Birthday party tables that clean up in five minutes

A birthday table has two jobs: look bright for the photos, and survive juice, frosting and craft glitter. Plastic covers do both.

How many

For a kids' party of fifteen, two 6-foot tables for the kids, one for food and one for the cake: four covers — a 4 pack. For a backyard party with round patio tables, our 84-inch rounds by the six.

Colors by theme

• Dinosaurs and jungle: apple green with orange.
• Mermaids and under the sea: turquoise or aqua with lavender.
• Racing: black checkered with red.
• Princess: light pink or fuchsia with silver chargers on the grown-ups' table.
• Sports: team colors — royal blue, red, purple, yellow.

The five-minute cleanup

When the party ends, fold each cover in from the corners toward the middle, with the plates, wrappers and crumbs inside, roll it up and drop it in the trash bag. The tables are clean underneath.