I also love using cloth napkins, but unfortunately it's a special occasion 'thing'. I have found some of the best napkins at Tuesday Morning as well as Steinmart(napkin rings also!). I don't mind irioning them, but if I take them out of the washer, and lay them flat while 'smoothing' with my hand, they can be almost as good as ironed. I would find them acceptable for family use, but do like the look when ironed/spray starched. I always fold/put away, but bring out the iron when ready for use. I've even ironed two at a time. ;)

I use only 100% cotton napkins and a few linen blend (with cotton). Light, dark, red, patterned, etc. If they get stained, I just put them in a tupperware type tub with some oxyclean dissolved in water and let them set for a while, or overnight. I wash them in the washer, put them in the dryer on pretty hot setting, set the timer for about 5 min then pull them out, one at a time while the dryer is still running - pull one out, turn the dryer back on between napkins so they keep tumbling. I shake them out, fold in half, and hang them, one or two per hanger to dry. The trick is to get them hot but still pretty damp. You can fold them so they are straight for hanging. Sometimes I hang up the hanger and smooth them with my hands, running them on either side of the napkin and pulling down, kind of ironing with my hands. I never iron napkins because of this method.

olychick, I will definitely try your method. Anything to avoid ironing!

Oh, and I always wash and dry them with something else, like a towel or two, otherwise when they tumble in my dryer, they don't float freely but seem to get scrunched on the sides of the drum and no amt of smoothing will help.

Zen=ironing. ;)

I agree patty, I actually like to iron, but what I hate is hauling out the board and the iron, finding a convenient place to set it up where there is also a plug, etc. If everything that needed ironing was as easy to deal with as napkins...

To me the absolute height of luxury is to be able to leave the ironing board set up. I may have to bring this up to my co-op; maybe we can have a community board in the basement...

Oly, I use the kitchen counter with a bath towel, folder in half so it's not too thick. ;)

I have both cotton and linen napkins. Like both. Also, love ironing them and agree it is a zen sort of thing! We use them for every meal.

Agreed, best way to avoid ironing is to take the item out of the dryer while still very damp. I do that with most knit tops and sweatshirts and hang them to dry. It also keeps them from shrinking up.

For our family of 6, I went to World Market and bought a set of buffet napkins for each person in their own color. At the end of the meal, the napkins are folded and placed in a tray on the buffet unless a person is sick or they used the napkin quite a bit (then they get a new one). All napkins are changed out at the most weekly. I find this way I have enough napkins for each person that I only iron napkins about once a month and even then it is not that many. If we have a large party, I have enough cloth napkins to go around and if I want to set the table in a particular way for an evening, I have a variety of colors to choose from.

I love napkins and indeed linens of all types. Cotton and linen napkins are the easiest to clean as Olychick described sbove (although we just leave them soaking in the laundry sink overnight). The heavy, white, formal cotton napkins can be bleached with chlorine if necessary, and overall i think they look best on a formal table. I happen to love red napkins myself (Christmas)!) and just bought a set of flax colored linen napkins hemmed all round the edges with narrow cranberry velvet ribbon. We don't put cloth napkins in the dryer ever. Coming out of the washer they are each given a good shake and snap and the opposite corners are pulled taut (not stretched). They are air dried and and then ironed. This ime gives the best results and keeps them looking newer and crisper, longer. I am admittedly not the one who irons napkins in my house but I believe i would do if leftnup to me because they look and feel so crisp.

tishtosh, i know many people who organize their family's napkin use as you do---and napkins for weekend guests are treated similarly. Years ago at school we had our own napkin rings and that is how "our" napkin was identified for meals. Napkins were washed on a rota that did not take use into account.....that is undoubtedly why i snatch them up after a meal is barely finished and fling them into the laundry. Sometimes i issue fresh napkins for dessert!

Great advice. I'll try several of these approaches and see what works for me. For a new set of cotton or linen napkins, any sources you'd recommend?

For linen napkins, check eBay. The prices might be lower after the holidays, however. It appears that a lot of people have more napkins than they want (and have never used), and the prices are way below retail.

My everyday napkins are linen -- they have held up well. I have some from Pottery Barn and some from WS. My "good" napkins are vintage damask.

I agree cloth napkins are so nice... and agree hauling out the ironing board, even tho not particularly difficult, does limit the amount I use them... next house I am determined to make space in my laundry room(or somewhere convenient) for a nice fold down ironing board so that it doesn't seem to be such a chore to do a little ironing

I find all cotton in a pattern to be the most forgiving for everyday use and don't get too crazed if they are not perfectly smooth or a bit stained. Removing them promptly from the dryer and hand smoothing is enough for family but I do iron for company and also use different napkins. Another zen ironer here.

We also use napkins for a few days or more depending on the use and abuse factor. We keep them separate with napkin rings. Growing up we always ate dinner in the dining room with cloth napkins and my mother bought antique silver napkin rings - all different designs and each engraved with a different name or initials. I still use them, or at least I will again when our house is built and I figure out which box they're in!

This just reminds me that I have my DH's great-grandmother's wedding table linens - all white and monogrammed. We haven't used them in years, but keep them because it's the one thing my DIL said she wants to have (when they move to a house with more storage). The napkins are 36" square and I have 12 of them!

We've been using cloth napkins for the past 8 years. I iron some and fold the rest fresh from the dryer.