I think everyone in my family has some version of these placemats, and I resisted for a long time. Do you really need them, anyway? I had pretty linen ones for dinner parties. And setting a plate on a bare table seemed just fine for nightly dinners. But I bought finally bought some, and here's why I love them.
1. They're round. The circumference is no taller than an average rectangular placemat (from top to bottom), but they're not as wide. So if you have a small table or are squeezing in a lot of guests, they take up less room.
2. They wipe clean. These particular ones from Target (many, many other sources exist) are polypropylene and wipe down easily. You can shake off crumbs and even run them under water if necessary.
3. They come in a ton of colors. I have a neutral beige for everyday use, but these particular ones come in orange, turquoise, lime green, red, you name it. They're about $2.50 each, so they're an inexpensive option for classing up a color-coordinated party.
4. They don't need ironing. Obviously this is the case for any plastic or synthetic placemat. But after wrestling with some cotton/linen ones that always came out of the dryer looking like crumpled Kleenex, this is key for me.
I find it's more pleasant to set down a plate onto a mat rather than clang it on the table.
What about you? Anyone have these placemats?
Buy It!: Polyround Placemat, $9 for four at Target.
Related: 5 Stylish, Wipe-Clean Placemats
(Images: Target)
10 Things to Pack That Make Cooking on Vacation Easier
My Staple Summer Cocktail Recipe: Campari & IPA Spritzer
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Martha Concrete Lam...
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
I do like placemats, but I can't do plastic. Call me a snob. But I did recently get rid of numerous sets of placemats of various types that came out of the wash wrinkled every time. Who needs that? What I have left are some tapestry ones, some quilted ones, and one set that I picked up at TJ Maxx that is made out of little pieces of wood all linked together. All of those are pretty easy to keep clean. Actually, I find these are easier for me to keep clean than plastic. I hate how you wipe those down and then they never get dry and then you put them in the drawer but they stick together because they're still kind of damp. LOL
why use placemats anyways? i'm always confused on why we started using them in the first place. the table gets dirty ANYWAYS (not every single bit that gets dropped lands on the mats)... just seems like more work to even use them at all... am i wrong? am i totally missing something here?
I don't have a problem with ironing (if I'm going to iron the napkins, it's not really that much extra work to iron the placemats), but I do like the idea of being able to wipe down/brush off a placemat rather than throwing it in the wash. I've considered the some of the Chilewich placemats, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy placemats when I feel like I shouldn't be too lazy to just wash the tablecloth more often.
I have those in green! LOVE them.
J&H, I don't have kids, but in our house I would estimate that 95-99% of the stuff that gets dropped on the table is within 1 inch of the plate or bowl the person was eating out of at the time. So for us, placemats would keep the tablecloth clean so that it can be used longer between washings.
@ J&H From Beyond the stoop: I use placemats not for dirt, but to protect my really nice dining table.
I have at least a dozen of these placemats in different colors. When it's just the two of us eating, we sit at the (much reviled) granite counter top, and it bugs me to put a plate of hot food right on the cold granite. Actually, we use them for cold meals, too. I think it's the clanking sound of dishes and flatware that bothers me as well.
So we always use place mats.
LIke these for all the same reasons. However, ditched them for a retangular version due to g-kids. The extended surface area provides room for glasses & the accompanying dribbles. Humming here...the things we do for love...:)
I have rectangular plastic ones from IKEA that we use for everyday, or when my baby niece is visiting. Or if tomato sauce is involved. I'm just a little too paranoid to use my white cotton ones on a regular basis, though I do bring them out for special dinners with guests.
I want these for the dining table on the patio....saw them being used at a home show we went to...love the look of the round placemats!!!
I second (third?) the tablecloth + placemats. I'd wrap my entire DR in a layer of plastic if it would keep my kids from getting food everywhere. The placemats definitely help w/keeping the tablecloth cleaner a day or three longer.