I don’t use a hankie to blow my nose. I don’t generally need to blow my nose, but when I do I *really do,* like you. On the other hand, I have blown my nose into cloth napkins at the end of a very spicy meal, and put them straight into the laundry hamper.

paul bunyon’s hiney!

I tend to need to blow my nose once or twice a day most days. I carry a handkerchief for it.

I didn’t actually buy any of my handkerchiefs. They were Christmas gifts to my husband from my grandmother. (What do you give a fellow you don’t know too well? If you’re old fashioned, the answer is “handkerchiefs!”) He’s like you – he only blows his nose when he’s sick, and he’s not at all sure about hankies for that. So I have a pretty large stockpile.

When I get sick, the issue for me is more that my nose gets tender than that I don’t have enough hankies. After about three days, I’m so red and sore that I break out the tissues with the lotion in them. I’m sure it doesn’t help that the hankies I have are not as smooth and fine as they could be. I figure that since I get sick enough to need the tissues less than once a year, I’m okay with the disposables for that small amount of time, especially since I use less than a box when it happens. In between I hide the box in the closet so we won’t be tempted to use the tissues if they aren’t really necessary.

I have started using a hankie when I have a runny nose. It works remarkably well. I didn’t have to buy them – for some reason my boyfriend’s mother keeps tucking colorful bandanas in gift bags for us, so I just use those. My boyfriend however looves using paper products. He always keeps a box of tissues on hand and also a roll of paper towels. He is continually using paper towels, scrunching them up, and leaving them all over the place. Not only is it gross, it’s bad for the environment! It makes me sad, but I can’t get him to change. On that note, have you guys ever written a post about dealing with housemates/boyfriends/husbands whose green views don’t align with your own and how to deal with it? Ugh.

The reason I cut back on UNNECESSARY convenience items like paper towels and paper napkins is so I don’t feel guilty about using convenience items that are still unnecessary, but luxuries, like kleenexes.

like kari and jenn, when i gotta blow my nose, it’s a whole head full, but the frequency of that is few and far between. i actually tend to use toilet paper, as i don’t often need tissues, so i don’t buy them.

i am reluctant to switch to a handkerchief because it would be, well, soiled and would inevitably get whatever i am ransporting it in wet. when i think of ladies handkerchiefs i think of delicate, lace trimmed cloths, which would not suit my needs. A bandana or cloth napkin are more up my alley.

If i were going to make a change, perhaps I could keep a few napkins or bandanas around the house for nose blowing but rely on paper ones when I am away from home.

My husband has terrible allergies pretty much year round, so he’s got regular bouts of sneezing and runny nose. He’s also one of those guys that uses a tissue once, lightly, throws it away, and grabs another. I got him hooked on cloth hankies several years ago — they’re easy to carry (he just sticks a folded one in his back pocket), they last longer than a single paper tissue (multiple uses), and they’re washable. I do the laundry, and it’s really not gross — he keeps them neatly folded, so i only touch the clean edges when I’m sorting things. Now he only uses paper tissues if it’s been a really bad week and he’s run out of hankies! :-) His favorite for softness is an organic cotton flannel one from Hankettes, although it is a bit smaller (after washing) than standard hankies.

I rarely need to blow my nose, it’s mostly only when I’m sick. At which time, I’m like R.M. Koske above. My nose gets very red and sensitive, and the only way I can keep it bearable is to use the expensive lotion tissues.

We do keep regular paper tissues around the house for guests and emergencies, but we buy the ones from recycled paper that they sell at Trader Joe’s, so we don’t feel too guilty about it. They’re not the softest, but they do the job, and hopefully have less of a wasteful impact.

I have actually made myself a set of muslin handkerchiefs after a cold over the Christmas season. I find that when I have a runny nose all of the “dabbing” can be handled with the hanky and i dont have to worry about bring tissues with me or trying to track down the box of cardboard tissues at work.

They are a lot easier on my nose and are way more absorbent than tissue. I have yet to get the “wet hanky” issue like i have when attempting to use a tissue. They just don’t soak thru the way that tissues do. If you are a crafty type then they are also a great way to get a little embroidery practice in. All of mine are monogrammed with a little “L” in different embroidery stitches that I wanted to try.

