Forget Plastic Tablecloths For Your Picnic: This Fitted Solution Won't Blow Away In The Wind

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When party planning, the weather can be your biggest adversary. No one wants to go to an outdoor event when it's pouring rain, and forget making treats like macarons if it's too humid outside because they become delicate (and frankly, are not worth making). Wind, however, might be the worst possible thing for an outdoor gathering — especially if you are planning on lining your tables with tablecloths. If you don't adequately secure the sheets, which you can do with a splash of water or a couple of clips, you could watch your tablecloths and anything on them blow away. 

If you notice a breezy day is in the forecast, swap your standard tablecloths with something more fitted; namely, bottom sheets. It might seem weird to put something meant for the bedroom on your tables, but the shape and elastic edges of the sheets will stay in place more readily than a standard tablecloth without any elastic. 

You should be able to use a Twin or Twin XL sheet on your standard picnic table, depending on its size. It may be a little big, but it's better than having to run across the lawn to grab your tablecloth and everything that was on it. Plus, the sheets are washable, so you can easily use them again and again.

Of course, there are some important caveats that you'll want to consider when trying this hack at home. The first is that you should not be using your finest quality silk sheets unless you like them permanently stained with mustard and hot dog grease. This hack would be a good way to use a sheet that has holes in it, or one where you lost your top sheet and don't want to leave its corresponding bottom sheet tucked into a linen closet forever. 

There are many sheets worth looking at for this hack, and you can buy many of them inexpensively from retailers like Amazon and Walmart. This Utopia Bedding Set, for example, comes in a pack of two and in multiple colors, so there are endless options to choose from for your occasion. After all, how nice would a spa blue one look with this colorful marinated tomato salad on top? Just make sure you don't recirculate it back into your bedding rotation, as no one likes to sleep where they eat (and vice versa).