The Best Kitchen Placemats - 2020

While tablecloths work well to protect the entire surface of your table, kitchen placemats are used to cover the area directly around a person’s plate and eating utensils. They can be purchased to complement a tablecloth or to add a decorative touch to any bare table.

As you browse kitchen placemats for sale, you’ll notice they come in a variety of construction materials. Vinyl, bamboo, cotton, linen and even a PVC/polyester mixture are quite popular. You can select a material based on whether you’re looking for decorative placemats or a set that is more functional.

Since spills are inevitable, it’s helpful to go with a kitchen placemat that is stain- and mildew-resistant. If you plan on using the placemats outside, you’ll also want to go with a model that has UV protection to prevent fading from the sun’s rays.

Some kitchen placemats are also designed to resist heat, which is a nice feature when your dinner plates are hot. This type of placemat is usually heat-safe in temperatures up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fortunately, most manufacturers offer their kitchen placemats in a variety of colors and patterns. That means you won’t have any trouble finding a set that matches your style or the decor in your dining room. 

• It’s important to keep in mind that open-weave placemats don’t offer protection from spills. The holes within the weaves not only allow liquid to pass through to the tabletop but also small crumbs.
• Most kitchen placemats are not machine washable. You’ll need to clean them by hand with a little dish soap and warm water. A lint-free towel is best to dry the placemats after you wash them. If one of the placemats has a stain, you can use a soft bristle brush and soapy dishwater to lift it away.
• Some placemats aren’t outfitted with a non-slip backing. If you want to go with a set like that, you’ll need to buy an anti-slip shelf or drawer liner to use underneath.
• When comparing the cost of different kitchen placemat sets, you’ll need to check the number of placemats in each set. Naturally, the Benson Mills Pressed Vinyl Placemat, Set of 4 and the Artand Heat-Resistant Washable Placemats, Set of 4 cost less than the U’Artlines Crossweave Vinyl Non-Slip Placemat, Set of 6 and the Pauwer Washable Woven Vinyl Placemat, Set of 6, as they have two fewer placemats per set.