8 Helpful Ways to Use a Paper Napkin - Besides for Wiping Your Chin

Ah, the paper napkin. Parents of messy eaters rejoice at the sight of a napkin. Barbecue rib smackers can't get their hands on enough of these paper saviors, and Sloppy Joes would be the ruin of many a white shirt if not for a neatly tucked napkin bib under the mouths of Manwich munchers everywhere. However, the paper napkin is good for so much more than preventing or cleaning up messes. Let's look at eight other ways we can use our reliable, trusty friend we call the napkin.

Makeshift Contract

How many times have we heard about those napkin contracts? Though a humorous concept to some, napkin contracts, in fact, can be legally binding (assuming all relevant terms are covered and involved parties sign the contract).

Back to the Drawing Board

What do you do when you are at a restaurant and come up with a great idea for a home-improvement plan, invention, or puzzle? What about playing Tic-Tac-Toe with the fired across the table while passing the time? Thank heavens for the napkin, which in a pinch can become an architectural spur-the-moment blue-print sheet, impromptu think-tank drawing board or, yes, good old doodle pad.

Table Wedge

What is more annoying than a wobbly table? If short a saw, lumber, hardware, and fix-it skills, why not take a napkin, fold it up, and stick it under one of the table's legs? This will temporarily fix the problem and it could even make you the toast of the dinner party!

Bug Smasher

Ugh---we all need a flyswatter every now and then to bring down that pesky housefly, the biting mosquito, the fire ant that managed to find his way into the house, or the spider that decides to sit down beside you. Yet, is all hope lost for a bug-free day when the flyswatter is not at hand? Never fear, for the napkin is here! When in need of a little pest control, simply bunch up the trusty napkin and aim for the creepy crawly intruder (but, fair warning, brace yourself for the squishy sensation you may feel when the napkin hits its target).

Dust Rag