Square Washable Polyester Fabric Tablecloth vs Crate & Barrel Merrow Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth: which is safer?

Crate & Barrel Merrow Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Amazon Basics Square Washable Polyester Fabric Tablecloth

Amazon Basics

Square Washable Polyester Fabric Tablecloth

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

Polyester fabric with stain/water-resistant treatment

Confidence

45%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishes

PossibleAzo dyes in polyester coloration

PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber

Our pick

Crate & Barrel Merrow Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth

Crate and Barrel

Crate & Barrel Merrow Stitch Warm Natural Organic Cotton Tablecloth

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

100% organic cotton, no coating

Confidence

88%

PossibleAzo dyes and synthetic colorants

PossiblePesticide residues from cotton cultivation

PossibleMicrobial growth and mold from retained moisture

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishes, Azo dyes in polyester coloration, Antimony in polyester fiber and Coating degradation and particulate shedding on the Amazon Basics and not on the Crate and Barrel.
  • We flag Azo dyes and synthetic colorants, Pesticide residues from cotton cultivation and Microbial growth and mold from retained moisture on the Crate and Barrel and not on the Amazon Basics.
  • The Amazon Basics is Polyester fabric with stain/water-resistant treatment where the Crate and Barrel is 100% organic cotton, no coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Crate and Barrel is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Amazon Basics grade, at 45% confidence against 88%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More stain-resistant textiles, see the full ranking