October 21, 2013

Paperless Kitchen Tested: MyDrap Cotton Bundles Review

Recently, we added MyDrap Cotton Bundles to our collection of paper napkin alternatives and unpaper towels. I decided to put a bundle to the test to see how these paper replacements worked in a real kitchen. I was curious to see what they felt like and how well they held up from use to use.

The Basics

The MyDrap Cotton Bundle is a pack of 20, 8-inch by 8-inch napkins made from 100 percent cotton. They have a very unique texture that you notice right away. The napkins feel much more durable than paper but they don't feel as soft as ordinary fabric napkins either. It's somewhere in between the two. If you used these for entertaining, guests would know for sure that you hadn't put out paper. The color I tested was Lipstick Red, which has attractive white contrast stitching along the edges.

The Size and Use Test

I picked up a small package of paper napkins to compared a MyDrap cotton napkin to the disposable kind. As you can see from the pictures, when folded, the MyDrap napkin is smaller than the paper napkin, but when unfolded, it's bigger in size. I used the MyDrap napkin while I was eating dinner and I was impressed by how absorbent it was. It's definitely softer against the skin than paper, and it just feels fancier.

The Wash Test

One of the things that is the most unique about MyDrap Napkins is that although they are disposable, they can still be laundered up to six times. I tossed mine in the washing machine to see what would happen. Sure enough, the napkin came out in good condition. The red didn't fade, and it didn't bleed onto the white. I hung it up and allowed it to dry. It did wrinkle, as you can see from the photo, so I decided to go over it with my iron on the lowest setting. The wrinkles were easy to press out. The napkin looked like new again and could easily have been used for entertaining. If I was just going to dine on my own, I would have easily been able to use it wrinkled, too.

The Takeaway

The MyDrap Cotton Bundle is definitely a product I would purchase to use on a regular basis. Although they are more expensive than most paper napkins, being able to reuse them partly offsets the price, and for me, the fact that they don't waste paper and feel so much better makes up for the rest. I would highly recommend these both for everyday use and for entertaining.