Unclutterer

1. Posted by G - 09/26/2007

   Why do you even need to protect the table’s surface? I love the way wood picks up bumps and scratches as it ages, and glass is so harsh (and plexiglass - yuck!).

2. Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 09/26/2007

   @G — I agree with you about the look of wood that is well loved and used. I only offer up glass/plexiglass as an alternative to people who are worried about nicks and scratches. If you’re not worried, don’t invest in a piece of glass/plexiglass.

3. Posted by ottan - 09/26/2007

   I don’t think tablecloths are as much of a nuisance as this suggests. I keep a few hanging in my closet, and if you pull them from the dryer (the casual type), they don’t need ironing. Also, in my home, they certainly don’t need to be washed after every meal. In my small apartment on my very small table, I find they look less cluttered than overlapping placemats that are never straight. They also add a bit of color to my otherwise neutral dining room and table settings. A few table cloths take up much less space than multiple sets of china.

4. Posted by Andamom - 09/26/2007

   Generally, I agree with you… We actually don’t have any tablecloths ourselves– but here are three additional thoughts on why people might have a use for them:

   1) If you’ve got a table that isn’t in the best of shape… A tablecloth can hide considerably more than a mat.
   2) A plastic tablecloth can protect a table when doing craft projects or eating very messy meals.
   3) My mother has tablecloths that were hand-made by her grandmother and mother. These are honestly gorgeous and I remember feeling as if they were still enjoying a meal with us even after they themselves had passed.

5. Posted by mary - 09/26/2007

   I prefer a table cloth over placemats. It saves on cleaning the wood table every night. I can take the table cloth outside and shake it. I will wash it and line dry it once a week. Placemats don’t help with newspaper ink, and small children. They still manage to spill stuff onto the table. The secret is to get a tablecloth that doesn’t show stains.

6. Posted by TC - 09/26/2007

   Here’s my argument FOR tablecloths: It makes it possible for you to only have one beat-up old kitchen table and STILL host Thanksgiving and Passover at your house. All you do is move the kitchen table into the dining room, pop on a tablecloth, and voila! Nobody knows that underneath is the white-topped kitchen table with the black Sharpie marks all over it!

7. Posted by raisin - 09/26/2007

   I have 3 table cloths. One is a clear plastic cloth that goes over my dining room table. The table is wood and tile, and placing a plastic table cloth over it means that the wood and tile don’t get damaged, and it is easier to clean.

   The other two table cloths are with the christmas decorations in a box, because we bring them out every christmas and thanksgiving, along with a folding table so that the whole family has a place to eat and both table look like they match because the table cloths are the same. If we didn’t host family gatherings, then I suppose we would get rid of the two seasonal cloths.

8. Posted by Jesse - 09/26/2007

   Here is an argument FOR tablecloths (though my husband and I don’t use them): My grandparents STILL have the same table they got when they married, and it is still in PERFECT condition. They have always used a total of 3 tablecloths: One that is crocheted (by my great-grandmother!) for FANCY occasions, one that is used for Sunday Family Dinner (fits the table when they extend it and put in the leaf), and a third (plastic) one for everyday for just themselves and the occasional guest. The plastic one HAS had to be replaced in the past, but she could wipe it off and then sweep, and if something was a little warm but not so hot that it needed a potholder, she could be sure she wouldn’t leave marks on her table. She stores them in the linen closet with her other linens.

9. Posted by Sally - 09/26/2007

   For a while we lived in an apartment with a very small kitchen and we used our table to do all food preparation and it completely destroyed our table top. We had to get the table refinished and now I use a single tablecloth most of the time to protect the surface. The table is already old, but right now is just beautiful, and I think the trouble of washing our single tablecloth (which does provide a good deal of protection from cup rings and little stuff that gets into the grain and ruins the table) once or twice a week (hardly after every meal!) is a small price to pay to maintain my now beautiful table.

10. Posted by Mags - 09/26/2007

    I’ve recently started using a table cloth again, after two decades of avoiding them. This is partially because it means that when you have messy eaters around you can remove all the crumbs they leave scattered across the surface by folding up the cloth and shaking it out in the back yard. The birdies get some crumbs to eat and you don’t have to hoover up. And like most people, I wash them once every week or so, not after every sitting. So I suspect the potential clutter aspect is balanced by the ease of ridding your room of crumbs.

11. Posted by Margaret - 09/26/2007

    I see the point, but you’re missing an important aspect of many dining room tables: they have leaves. When you must extend the table, a big piece of glass on only part of the table will look weird. And if you take it off, where do you store this fragile and potentially dangerous piece of glass? Glass tops on these types of tables is a bad idea.

    Plexiglas is equally bad, in my opinion. It’s far too easy to scratch, so in a short period of time, it looks permanently dirty. I’d rather use a temporary table cloth to protect my table (and with a table pad, it’s totally protected).

    Finally, as others have noted, unless you’re a consistently messy eater, you don’t need to wash your tablecloth after every meal.

