I love having a tablecloth on our table. We have three tablecloths that I can rotate throughout the week- a red, burgundy, & white tablecloth. Of all of the colors I have, the white tablecloth is my most favorite of all. Although spills show on it more initially, I can toss it in the wash with bleach and the stains come right out. There is just something about a clean tablecloth & napkins that makes everything look fresh.Despite loving the look of linens, I do not enjoy ironing. The rarity with which I iron is, at times, a little embarrassing.
Frankly, there are not enough hours in the day for me to be spending them standing over an ironing board.
Since the word ironing is not in my vocabulary, caring for my linens promptly is important when laundering them. I run them through a normal warm cycle (check the tags on your tablecloths to see what is best for your fabric type) and then I dry them until they are just barely dry. They are then folded into thirds inside out and hung on a hanger. I hang these down in our laundry area until it is time to use them.
If you do iron your linens, the best time to iron them is right before you use them. Spray the linens with starch or a spray bottle of water and press away on the reverse side of the tablecloth on the recommended setting.If linens only make a rare performance on your table, there is one other storage solution that might work better for you. Take an empty wrapping paper roll and line it with acid free tissue paper. Fold the tablecloth in half and then wrap it around the roll. Line the top again with the tissue paper and then store the tablecloth horizontally.
While on the discussion of table linens, I did want to share a few links for folding cloth napkins. I am going to attempt a few of these and see if they improve the look of my table.
Cloth napkins are not only used to wipe faces, but they can also highlight something in the center of your table. This vintage napkin was the perfect place to rest an arrangement of flowers on our table.
Do you have any storage tricks for linens in your home? Do you use linens on your table?
And for those of you that are curious just what it is I am serving at my table, please visit the new “Aldi Queen” blog where I share my recipes and menu plans with everyone!
Be sure to visit Rocks in My Dryer for more tips & tricks from some of the best mommy experts on the net!
Great tips!! In our new house, we are going to wait to buy a new kitchen table. The table I have doesn’t match any of the other wood so we are going to get tablecloths. I will definitely use your tips!!!
And yes, I get the Kraft magazine and email updates. Kraft is the best!!
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WOW, you are the Martha Stewart of bloggityville. I enjoyed your WFMW and the rest of your blog. I will definitely be back! Thanks for visiting my blog
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Thanks so much, I love using tablecloths too but HATE to iron. I had been looking for a way to get the crispness without the ironing. Great tip!
Can’t wait till my kids get old enough to join in the napkin-folding. They do it now, but since they’re 2 and 3, they usually end up rather free-form-folded.
I got a book from the library called The Simple Art of Napkin Folding, and it’s got more folds than I could ever dream up!
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Ironing, oh how I loathe ironing.
I like your suggestion for folding and storing linens. How would you suggest I fold my round table cloth? Would it still work to fold it into thirds. Round linens are sorta awkward to fold, at least for me.
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Terric Teens- Oh, you flatter me! I am a really bad Martha knock-off. I can dream though!
It’s a mom thing- I am going to pull an excerpt from from, “Laundry” by Cheryl Mendelson to answer your question. I have never had a round table, or I would hopefully be able to tell you myself
“Fold round tablecloths in half, to form a half-moon shape, with wrong sides together. Then fold in half lengthwise, bringing the arc of the half-moon to the fold. The center of the arc shoudl be even with the center of the fold. Fold lengthwise again if necessary- as for a large cloth. Then fold in half crosswise , or three times if the cloth is large. You will have a rectangle. Small round tablecloths are sometimes folded this way: Fold in half twice, forming four layers in the shape of a piece of pie. Then, bringing point to curved edge, fold in half. This makes an irregular shape.”
I hope that helps answer the question!!
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What a beautiful table! Thanks for the tips and inspiration. Also, thanks for visiting my MFMW post. I appreciate your comment.
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For a while now I’ve wanted a set of quality, stiff linen napkins and a matching table cloth. THe kind of napkins you can fold and get them to stay that way. They can be pricey though.
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We use table cloths and getting napkins is at the top of my list. I only iron for special occasions. Oh wait I had my SIL iron the last time!
I try to hang my table cloths on the line as much as possible. It is great for getting stains out and I love the fresh smell!
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I use cloth napkins and place mats purchased from thrift stores, yard sales or clearance sales. I believe some are even handmade. All of my friends think I’m fancy, but it’s really just nice to sit down and eat a dinner and the presentation makes it much more attractive. I don’t use tablecloths regularly, but the ones I have, I just throw on top of the table after popping them in a dryer for a while with a dryer sheet.
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