I regularly see blog posts from some of you other ladies with lovely table decor. My mother, too, almost always has a beautiful tablecloth on her dining table. I have small children, though, and I know myself. I’m lazy. There is no way I will wash my tablecloth every day. And, believe me, it would need it.
So we bought some clear vinyl. (Be aware. The stuff off-gasses horribly at first. And if you aren’t careful when you first unroll/unfold it, you will make a puff of air blow that awful plastic odor right into your face. Ask me how I know. *choke. gag. sputter*) The clear vinyl (which, by the way, does not stink anymore, and we’ve only had it a few weeks) goes over our tablecloth. That way I can still just wipe the table with a rag to clean up after a meal, but we can enjoy our beautiful tablecloth. 🙂
This works for us! For some other great tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday.
Why haven’t I thought of this before? I have three cloth tablecloths that I rotate through because of spills. This would save me time and laundry. 🙂 Thanks!
If you can get some cut cheap in your area, a sheet of glass can work really well — and without having to worry about all the nasty stuff that comes out of vinyl (let’s just say that there’s a very good reason why your body doesn’t like the smell of that stuff).
I like the idea of glass, but don’t see it as practical for us. Mostly because our table isn’t rectangular, but partially because I can see the whole sheet of glass shattering when it’s time to change the tablecloth. Ack! Plexiglass might be a good middle-of-the-road option, though. It’s more inert than vinyl (I definitely agree with you on the nastiness!), but a little less hazardous – in the slice-open-your-feet sense – than glass!
Great idea. I don’t even own a tablecloth because I know it would be ruined by my sweet messy eaters. I have always wanted one though. I will have to try that one!
Thanks for the tip on my blog the low price book at Walmart. I got mine at a used curriculum sale, but not everyone has access to those!
Toni
What a great idea. I never would have thought of this. Thanks for sharing what is sure to be on my next shopping list.
For years, my Mom has used vinyl table cloths – the kind with designs on them. But with 7 kids, it was always getting yanked around the table. So she started taping it.
She basically wraps the top of the table like a package, folding the table cloth under the table, taping it with clear tape. Now that we are all pretty much grown, she still uses this method!
at home here we wanted to stop the confusion about who’s chair was who’s, so we let the kids decorate a piece of fabric and wrapped the cushion with the fabric and then the clear plastic-no mess and everyone knows where they sit!
When we were little Mom had clear vinyl over the table, but underneath the vinyl were maps. It was a great way to learn geography and keep the table protected at the same time!