    I’ve always thought the Chilwich stuff was neat, but I’ll bet their texture makes them very difficult to clean. All the food gets into the little woven crevices. Soup would be a nightmare! It would take a toothbrush to clean out dried soup. (And yes, you could clean it right away, but really, are you going to grab a placemat from underneath a guest’s bowl if they spill a drop? Not exactly hospitable.)

12. Posted by Max - 09/26/2007

    You are using table cloths wrong.

    When it’s just you and a friend or two you use placemats. When you are serving a big feast with lots of dishes of food on the table you use both a table pad and a table cloth.

    The pad is what protects the table from dings, hot dishes, wine spills, etc. The table cloth simply floats on top of it to look nice.

    We leave our table uncovered almost all the time, the only time the pads and cloth comes out is when we are hosting a party. Then the cloth makes things festive and fun (and easier to clean!). Having lived with a glass table for many years I won’t go back to one. It’s loud, it’s hard on dishes (even with a cloth), and knocking a wineglass over on it is almost a guarantee of smashed glass.

13. Posted by Nat - 09/27/2007

    If I had a newer table with great structure, I’d probably go without the table cloth. But right now, I’ve got some ugly, particle board table with wood grain plastic veneer, circa 1980. Of course the leaves don’t match the grain at the seams. BTW, the chairs have plastic lattice made to look like it’s wood. Getting a new table is not a priority. Until then, I’m covering it all up with one of my two tablecloths, which I don’t launder after every single meal. I do however sweep up crumbs with a piece of stiff paper when necessary. And I don’t iron because once I put them on the table, the fabric eventually relaxes enough that folds are not noticable, especially if it’s the one with a little polyester in it.

14. Posted by Jasi - 09/27/2007

    I have 2 white Ikea Iris table cloths. They’re like all of my other linens; sturdy, cotton, and white. If it’s a mess, I can throw it in with the towels. And ironing.. I don’t even own an iron. Wrinkles are beautiful. Just ask Gramma.

15. Posted by twosandalz - 09/28/2007

    I’m a fan of place mats, especially the kind with cork backings. I get the best of both decorating worlds… adding a splash of color yet still seeing the table itself. For myself, tableclothes are extra work for everyday use, and they hide the table. But I enjoy using them on special occasions. They feel festive, which makes the storage space they take worth it.

16. Posted by Colin - 09/28/2007

    You’re seriously overplaying the negatives. My grandmother, who used to iron underpants never mind the tablecloths, managed to use them with less fuss than you describe, and she is (was, I suppose) my technical reference for household overkill. Like others here, though, I tend towards only using them for company, but that’s mostly so my daughters don’t attempt to remove the cloth without disturbing what’s on it.

17. Posted by Hanmee - 10/03/2007

    I’ve used table cloths for a long time b/c I wanted to avoid damaging the table, but then I started using the placemats. However, I find the table looks more cluttered as you’re trying to have them all look nice with kids and that doesn’t work out. My son always seems to take something off the placemat and purposely make a mess on the table.

    I wanted to point out to please check the limitations on the table cloths and even table pads. Many of them say that they will NOT protect your table against hot foods (so the rubber feet trivets are still the way to go).

    Also, you are not supposed to have vinyl or plastic against the wood. Many of the vinyl table cloths go around this as they have a cloth backing, but the clear plastic ones do not. Just wanted to let you know as I almost was going to go with a plastic one (way back) but happened to find that out.

18. Posted by Lee - 02/25/2008

    Clear Plastic/Vinyl on good quality urethane finished wood tops has worked throughout our house for years well for us for years.

    Recently, in our dining room we have a paper table cloth that looks like a very elegant and expensive croched cloth. To protect it (very flimzy)we cover it with a crystal clear plastic vinyl table cloth. You can still see the wood as well as the cloth. It fools a lot of our friends. And we don’t have to worry about the Kids (8!).

    On special occassions and Holidays we cover the whole thing with a white-on-white cotton table cloth.

    An of course, we always have the option of removing everything and show off the entire nature wood top (still almost showroom perfect).

19. Posted by ewong - 04/07/2008

    We have a beautiful antique applewood dining table, 3′X 8′, from the Civil War period. We also have 3 young grandkids (3, 4 and 5 years) who visit us periodically.
    Chilewich is a wonderful product. We have 4 patterns of their non-backed woven placemats and their non-skid backed shag rug. The placemats are not leak-proof and the other is too textural as a table covering. And a clear vinyl sounds like a great solution showcasing the beauty of the wood but can cause the wood table to form white patches from being a non-porous covering. Wood still needs to breathe even after they’ve been cut and polyurethaned. One solution was to call on a woodgrain tablecloth company called TablePads Direct (www.tablepadsdirect.com) (888)498-4345 where they offer
    many woodgrain patterns and colors. They can also back their vinyl sheets with felt with 6 color choices to allow the wood to breathe. At each of the corners and at the center points I’ve dotted self-adhesive non-skid spots to the felt side to prevent this tablecloth from sliding. It is easy to clean, roll up and store once the kids go home.

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