To wonder why hankies haven't made a comeback?

[Eestar]

The world is so eco friendly and waste conscious now... plastic straws are out with the dinosaurs, light bulbs have completely changed since my childhood, and using plastic bags seems almost punishable by law... Some of my braver friends have even embraced cloth nappies.

With all of this in mind, using single-use paper tissues just to blow your nose seems such a waste, with an easy and obvious solution - so why are hankies not more of a 'thing' by now??

I’ve had to recently begin the sad process of clearing out an elderly relatives house and he had boxes and boxes of unopened hankies. I’ve taken them and I really love them. They’re a good size and I have a few with me most days. I’m a convert.

If I had a nasty cold I’d use paper tissues I could bin but these are great for everyday use.

DH and I were talking about this earlier - why target disposable tissues when surely toilet paper is much more of an issue? Not many people blow their nose every day, but most people (esp women) wipe their bum at least once a day.

I’m all for reusables, but bringing back hankies feels like a stop in the ocean.

Agreed. I wanted a set for my son but am struggling to find any plain child sized ones.

An older male relative of mine uses a hankie but it’s pretty much used as an emergency catch all for any purpose not specifically as a tissue alternative. E.g unexpected spill, use a hankie and then not use for anything else, nose bleed, grandchild dribbling/being sick, wiping an apple, the list goes on!

'A whole tissue?'

LOL

Of course people use it once and chuck it.

I use a tissue, throw it away and then wash my hands.

I see plenty of people using tissues, but they use them and put them in their pocket or up their sleeve and carry on with whatever they are doing. I have never seen anyone use a tissue once dispose of it and immediately go and wash their hands.

The nappy difference is you’re not reusing an already soiled one.

When i have a cold, a hankie would never be enough!

Hankies aren't unhygienic if you put them in a boil wash, hang them outdoors to dry and then use a steam iron to press them.

My DH always has a hanky, I don't think he actually uses it though, just there for emergencies 🙂

Nan used to boil them in a separate saucepan. Never used them or Izal hard toilet paper they used either! Tissue is a great invention!

🤢🤢🤢

I hope these people had a separate cauldron for boiling the hankies, and it didn’t double up with the one use for boiling the Sunday bacon joint 😁

So…. I was raised that a lady (or gentleman) does not leave the house without a handkerchief. Luckily this was only true for special occasions and not every day.

(US here for context…and I’m apparently a dinosaur 🦕)

I warned my girlfriends that they would get a a hanky from my mom for prom. I said just accept it and thank her. I did explain the above rule later which they laughed at.

Then it became a bit of a running joke between us about the handkerchiefs including my BF’s wedding where I gave her as a present a handkerchief embroidered with her initials and wedding date. (Oh god I was broke and had to travel across country to her wedding!).

Yeah, it was all fun and games until she started fidgeting in her dress because the boning was digging into her. I whipped out my hanky + grabbed hers that was on the table and stuffed them into her dress.

She laughed and asked if there was a deadline to call my mum and tell her she was right.

So… yes ladies carry hankies and no you shouldn’t be blowing in them to clear your sinus’. Your OH should also have one (my DH actually does carry one with him daily that is clean and serviceable in case you need it.

They are dead useful for so many things.

No you will not change my mind so don’t even try, this is something I will carry to my grave and will impart on all young ladies and men in my sphere- knowing they will laugh at me right up until they don’t)

(I also drink and swear and am the first to laugh at an off color joke and generally considered ‘the cool aunt/godmother so don’t mistake me for an uptight pearl clutcher!)

I agree with you op and I think I might get some. I have permanent nasal drip and don't use a tissue only once, I'm always shoving them in my pockets/bra to come out again later. So might as well be hankies.
We use reusable nappies and I wanted to get 'family cloth' (washable bum wipes) but DH vetoed it with a look of absolute horror I have rarely seen 😅 but the truth is, cloth just works better than tissue.

Thanks. I know Primark used to do them, I'm going there this week anyway so can look. If not Google tells me matalan do them. Obviously amazon is an option, but I suspect he'd like to feel them first.

I bought myself some lovely hankies for Christmas 2019.
Didn't get much use of them before March 2020 when disposable seemed a lot safer.

The hankies are still in the drawer

DP uses hankies; always has. He has one in his pocket and one under his pillow and chucks them in the laundry every day.

From a hygiene perspective, they’re only unhygienic if you share them with other people. The only germs on your hanky are germs you are already carrying.

Yep, I'm the same, tissues for a cold, hankies for the rest of the time. I see other people using them here and we don't seem to be a particularly sickly country. People on MN have quite odd views on hygiene and yet those of us with a bit more common sense often are the ones who are rarely sick.

And yes, plenty of people use a tissue then stick it in a pocket or up their sleeves.

Toilet roll is never a good choice to blow your nose!

Amazon or John Lewis.

I keep trying to get the family on board. My young adults think it is a disgusting suggestion, despite being otherwise very eco-conscious. Congratulations on spawning a hanky-enthusiast.

Ever heard of family cloth

I think calling it that is a large part of the image problem it has, TBH.

I never have tissues in when I need them! It was that or kitchen roll…
I think even tissues would have shredded my nose the amount I’m blowing it

How do people dispose of their single-use tissues? Toss them on the ground? Surely there isn't always a bin close by.