Switching to cloth napkins - Page 2

[HollyBearsMom]

I am with you, I just throw wet stuff in with the rest of the laundry.  On the off chance I don't think I will have any laundry to do for a few days I hang up the wet stuff on my indoor drying rack to keep them from mildewing. In my house a bag, even a mesh bag, full of wet clothes, napkins, whatever would start to smell or mildew within 24-36 hours.  Heck if I leave my laundry in the washer for too long it starts to smell.
 

Originally Posted by BetsyS 
Where I live, things do mildew pretty fast.  That's why I am willing to wash wet things with any other types of clothes.  I throw them in the bottom of the washer and just wash with the next load. 

I was M, W, and F every week, with the last load being in the late afternoon (with diapers and all, I usually do about 3 loads a day on those days).  During the weekend, I will do a load when the washer fills up (and it usually does, between napkins and dirty gardening clothes and maybe a wet shirt from milk being spilled at supper and whatever else gets dirty and wet).  So, at most, my wet napkins are going from dinner on, say, M, to W am, which is about 36 hours.  In that time, I usually don't have a problem with mildew. 

If I waited a week to have a load just dedicated to kitchen laundry, then, yes, my stuff would mildew.  I live in a hot, humid climate, though, which makes a difference.  We battle mildew and mold even in the dead of winter with forced air heat.

[EmsMom]

If I have any wet napkins/rags I just hang them in the shower until they are dry and then I throw them in the wash later in the week. 

For napkins, I bought some cotton fabric and made up small napkins (approx. 6 inches square).  (just hemmed them).   I made lots of them, in fun fabrics with fire trucks or cats or dogs, etc.  They work great for the kids because they wash and dry quickly and if one gets trashed at a meal, they can just grab another one.  My napkins generally go in with my regular wash.  Rags usually get washed in hot water weekly. 

[velochic]

Like the pp, I made most of my daily-use napkins - mostly from fabric remnants of my sewing projects, so practically free.  Actually, dd made a lot of them.  Around 5 yo she started really getting into sewing and doing simple square napkins with rolled hems or simple 1/4 inch hems gave her plenty of basic practice.

The other great place I got them was off of ebay.  I was able to snag a lot of 100 hotel napkins for under $10 including shipping at one point.  So, I have daily use napkins that aren't matching sets and then several matching sets for matching my more formal place settings.  I have a wicker basket of daily-use napkins on the corner of my countertop.  The ones currently in use (and we usually use the same one for a day or two unless we're eating something like BBQ ribs or buttered corn on the cob or watermelon) sit in a tidy folded pile in front of the wicker basket.  I change my kitchen towels every day or two, as well, so they just go into the dirty clothes with those.

[chel]

I use an assortment of "napkins". I have bandanas (hobby lobby has some fun prints) that I use for e more traditional napkin use for packed lunches and adult dinning. For my toddler is use the baby wash cloths so I can get some "scrub" to it. I use small microfiber auto towels for kitchen messes.

All get washed with the regular laundry.
Edited by chel - 4/14/11 at 12:53pm

[doubledutch]

what a great thread!  i use cloth napkins but we only grab a napkin if needed.  like . . . my boys will have messy face and hands after a meal but just wash them in the bathroom; they use their hands to wash their faces like raccoons and then dry their clean hands/faces on a towel.  i'm more likely to use a napkin - and they do sometimes too.  anyway, we don't go through a ton, is my point.  i got mine at the thrift store ftmp but i LOVE the idea of bandanas as napkins and may need to order a dozen.  i bet i can get a dozen for $20.  that would be so awesome.

also love the napkin rings so the napkins can be reused by the same person.

[choli]

We always just used washclothes when the kids were small, and rinsed them off as needed.  I never realised it was such a big issue...

[kerc]

We use only cloth napkins. But we buy them at Goodwill or Savers (thrift shop) or estate sales. A buck a piece is my maximum price.

I have a basket of kitchen laundry that I keep them in. I hang wet stuff over the edge and let it air out to dry so it doesn't mold or mildew. I used to wash stuff together and then decided I prefer washing my kitchen towels, napkins and dish rags on hot and that means I don't wash with tshirts and the like.

[Gator-mom]

Last summer I made a bunch of cloth napkins out of some cute fabrics I found at Joanne's.  I was specifically trying to brighten up Ds's lunch box and try to get him excited about eating..kind of a picky eater here.  I think I have about 20 or just over.  I could use more though.  I feel inspired to look for more at the thrift stores now.

I'd love to be cloth free like Iowaorganic.  What do you use for paper towels?  My only problem is we don't have a washer and dryer, so sometimes it's really hard to keep up with laundry when I have extra stuff like the napkins plus our towels and sheets.  We only wash our towels once a week as it is, because that's about all I can do.  Thank God, Ds is potty trained and I don't have to wash diaps too!

[GirlBoyGirl]

I don't like the feel of cloth napkins (they are kinda scratchy and not very absorbent feeling), so I bought 36 "unpaper" towels off of etsy. They are made of flannel and have serged edges, basically they are small burp cloths. It as a toss up between those or the white birdseye cloth. In the end I chose the flannel because they were cheaper. I am going to keep a basket on my counter and a few in the napkin holder on the table. I will just wash them with the regular clothes.

[beebalmmama]

We only use cloth napkins but we don't go through many of them. Dh and I grab one when needed and occasionally for ds (5) when the meal is especially messy. Otherwise we use a wet baby wash cloth for ds to clean up or send him to the sink after dinner.  I wash them with my kitchen rags/towels and keep them in a laundry basket on top of the dryer. I wash mine only once a week but I do hang the wet rags on the edge of the basket to let them air dry so they don't become smelly.

[hcjames]

Hi! I actually carry cloth napkins in my etsy shop, Miss Mermaid. I currently have two different prints in stock and have a pink songbird cotton flannel I've been meaning to sew into napkins as well. I love doing custom orders so send me a pm and we can find the right thing for your family!

<3 Helen

[MiniMum]

I have six napkins of real linen, they are so lovely! I just put one in the middle of the table for anyone who needs to use one hehe (if we had guests each would get their own obviously!) Huge spills will get wiped with a dish cloth or a rag.

[JudiAU]

We use a small delicates bag, the kind with holes, for our wet rags and washclothes. This way we don't get mold. We only wash them once a week. Seems to work better than our wet bag (look at cloth diaper sites).

[marimara]

I just grab cloth napkins whenever I see them them really cheap, thirft stores, on clearance, etc.  I have never paid more than $5 for a set of them. ever. even new.  they go in the washing machine when they are dirty.  same for kitchen towels.  then when I need to do laundry I run that load first.  I've never had the need for a wetbag or special basket or anything just drop them in the washer.  But i can imagine if your washer is in the basement or something that won't work.  You could just put a basket on the floor in the kitchen and drop them when they are dirty then dump in the washer at the end of the day.  Sometimes they sit in the washer (with the lid open ) for a couple of days before I wash them and they have never turned mildewy, and i live in the deep south.  I just sprinkle some baking soda in there and it takes care of any smell that might be there