Repurposed on Purpose - Bandanna Napkins

Are you looking for a fun and easy way to dress up your summer dinner table? What about an easy and fun napkin solution? 

Have you ever thought about using Bandannas? 

Last summer my mom purchased about 12 bandannas for me in bright colors to use as napkins. They are great! 

The size is perfect, they wash up well (make sure you buy the 100% cotton ones), and they do a great job of cleaning hands and faces. They are also pretty inexpensive. We found these for less than $1 a piece. Bandannas can be found in a wide variety of colors. I liked these bright ones for summer. But this year I was thinking of getting red, white, and blue for the July 4th holiday.

You can find Bandannas at a variety of stores, Hobby Lobby, Wal-Mart, etc... They are pretty easy to come by. 

I stopped using paper napkins a couple of years ago and I don't regret it. We still keep paper towels around, but I really like using cloth napkins at our dinner table.

Adding a few cloths to the laundry is no big deal and they do a much better job of cleaning up certain messes than paper napkins do. 

Have you ever tried wiping grilled chicken off your hands with a paper napkin and ended up with more napkin on your hands than chicken on the napkin? I have. 

I like to fold our napkin bandannas up and keep them in a cute basket right in the middle of our table. It makes them readily available for everyone. 

Sometimes, company doesn't know what to do and so we show 'em! Just wipe that barbecue sauce right on that napkin, Mr. You'll be glad you did! 

Cloth napkins last for years and can be reused many times. I like to watch for different ones on clearance and switch them up for the seasons. It is a fun way to dress up your dining room table. 

Plus, I always feel a little fancier using my cloth napkins.

Maybe a little of that fancy feeling will eventually rub off on my man cubs in the form of better table manners. 

Hey, a mom can hope, right?!

How to Remove The Stink From Your Norwex Cloths

 I hosted a Norwex party last year in order to get the dust mopping system that was the hostess benefit that month. I also received some cloths. Norwex makes a microfiber cloth with silver in it that gives it an antimicrobial property. They are nice cloths that I use in my kitchen and I also use a couple to clean my bathrooms. (Don't worry, the bathroom cloths are not used in the kitchen!)

However, even with the antimicrobial property, these rags start to stink after awhile. But don't worry! If this happens to you too and you think your cloths are ruined, they are not! I have a very simple solution for you. 

I hate dishrag stench. It is really unpleasant to grab a dishrag to clean something, only to have it leave your hands stinking! This happens more for me in the summer where the humidity of our area makes it hard to let our dishcloth dry overnight. 

I have found a simple solution to this problem. When I notice my cloths aren't smelling fresh right out of the wash, I simply throw them in a pot and boil them! 

That's right, I boil them. 

Throw those rags in a large pot, fill it with water, and turn it on to boil. 

Do NOT add any detergent. 

Make sure there is enough room for the rags to move around a little. 

Bring that pot to a boil and let it go for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Stir the rags around a little bit every once in awhile.

After time is up turn it off and let everything cool down for a little bit.

After the water cools down a little, you are going to pour off most of the water. This is when you will be unpleasantly surprised at how dirty the water is! After all, I put 'clean' rags in this pot! 

How is the water this brown? 

Next, throw the rags in your washing machine.

Set that machine to 'rinse and spin'. 

Do not worry about washing them again with any detergent. 

When the machine is done cycling, throw them in the dryer and dry like normal. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER! 

If you have done this in the past, STOP!

Your Norwex cloths should now smell clean!

No more stench! 

Fold those babies up and admire your handy work.

You may need to repeat this process every few months. 

But it's no biggie! You now have a simple solution to a stinky problem.

Some tips to keep your Norwex fresh:

*Do not throw them in the laundry pile wet. Allow them to dry completely first.

*Use a different cloth every day. 

*Don't leave your cloth in a wet heap at the bottom of your sink. Wring it out and hang it by the sink between uses.

*Rinse your cloth well in hot water after each use.

*Don't use fabric softener when laundering

The Norwex enviro cloth is a very tightly woven microfiber cloth. It really grabs the dirt and locks it in. That's why when you boil it, your water gets so dirty, even with clean cloths. Boiling also helps remove detergent build-up on your cloth which can lead to the stink.

Enjoy your cleaning! 

*Disclaimer: I am not a Norwex consultant, nor was I compensated in any way for my opinions. This post is a result of my own usage and research of the Norwex product.