Question: are cloth napkins worth it?
Answer: That's worth washing your own set of 36-40 napkins about 5 times, or about 24 full loads of napkins per year, which works out to around $8.00 a year. Even if you add in soap costs, it's clear that washing cloth napkins can't outweigh the costs of buying paper. Then you have to factor in the savings from long-term use.