cloth napkins

Reusable dining squares

Cloth napkins are reusable fabric squares for wiping hands and mouth during meals, as opposed to disposable paper napkins.

They signal formality or environmental consciousness: We use cloth napkins for dinner parties.

The term often appears in discussions contrasting casual and formal table settings, or sustainable versus wasteful household practices.

Opposites
material and disposability

cloth napkinspaper napkins

Disposable dining wipes

paper towels · cocktail napkins · tissues · wet wipes

formality/dining context

cloth napkinspaper napkins

Disposable dining wipes

bare hands · sleeve

Family

cloth, napkin, cloths, napkins, clothe, clothed, clothing, clothier, unclothed

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G