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??

@Vipersgonnavipesame!
I’ve loads from my childhood! They are washed and ironed & used for wiping my nose, daily. My nose is almost always runny which is effectively tear like liquid, clear and just needs drying. I do also like a good Kleenex (only brand I’d buy) but prefer a nice jazzy or embroidered hanky! My grandma embroidered some for me & she’s been dead 25 years 🤣

The doctor told him "yes, some people have that" and that's all.

He's got more disposable income than me! I'll get him some if I see them in primark this week, if he wants any thing fancier than that he's on his own.

Why don't you use balsam tissues? Of course loo roll will make your nose sore.

Toilet roll is not designed to use for nose blowing. The texture is different and will make your nose sore.
Tissues are different and also should be binned not flushed.

Oh god no. When I was a kid we had a hanky drawer. Every single time you pulled a neatly folded and ironed one out to blow your nose you would discover the dried on remnants of the previous user.

My mother boiled them and pre soaked them and meticulously unfolded them to expose all the snot before washing them, she tried all sorts. No matter what she did they would always have crusty bits stuck to them, absolutely vile!!

@uncomfortablydumb60 I appear to have mistakenly quoted you with my previous post, didn't mean to at all! I agree with you! Can't edit my posts as Mumsnet says I've been naughty and took my shiny edit button away from me😂

Hankies are for crying, tissues are for blowing noses.

You just stick them in the washing machine (with other things you were washing) on a hot setting

In old fashioned romance novels the heroine would cry and the hero always had a clean hanky on him.

Yes, quirky heroines never had hankies on them, the little rebels
Looking at you, Scarlett OHara

I suffer from a snotty nose and honestly I think my dh would divorce me if I used cotton hankies. I prefer to use tissues and get rid. The descriptions I’ve read on here of used hankies take me back to childhood and actually made me feel a bit nauseous.
I just don’t want to handle dirty hankies with the laundry. Not even my own let alone someone else’s - and I’ve cleaned toilets as a job in the past.

Because they’re unhygienic if you’re blowing your nose.
tissues are single use as they’re made to catch the germs and then dispose of.

This is nonsense - the point being you wash the hanky which kills the germs.

You can buy little washable hankies which come in a silicon packet that looks like a pocket tissue packet but more robust. Its designed to pull a clean unused hanky from the top, and push a used one into the bottom. You then simply wash them with your laundry. I have had this for years.

When I was a kid we had a hanky drawer. Every single time you pulled a neatly folded and ironed one out to blow your nose you would discover the dried on remnants of the previous user.
My mother boiled them and pre soaked them and meticulously unfolded them to expose all the snot before washing them, she tried all sorts. No matter what she did they would always have crusty bits stuck to them, absolutely vile!!

Your parents were poor at washing. We always used hankies and never had this problem, they always came out of the wash completely clean.

The thing is, if you have a cold and you’re blowing your nose on a used hanky (or tissue come to that) you’re shoving the germs back up your nose. Single use tissues are more hygienic that way.

I've always used hankies. Hate the fact trees are cut down for people to blow their fucking noses. Madness.

Oh and I very rarely get colds etc. Once every few years if that.

Well why not use a towel to wipe your arse? Gross, right?
This one made me laugh!

To be honest we should be using washable wipes like those made by cheeky etc. Washable nappy users already do this. You just have a bin to drop used ones in, some people will "wet pail" and have these soaking in a solution to kill germs pre wash but its not actually necessary, you can hot wash or use laundry sanitiser as an alternative.

My boss uses ones. Keeps it in her sleeve.

The thing is, if you have a cold and you’re blowing your nose on a used hanky (or tissue come to that) you’re shoving the germs back up your nose. Single use tissues are more hygienic that way.

Which is why people invented single use washable hankies..... its not difficult

Yep, and if you’re out for the day, you’re carrying round a bag or pocket full of snot 😫

Nah. Obvious eco solution is washing/ bidets.

@0ohLarLar where do you buy single use hankies as you describe? They sound a good idea especially being able to ‘park’ used tissues when out and about.

https://lastobject.com/products/lasttissue?srsltid=AfmBOoqQnirsqCryFIFNrzBKE7-cZ2Hz19dIPiN1jhfTMoVVpV0Xk2sM&shpxid=f7b0829c-f979-48b5-8def-931af7fa2cfb

I'll just leave this here for those interested in an actual answer - note that this is just one brand there will no doubt be knock offs all over amazon

@0ohLarLar thank you

Interesting question, OP.

According to this they harbour germs and are less environmentally friendly than tissues.

www.sciencefocus.com/science/is-it-better-to-use-a-handkerchief-or-a-tissue

I do wonder about the germ thing. We used to wash my dad's hankies by soaking them overnight in bleach and then washing in the machine on a boil wash. After that, they would be dried outside. It doesn't discuss the washing method in the article.