Earth Day is being celebrated on April 22, 2013, and in honor of the holiday, I wanted to some tips for how to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle the table linen way.

Reduce

Reduce waste by switching from paper napkins and cheap plastic table coverings to washable cloth napkins and tablecloths. Fabric table linens may be more costly than disposable table goods, but they’ll also last for many uses, making them a better value (for your pocketbook and for the environment) in the long run.

This is especially important to keep in mind for larger gatherings. Summer, AKA prime entertaining season, is just around the corner. Between disposable table coverings, paper napkins, disposable plates, plastic cutlery, and plastic cups, it’s easy to generate several bags of trash. Replacing even just one of these disposable items with its reusable counterpart will help reduce the amount of waste you produce from your party.

If you don’t want to invest in purchasing reusable tablecloths and napkins for your party, consider renting them. You’ll still cut down on waste, but you won’t have to worry about washing the table linens when your party is over.

Reuse

Our table linens are made to last, so you can use them again and again and still retain the same quality as when you first received them. If you’re still thinking that buying disposable table covers seems like an easier option, consider our Basic Polyester fabric. It’s considered the “work horse” of the hospitality industry because of its easy care and durability.

Table linens also help to preserve the life of your furniture. Tablecloths preserve the quality of your tabletop, while fabric napkins help keep messy fingers from spreading stains to other furniture throughout your home or venue.

If you’re worried about dealing with stains, check out our blog post, Tips for Removing Stains.

Recycle

As hard as we try to remove stains, sometimes they just won’t budge. If you have a tablecloth that you’ve decided is no longer suitable for your table, consider recycling it into something new. Our staff has made Halloween costumes, pageant outfits, curtains, pillows, and forts out of tablecloths deemed unfit for the table. Most recently, Lynda made this outfit for her daughter, who was competing in a charity pageant, out of soiled Cascade tablecloths from our rental department.

Natalie wore this dress for the Outfit of Choice portion of a charity pageant to benefit the PA Wounded Warrior Fund. The young women who participated in the pageant raised over $1500 for the organization.

Celebrate Earth Day and your favorite sustainable table linen ideas with us in the comments!

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