The first holiday season in our new house was adorned with many joys — quiet contemplation, family gatherings, and thoughtful gifts. One of those gifts, a housewarming present from my grandmother, was a beautiful collection of table cloths and napkins. A lovely white one with a gold stitching and poinsettia design graced the table throughout the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. By the end of that week, it had certainly been well-used, as evidenced by the smudges and stains from food and wine. I decided it was time to learn all about table cloths so as to preserve this one and any others that would cover our dining table.
Why care about table cloths?
In our city apartment, I didn’t use table cloths, especially since our small dining table also served as a desk, ironing station, and laundry folding station. On occasion, place mats made an appearance. But now that we have a dining room with a large wood table, I have a greater incentive to protect it. Keeping a nice table covered protects it from hot platters and spills. It also brightens the dining room with color and design. The more we know about caring for the table cloths themselves, the longer they’ll last, the longer they’ll be brightening our dinner tables with an extra touch of love to gatherings with family or friends.
Table cloth fabrics
Not all table cloths are created equal. Each one’s material, size, and shape will determine the best way to wash, dry, fold, and store it. It’s best to examine care labels and follow them as closely as possible. For my gold poinsettia table cloth, that meant washing it separately on a delicate cycle and tumble drying it on low (although next time, I think I’ll just air-dry it, considering that a few threads and stitched decorations came loose after the dryer run!).
That being said, if you’re going to use table cloths frequently, it’s a good idea to get ones that can stand hot water and strong detergent and stain remover (such as chlorine bleach). After all, frequent use means frequent dirtying. Delicate table cloths are best reserved for special occasions, or else they risk getting irredeemably soiled.
Here’s a helpful excerpt from Cheryl Mendelson’s Home Comforts on choosing table linen fabrics:
Linen, cotton, rayon, and blends of these with synthetic fibers are all sensible choices for tablecloths and napkins, depending on your goals. To avoid or reduce ironing, choose tablecloths and napkins in permanent press fabrics or fabrics made of synthetic fibers and their blends. For best launderability, choose untreated white cotton and linen, but plan to iron. Less absorbent fabrics, such as synthetics, blends, and resin-treated cloth, do not make ideal napkins. For formal and elegant tables, choose damask in linen or cotton. Generally speaking, you get greater durability in linens with greater weight. Those of us with a budget usually aim to have one or two elegant tablecloths for special occasions and some relatively casual ones for ordinary use.
Cheryl Mendelson, “Fabrics That Work,” Home Comforts
I’m a fan of this polyester jacquard table cloth, which is water and wrinkle resistant and launders easily. I’ve gotten it in a few different colors, and it works very nicely as an everyday cloth.
Shapes and sizes
The size and shape of a table cloth depends on that of the dining table. When it comes to size, a longer table cloth indicates a more formal setting. (Imagine a breakfast nook with a checkered table cloth that barely covers the edge versus an elegant banquet with table cloths that brush the seat cushions.)
In general, aim for an overhang of 6-8 inches for the most casual settings (breakfast nooks and lunch parties), 8-12 inches for everyday dinners, and 12-18 inches for formal dinners. Of course, your family’s personal preference has the final say; if folks would rather not have the table cloth tickling their knees while eating, go for a shorter cloth.
Homemaker Hack: Vinyl
Growing up, my family’s big dining table came with a set of padded pieces that fit together like a puzzle on top of the table. The idea was to put the pads down before the table cloth so as to protect the table. It’s a good idea, but those big pads were cumbersome. Nowadays, both my mom and I use large sheets of felt-backed vinyl. It serves the same purpose, but it’s much easier to store and spread out on the table. We found this fabric at a local hardware store that sold it by the yard, but many stores online have felt-vinyl table cloths that work just as well.
When choosing what cloths will cover your table, try to think of them as a team. A table cloth is not there to hide or change the table but rather to adorn and enhance it. For instance, if your table has ornately carved legs, consider a cloth short enough to show them off. If there’s an interesting pattern on the surface, you may decide to use place mats instead or even forego the table cloth on occasion. If you choose to do this I suggest using trivets underneath serving dishes to protect the table, but be prepared to wipe and scrub it down after the meal.
