I was shopping for a dining room table and stumbled upon the perforated roll of cotton placemats+napkins. Very interesting idea! Instead of tearing off a sheet of paper toweling, you could tear off a cotton napkin that can be reused and washed at least six times. They are meant to be limited use, so you can take them anywhere from a picnic to the office lunch room.
After you have used and reused the napkins and placemats a number of times, you can simply recycle them (they are biodegradable). The napkins and placemats come in a roll of 12 and are offered in many different colors — both bright and neutral. They can be purchased at A+R for $28/roll.
I may just have to pick up a few rolls!
Image: A+R
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LOL. Or, you could use an entire roll as a table runner.
Cool Idea!
I saw these too this summer. They are intriguing but something about them seems off. It might have been the high-end store I saw them in, but they struck me as expensive paper towels for the rich who have eco-guilt. I'm not trying to be snarky - I actually contemplated them for quite a while and was wondering why I was feeling so conflicted about them...!
So they can be used multiple times, and are biodegradable.
So are the many vintage cotton as well as linen napkins and table cloths that I've inherited or purchased at estate sales. Some are 50 years old and I use them daily.
Designers--use your creativity for good.
For $28 you can pick up more than 12 very nice napkins that will last for years if properly cared for. It just seems like a waste of money to me. If the price point were lower they could probably be a good transitional product between paper and cloth but right now they just seem like a novelty gift.
I like the idea of these totally reusable cloth napkins that snap back together on the roll http://pinterest.com/pin/124054414/ - but in our home we just have a big ope box with different types of cloths, tea towels, rags, dusters and flannels, super easy to grap the perfect one for the job.
Sur La Table has these on sale for $9 a roll right now. I picked them up to buy for an upcoming party, and then put back after some thought. They're pretty small as dinner napkins go. I have a ton of cloth napkins already (and it's not a formal party, not a big deal if they don't all match), and also don't feel too bad about using and composting better quality paper napkins for a party.
um - or you could just own and wash cloth napkins.
These piss me off. Just use cloth napkins! They are no more expensive and can be used forever. My mom is still using the cloth napkins we used when I was a kid!
I bought these last year thinking they were actual cloth napkins and I could use them for ages. They got ratty pretty fast and since I was buying them to not throw things away, I'm annoyed by that. I agree with galbella, real cloth napkins are the way to go. I should have read the label a bit more closely!
I don't understand this. The whole idea behind paper towels is that they're single use and you throw them away. The whole idea behind cloth napkins is that they're washable and can be reused for years. These... are neither.
Why would I pay money for something I have to wash, but only lasts for six washes? That makes absolutely no sense.
I'm with @sam i am. Seeing as normal paper towels are surely biodegradable... and I don't think being biodegradable is the same thing as "recyclable" at all. o.o
Pure novelty. Why not just buy ones you can wash over and over again, that AREN'T limited use? Much cheaper and greener. You can even use handkerchiefs like my Aunt at her cowboy B&B.
love.
I'm also with @sam i am. But I do get the point behind it:
The company producing and selling them can claim a higher price for a low price product ...
They're not for everyone.
these come from a company is Spain that used to market them to catering companies before deciding to try out consumers directly.
personally, I've used them and they work fine, much sturdier and better looking than paper napkins, used them 6 times (washed 5 times in between) before they started to fray at the edges.
The colors are quite nice and, they come in 3 different sizes.
Work for me for the occasional cocktail/canape party where paper napkins look cheap and there are too many people invited to go get cotton ones that might get stained and ruined.
When their lifespan is up, toss them in the compost bin.
I think they'd be great for a party that you want something nicer than paper but want to throw them out after. A picnic would also be a good place to use these.