Q&A for How to Use a Napkin with Proper Table Etiquette

The napkin is always placed to the left of your place setting (not the right). You should also put the napkin to the left of your place setting if you get up from the table and when you're finished eating.

In a proper place setting, the napkin is always placed to the left of the fork with the fold facing toward the plate.

Paper napkins are extremely uncommon in formal settings. If you're dining informally and using a paper napkin, there are no hard and fast rules about what to do when you're finished. Just put it on the table on the left side of your plate, leave it on your plate, or get up and throw it away.

Yes, I have heard this too. Folding a napkin after a meal tells the chef that you did not like the meal. If you want to compliment the chef, then, after the meal is over, you should place your napkin neatly on the table to the left of your dinner plate, with no soiled areas showing. Don't refold your napkin, wad it up, or place it on your plate.

Keep both feet flat on the floor and be aware of where your napkin is at all times. Don't cross your legs. If your chair is too high to keep your napkin on your lap, ask for a different chair. I have been known to tuck one end in a pocket or under one leg just to keep it from falling, but you never use it again if it falls to the floor; ask for a clean napkin. Of course, paper napkins are a different story from cloth ones: those are meant to be disposable, but they are also light weight and fall off more easily.

No, not to remove it, but it is proper for a waiter to take the napkin from a folded position on the table and gently drape it over your lap, ensuring not to touch the guest.

No. If your knife is soiled, ask for another; otherwise assume it is clean and doesn't need to be wiped.

The napkin on your left is usually the one meant for you, but this may vary depending on the place where you are dining. If you're unsure, you can just look around and see which one other people are using.

When setting a table, it is usually placed to the right of the plate. But, this may vary upon where you are dining.

When you get up, if you need it to dab at your mouth, if you or your child spills something on the table or when you finish a meal.

The fold is on your lap. To use it, you pull the upper edge of the napkin towards you and dab your mouth with the inside of the folded napkin. This way you don't get stains on your clothing, and when the meal is finished, you will not see stains when placing the napkin on the left side of the plate on the table.

The open corners of the napkin are at the bottom right hand corner of the napkin, facing away from the plate.