Spills and splatters? The gracious hostess bats not an eye

 

 
 

I’m a pretty laid-back hostess. So if little Jimmy drops his ice-cream Sundae on the carpet or Uncle Ed knocks a vase off the mantle, I just clean it up with a smile. I have winced (only inwardly, though) when, say, a glass of red wine spills across one of my treasured linen tablecloths. In this week’s Hot Home Products column, I talk about a new line of stain-resistant table linens available at JacKryn France,  a tres adorable French-themed boutique in Aurora, Ontario (yes, they do sell online!) These linens have none of that plastic-y feel that previous generations of stain-resistant fabrics have had. And they are gorgeous. Not all the pics I had made it into my column, so here are a few more. Lovely, no?

BTW, if you do spill red wine on a conventional linen or cotton tablecloth, you can still play the gracious  hostess. Start by quickly tossing a few handfuls of salt over the stain while saying something clever and witty (you're on your own there, reader, but I suggest you avoid asking the culprit if he/she is loaded or something - unless, of course, he/she is!) Then just ignore it until you can discreetly take the linen off the table. Hold the cloth over a sink and run very hot water through the back of the fabric. Pour vinegar through to get any lingering colour out. Then wash as usual, and air dry in sunlight if possible.