were pre-washed so I'm seeing little-to-no shrinkage.  One cloth napkin may last me several meals and then I toss it into my hamper.  They are brightly colored and several folks who have seen them in my kitchen have asked me where to purchase them.

On Etsy, you can search for "flannel cloth wipes" - I purchased mine from seller "LoverofLifeDesigns" and am very happy.  Pay attention to the sizing if you are fitting these into an existing napkin holder and also to the fabric used (flannel works great), whether it's pre-washed/pre-shrunk, and how many ply the cloth is (2-ply is a nice thickness).

Try this out - you may find you save a few dollars on purchasing paper napkins over time and prefer the upgraded experience a cloth napkin at every meal can bring!