Works for Me Wednesday - Vinyl Tablecloths

I'm linking up today with We are That Family and Works for Me Wednesday.

Can you name the one item in the main living area of your home that takes an incredible amount of abuse? If you immediately thought of your kitchen table, then you’re with me!

We have a nicely finished oak table, but you will never know that until our kids have grown enough to reveal it. It stays cloaked in a vinyl tablecloth. Yes, a $2.99 special…the kind with the flocked backing such as you would use outside on a picnic table. They're great.

It’s guaranteed that the tablecloth will end up with sharpie marks, hot glue gun residue, and perhaps are few tear marks along the edges from the dogs. Better it than the table I say. I used to put on a traditional cloth tablecloth, but they were considerable more work.

Our table gets heavy use...read dumping grounds for most anything...so it’s not long before the current vinyl tablecloth gets tossed with no regrets and the next seasonal beauty will find its way on to it. You'd be surprised at the choices you have too. Not just the typical red-checked picnic variety that usually comes to mind.

Now before you think we fill up the landfill with vinyl tablecloths, many of them do survive and are cleaned up before storing them for another season. We have quite a stash of seasonal tablecloths that we rotate out every week during Christmas. There are more for other holidays that are in great shape after gracing our table for only a week or so.

But in the long run, the vinyl tablecloths are money well spent for the abuse they take and the ease in which they help up sail through life. Give them a try...you just might switch too!

What are your thoughts? Vinyl too casual for the kitchen? Use nothing at all? I'd love to hear how others keep their kitchen table in tip-top-shape.