Treating stains
The most important thing to remember about treating stains is to do it promptly. A longer wait means a tougher stain.
First, take preventive measures. Place food in sturdy serving trays or bowls without filling them to the very brim (this will help prevent spills while serving). Clean and dry spills immediately with paper towels or kitchen towel you don’t care about. After a meal, sweep crumbs off the table and wipe off any visible residue (I like to use a crumb sweeper, which makes cleaning up tiny food specks much easier).
For the stains that remain, keep in mind your table cloth’s fabric and check the care label before you hit it with chemicals such as bleach or alcohol. Thankfully, many stains will disappear at least partially, if not completely, after a prompt treatment with a wet cloth, closely followed by a trip to the washing machine. Letting the stain soak for a while can also help. I like to use OxiClean, Tide To-Go sticks, or Shout, but even a bit of laundry detergent mixed with warm water can work as a good pre-wash solution. When you do apply something (especially to a cloth with a pattern or dye), test it on an inside seam or other hidden area to make sure the colors won’t bleed.
After letting the stain soak — ideally at least an hour, and longer if possible — go over it with a damp paper towel. One tip I learned from Cheryl Mendelson’s Home Comforts is to wipe the stain from underneath the fabric so that you’re pushing the stain out, rather than working it deeper into the cloth.
A good reference guide for various stains can be found in the Home Comforts chapter “Removing Stains from Fabrics.” Here are a few points from that guide:
Beverages (coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, alcoholic drinks). Soak stain in cool water. Pretreat with prewash stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, or a paste of powder detergent and water. Launder with the bleach safe for that fabric. Note: Older stains might respond to treatment with an enzyme product, then laundering.
Ketchup/Tomato Sauce. Rinse in cold water, then soak in cool water with 1/4 cup detergent per gallon of water. Spray with a prewash product; launder with a bleach that is safe for that fabric.
Mustard. Treat with a prewash stain remover, or dampen with water and rub with bar soap. Launder with chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric, or use an all-fabric bleach.
Lipstick. Place face down on paper towels. Sponge area with dry-cleaning solvent, or use a prewash soil and stain remover. Replace towels frequently; rinse. Rub light-duty liquid detergent into stain until outline is removed; launder. Repeat treatment if needed.
Yellowing of White Cottons or Linens. Fill swasher with hot water. Add twice the detergent as normal. Place items in washer and agitate four minutes on regular cycle. Stop washer and soak clothes for 15 minutes. Restart washer and agitate 15 minutes. Complete the wash cycle. Repeat process if needed.
Cheryl Mendelson, “Removing Stains From Fabrics,” Home Comforts
Washing and drying
Once again, this depends on the material of the table cloth. Consult the care label and try to follow it closely. In general, sturdier fabrics (such as cotton and linen) should run in a normal cycle with strong detergent, and more delicate ones (such as damask and synthetic blends) should go through the permanent press or gentle cycle, followed by a gentle tumble dry, or better yet an air dry. This is where a drying rack comes in handy. I’ve also found it effective to simply drape the table cloth on the table itself (with the vinyl covering underneath) and letting a few edges hang on the back or arm rests of a few dining chairs.
Folding and storing
The fewer creases a table cloth has, the nicer it’ll look. One way to do this is to fold it a few times and then drape it over a wide hanger with a thick or padded tube. If space does not permit this, folding it a few times and then rolling it up also works. Below are snapshots of the folding process for my Christmas tablecloth.
Step 1:
Begin with the tablecloth laid out fully, wrong side up.
Step 2:
Fold in half lengthwise.
Step 3:
Repeat.
Step 4:
Fold in half crosswise.
Step 5:
Repeat.
Step 6 (Optional):
Roll up to prevent further creasing (alternative: loosely fold again).
For more delicate table cloths, especially for long-term storage, consider folding with tissue paper in between the layers to prevent wrinkling and wear.
More Resources
“Folding Cloths and Linens,” Cheryl Mendelson (Home Comforts)
