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??

Oh, the wood used to make tissues is usually from sustainable forests, the problem is they are farmed, so plantations of pine trees so not the diversity in natural woodland.

I used cloth nappies to avoid plastic going into landfill. I would never use ‘family cloth’ (reusable loo roll 🤢) because toilet paper doesn’t hang around for centuries. So same logic for hankies.

When I met my ex husband he always had a freshly laundered hankie in his pocket .

We sometimes use a muslin on our toddler's nose. During an unusually long period of having back to back colds myself I started thinking I might like my own one 😅 Some have said upthread they'd find the idea of washing a hanky grim, but I think toddler laundry desensitises you a bit!

I use them. I can't use tissues as they sit off my hay fever. Wish they were easier to find.

We use hankies all the time - switch to paper tissues if we get a nasty cold, but otherwise it’s hankies. They just go in the normal wash.

clean one every day, so not gross to look at. Bought a huge pack of 20 about six years ago and must have saved loads over the years.

Because they’re absolutely revolting 🤢

People often don’t bin their tissues. Every day I walk the dog I see them all over the ground. I notice because it’s my dog’s favourite forbidden treat.

I’ve always used hankies. If I blow my nose, they go straight into the wash. Don’t see how washing used hankies is any more problematic than washing pants that you’ve worn. But they’re also so useful just to have in my pocket. Wipe up a small spill of food or drink, wrap round my finger for a small cut while I find a bandage….They take up no space in a load of washing and I don’t iron them, just fold then neatly.

I sometimes buy them but also make my own hankies from used cloth, especially from Indian cotton dressing gowns, which I love but they do wear out quickly. The cotton in those is soft and absorbent and perfect for hankies.

DH uses them always, I put them in the hot wash with the sheets each week after putting them in a bowl of disinfectant water, I have picked them up in sales over the years

DH's general hankies aren't ironed, they are usually screwed up in his trousers pocket or under his pillow. Obviously if he wanted them ironed he could do it

I always think it’s vaguely sexy for men to be able to come to your aid with a clean white handkerchief. Same as tipping their hats. Maybe I’ve seen Brief Encounter too many times.

Presumably people are running a hot wash once or twice a week for towels anyway? You just lob them in with that. You can keep them in a bucket of napisan in the interim if you’re keen to practise maximum hygiene.

I don't understand why people are getting so grossed out .
We use muslins for babies which are filled with puke and snot. They go in the machine and we reuse? I do not use hankies but my nearly 7 year old still prefers using a muslin to tissue as it's softer. We have them in every room/bag and pocket! We've all used them if needed

Honestly, John Lewis has LOADS. Mostly gents, admittedly but a lot of them are multipacks of plain cotton.

It’s not the reusable aspect, it’s the fact that people blow their noses and then have it sat in their pockets or bags all day 😫

Because snotty hankies are disgusting and nobody wants them in with their other washing.

I’m down with everything on your list but hankies make me feel a bit queasy!

Tissues can be made of 100% recycled paper, are biodegradable, and depending where you buy them, can be sold in zero-plastic packaging. They’re quite low-down on the list of things to ban, considering how beneficial they are to public health.

Sadly no John lewis near me. Marks used to sell them but they getting harder to find. The ones from Amazon are rubbish.

Yep, this. I can't be doing with it.

I do use a damp cloth to wipe my arse. I thought it sounded gross but gave it a go after ending up with loads of reusable wipes which I used for DC. I'm a total convert! I hate using paper now, it feels like it doesn't get me properly clean.

I hated hankies in my childhood and was made to put them up my sleeve. But now I compromise by using hankies at home where I can put them in the same wet bag as reusable wipes immediately ready for washing, or out of the house if I don't have an actual cold (eg to catch the odd drip if it's cold weather etc). But if I actually have a cold then out of the house I use tissues.

I think people don't use it them because people people either don't think about it at all as it's no longer the norm, or think it's gross.

Hankies are great if you use them like tissues - use once then add them to the next hot wash. They are so much more comfortable if you have a cold.

Chronic rhinitis is easily treatable, if he sees the GP they'll sort him out.

Fucking disgusting. Should be banned. You should use a tissue once, bin it and wash your hands. You don’t keep a germ ridden, likely infectious piece of cloth, about your personal. My in-laws used them when alive. It’s my main memory. Used to make stomach acids come up my throat when I saw them use it and stuff it back in pocket or up their sleeves. Tissues were invented for a reason. Wasn’t to save washing, it was to minimise spread of infections.