31 Days to Green Living day 4: Cloth Napkins

 On average, we use a staggering 2,200 paper napkins a year, none of which are recycled. 


If every household in America replaced a package of conventional paper napkins with recycled paper napkins, we would save one million trees. Go one better and buy a set of cloth napkins at a secondhand store, and you'll never need to buy paper napkins again. 

I know what you are thinking…I couldn’t possibly use cloth napkins for everyday, I have kids…I am here to tell you that cloth napkins & children can co-exist! I have been able to get out any stain including BBQ sauce, red wine or coffee with Shaklee’s Nature Bright Laundry Booster & Stain Remover and still keep our light napkins looking great! If you are still a skeptic, there are plenty of patterned ones that would hide any stubborn stain. Over the summer we had good friends over for BBQ chicken and they thought I was crazy using cloth napkins, especially with the kids & bbg sauce. I assured them that I would be able to get any stain out. I soaked them over night in our laundry tub with the Nature Bright and a touch of laundry soap from Shaklee and they came out PERFECT! I love that I can have  eco-conscious habits, but still keep things nice and clean.  

I find most of our napkins at Home Goods & Target and am so pleased I have made this switch; we have been doing this for about 4 years or so. Besides it being Green by sparing the trees needed for paper napkins and filling the landfill-I have saved a lot of $$$ by not having to purchase paper napkins over and over. I have even converted my mom into doing the cloth napkin habit, too (and she is they type that likes to do things the "easiest" way)! That makes me so happy when my example can help people make better decisions for their health and/or the planet’s!