Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper

RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post By Mary K (Guest Post) (11/18/2008) I have been using cloth napkins but don't have enough to always use them. So my new project is making my own. I am loving using outgrown clothes. I am delighted that my son grew out of a few of his dress shirts! :) It's such a challenge to try to figure how you can get the most napkins out of the clothes. I have quite a few now and will continue to make more cause I love it. If you have little ones they might go through one a meal. So you need to have more if you have little ones. They love picking their napkin out. I also made some little lunch box sized one for my son and he uses them every day at school. Those can usually be used about twice. There is always room for 7 or 8 cloth napkins in my wash. I'm always usually scrounging for something to fill up my load anyway. I'm not using any extra water or energy than I would have already. Also it's teaching your kids to upcycle. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post by Deliah (5) | (10/17/2008) Profile | Contact To Debbie52: Each person can have his or her own designated cloth napkin. Kids can pick the one they like or make a special napkin ring. The napkin gets used at each meal until you can't stand it anymore or until the end of each week. So, for a family of 5...5 napkins. Then you wash them with any load of laundry you will already be doing anyway. 5 napkins are very little - you won't be needing extra water or soap. The problem with the paper napkins (and, believe me, I totally understand their convenience) is all the water and energy used to produce them plus they sit around in the plastic trash bag in the land fill unable to biodegrade. Well, those are my thoughts. I hope they gave you some of the explanation you were looking for. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post by Hyena Cub (18) | (09/20/2008) Profile | Contact That's a great idea, I've been doing that for several months...you'd think it would have occurred to me sooner. hee hee Also you can use old shirts and sheets to cut up and make your own cloth napkins. By the way...be careful with red napkins. Mom got some from a garage sale and when they got washes, we had pink clothing... Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post By TerriLee (Guest Post) (07/27/2007) Seems like a no-brainer to me! I'm going to wash towels, sheets, dishtowels etc. anyway, so I throw the cloth napkins in with them. It doesn't use more water or detergent unless you do a separate load just for napkins. As for the extra time, it's negligible. I wonder if anyone has done a detailed cost/benefit analysis of this.....? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post By Jessica from Jersey (Guest Post) (04/27/2007) The amount of extra water and soap you would use to wash cloth napkins will be hardly noticable if at all. I just toss mine in with clothes or whaterver else I might be washing. You waste more resources with paper napkins than you can imagine. Those little paper napkins have to go through a lot of processing and packaging before you buy them and that wastes more water and energy than you could washing cloth napkins, and that doesn't even get into the chemicals involved to process paper napkins. I even buy my cloth napkins at the thrift store which saves more money and is recycling at the same time. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post by hsorbits (75) | (04/21/2007) Profile | Contact I never make a special load of laundry just for napkins! If you use wash cloths, for instance, you can buy them in the jumbo packages so you'll have enough for several meals. Then, whenever you wash your clothes, just toss them in with the rest. By the way, when the cloths are no longer nice enough to use for napkins they become cloths/rags for cleaning. I also wash my cleaning cloths. I really get my money's worth from them! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Use Cloth Napkins Instead Of Paper Post by Debbie52 (985) | (04/20/2007) Profile | Contact Hum, doesn't having to wash these cloth napkins cost money and uses water. I like to recycle and be frugile but this is one area that I guess I just can't make myself go along with. I buy big packages of paper napkins, yes it makes trash but atleast the paper is biodegradable. I have so much laundry to do as it is and just can't see how adding more work and spending the money on the water and soap is any better than using cheap paper napkins.....maybe someone can explain that to me :-) Report Spam or Abuse