My household made the switch from paper to cloth napkins a few years ago. We have something like three dozen white cotton napkins for everyday use. But what about stains? The last thing anyone wants is to have to be careful with napkins! Here's a way to remove stains in a snap:
Hang napkins on a clothesline to dry in the sun! Stains will be bleached by the rays (even stains that are set by hot water washing or a cycle through the dryer!). Not only will your cloth napkins stay white - they'll also stay naturally fresh and clean.
Related: Looking For: Classic (Yet Easy to Maintain) Cloth Napkins
(Image: Drew's Directions)
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my mom used to do this with my white keds tennies when i was little--really does the trick!
That's assuming, of course, that you HAVE sunshine long enough to be hanging laundry outdoors.
You can still but them outside on cloudy and even rainy days the rays are still there just not as strong so it may take more than one hang or an afternoon. I hear people do this with diapers all the time.
'Tis true about the diapers. We have some flat cotton ones that are still very white and we're on Kid 3.
You can also get the benefit if you put things in a sunny window if you don't want to/can't go outside.
I've also heard that sunshine helps to kill bacteria, too, though I'm not sure where I read that, so take it with a grain of salt!
We've had bright red cloth napkins for over two years - they may have stains, but they sure are hard to see.
I've heard it about the bacteria too: I don't think it kills it just dries it up. The sun trick will work on pet messes too if your fabric is too delicate to go thru a wash just clean up what you can and most residual odors and stains will be gone after a few hours outside on a sunny day.
I also switched to cloth napkins and we have a few sets: one "organic" off white and one black for formal dining and a few more colourful ones - the set we are using now is a rainbow plaid for everyday. That way no one feels like they have to be careful with the napkin. This works for us because first there's just us and we have a few matching spares for guests - but we use on average on napkin a week per person.
For others who use cloth napkins how often do you wash them?
I bought two sets (12) white cotton napkins with a flower embroidered corner at Goodwill for less than $5. I switched away from paper napkins and I never looked back.
I'm making the slow & sure move away from paper towels as well. The only glitch in that plan is I use them when I microwave my breakfast. Any suggestions for replacements?
@ Barb in CT I actually save my REALLY stained cloth napkins and flour sack towels for use in the microwave, for straining things when canning/cooking and other messy kitchen tasks. They are gross looking, but clean - washed in hot water.