How do you keep cloth napkins looking nice?
 

Dumb question... I've switched off paper towels, and am using cloth napkins exclusively. They look really nice until the first time they are washed, and then they are kinda wrinkly forever. I've tried ironing them, but (1) really, do I have to every time? And (2) it kind of just "locks in" some of the wrinkles anyway. They definitely never look as nice as they did originally.

Someone told me they need to be washed until all the starch is out, and then they are softer. Or should I iron AND starch? Or only get napkins of a particular material?

My mother definitely never took special care of our napkins, and they always looked nice. :confused:

Maybe try 'steaming' them ? Or maybe its just the fabric that they are made out of. I have some for special occasions and they always come out nice when Ironed. They are of polyester material. Good luck.

Polyester napkins might look better without ironing, but they stain faster from minor oil stains. Cotton napkins are the best for being able to get stains out, but they usually require ironing. There are many types of cotton and some cotton, such as combed cotton, doesn’t always require ironing. Napkin rings are nice because you can put a slightly wrinkled napkin in it and it hides imperfections. If you want a formal ironed napkin with no wrinkles, you should probably iron the napkins while they are still damp or spray liberally with water to get all wrinkles out and even then I use a shot of steam. Another option is folding them into fourths and smoothing them when you take them out of the washer, and letting them air dry, this works pretty good with some types of material.


History side note: Before there were water sprayers, (can you believe I'm that old?) we use to sprinkle clothes with a coke bottle filled with water and a nozzle that had lots of holes in it, you got rather big drips not a fine spray, so you had to take a damp towel and fold everything in the towel, and set it in your refrigerator for a few hours so that the material was evenly damp but not as damp as when you take it from the washer. They did come out nice though!

If using cotton napkins,wash,spray with alot of starch and roll,these should be slightly damp. Then start ironing with a hot iron. The starch will get into the fibers of the fabric and help protect it from stains. Our grandmother (93yrs) says to dip them in REAL starch,roll,partially dry and then iron. You could probably do origami with these,but food wont stick.

Gave it up and went polyesther, still have to press for special occasions as the nicer ones have been folded a while and I just buy new napkins when they get a stain that won't wash out. I HATE cotton napkins now. Too much work and w/out starch they look awful to me.

Thanks, guys. What about linen? I'm pretty sure mine are a combo of linen and cotton.

Does anyone know what I mean about "locking" the wrinkles in? I feel like sometimes there's even a slight discoloration in the fabric, so they look like geographical adult lines.

I really don't like ironing things.

My mom's were linen - a horrible headache, too, as I recall, but she had a lady come in who cleaned and ironed to do them mostly. She frequenty bought new ones.

Uh, weird typo. I meant "fault lines", not "adult lines". Not sure even Freud could make sense of that one!

Pressing them is the best way. We use a damp hankie on top of the napkin when pressing. And spray starch

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A dampened pressing cloth should help prevent those discolored creases. Linen makes the prettiest napkins but is a pita to maintain nicely.

lol...Freud, napkins, adult/fault lines, a connection somewhere, no doubt:p:D

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HELLO!!!!!!! My mother used to do that...I was about 5 and can still remember it...called it "sprinkling the clothes"....then roll them up in a damp towel and put them in the fridge!!!! THANKS FOR JOGGING THE WONDERFUL OLD MEMORIES!!!!!

Hydrogen peroxide dabbed on immediately after use removes ecery type of stain.

I steam mine, iron only before placement if you iron otherwise its a loosing battle.

I use borax and white vinegar to clean mine.

Personally I prefer steaming but I also just pull mine through cute napkin rings that sit on the plates.

Lol, yes, we do share many of the same memories of the "good old days!" :D

Well I used to have a tailor's steam iron. This was in the days I ironed all my sheets. That thing was amazing. Whoosh all wrinkles were out with one pass of the iron.

Linen or cotton must be damp before ironing. Hang out on clothes line until damp.

You need iron very hot. I use a teatowel or hankerchief over napkins then iron flat. I fold napkin in half and iron in crease. Then I hang up to finish drying. Place in linen closet flat - with the 1/2 fold.

I still iron sheets especially for holiday season. I adore freshly ironed sheets to lay on, it is a decadence I so enjoy, kind of feels like a top quality hotel room.

I have cloth napkins and I know they're not all cotton - and therefore, they never really wrinkle; I'm not sure what % is cotton, I just can't recall. They must be a cotton/poly blend. I do have some other ones that are all cotton, and they def wrinkle.