My only advice is that you should have ~14 so that when you are sick you can use two a day, or more if necessary and not have to worry about doing laundry all of the time. Wash with the towels and dont use fabric softener. It makes them less absorbent.

I have used cloth hankies for years with, however, a strange exception to their use. After my shower my first nose-blow of the day is done on paper tissues. I think it is a combination of that first blow being a lot more productive than later ones, doing laundry pretty infrequently, and having the toilet right there for disposal.

The rest of the time I use my cloth hankie and can do so for several days unless I have a cold. I have never had the issue of a hankie getting anything else wet as I fold (or wad) it so that the snot is enclosed. Also, I have used the tissue holders made for portable tissue packets to hold a couple of hankies so they don’t get grungy in my purse.

I also keep a cloth hankie in my pants pocket so I can use it instead of paper towels or air dryers after I wash my hands. I started doing that after I read about an elementary school that was teaching their students to.

When I have a cold I do find that the flannel ones are softer. I got them from Gaiam and they came in a dispenser box with instructions on how to fold the hankerchiefs so when you pull one out the next pops up ready for use just like the paper ones. Doesn’t looks like Gaiam carries it anymore but I did a quick net search and found the same thing here: http://lyraesnaturals.homestead.com/organiccottonhandkerchiefs.html Kinda pricey but I find having that kind of storage enables easy use.

If you live in the south, as I do, hankies serve another useful purpose: wiping down one’s face and neck when you’re sweaty. They are GREAT for blotting.

I second the idea of flannel for tender noses. I also put lip balm on my nose when I have a cold and that really cuts down on the rawness (Burt’s Bees peppermint lip balm has the added benefit of helping keep my nose clear).

Hankies also get softer the more you wash them. I do sometimes get grossed out by using one to blow my nose, but I never want anything else anymore when I have a runny nose or misty eyes.

If I’m sick, I’m sick. Then I need tissues with lotion to prevent my face from peeling off. I carry around my thinnest cloth napkins when traveling to use as industrial hankies. Because you can use them so many times, even with gross heads full of mucus, they are great for travel. I have ladies hankies that are so pretty I can’t use them for anything! But my cloth napkins, for everything from wrapping them around a can of soda to wringing them in water and using them around my neck to keep cool. I guess I could use my ladies hankie’s for that…

i have been using cloth bandana type hankies for years now, for everything from catching the nose drips to wiping the sweaty brow. working outside during cold weather it is impossible for me to keep enough tissues in pockets, so hankies win out, and i have gotten pretty good at the farmer blow, and just use the hanky to mop up….how gross!!! but it works. i do like the idea of flannel, sounds wonderful, but haven’t gotten any yet. and i always wash my hankies, no matter the color, in bleach, after awhile they get funny faded spots, but are still useful.

We use cloth for hankies. We use cloth in the kitchen. We have also switched from regular TP to cloth in the bathrooms.

We made our “big cloth switch” probably about 2 years ago….we haven’t looked back!

A few things I’ve learned from living in places where people don’t have money to waste on Kleenex:

– A hankie full of snot, though it may seem like a hand-washing nightmare, is surprisingly clean (ie., you don’t need to have dozens of them). Soak it for a few minutes, rub it together a bit, and it’s clean. It’s like magic snot!

– Blowing your nose into your hand and then rinsing off under runnning water is just as effective as a hankie (cloth or paper), keeps your nose skin soft, doesn’t dirty anything, and washes away sans mess. (Many West Africans are so skilled at blowing without *anything* that they can blow it out into a field or gutter or whatever in a precision projectile. But I’m going to have to work up to that one.)

And to Bobbi, kudos for going no-TP. I also use water for certain wiping situations, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to go all the way….

I carry a cotton hanky with me daily. Like others have mentioned, if I need to *really* blow my nose, I will use TP, but that is infrequent. Most of my hankie use is for a runny nose from illness and spicy food, to coverup a sneeze, and to mop up sweat from my forehead and neck (sometimes caused by the spicy food). I have also provided a clean one to a few people in moments of sadness. However, I actually started carrying a handkerchief with me when I moved from the humid lowlands to the desert highlands because of frequent nosebleeds and it became a security blanket (apparently my body did not take kindly to the high elevation and dry air). Carrying a hankie around has helped me with cleaning up spills, wiping fogged up windshields clean, drying my hands in restrooms when there were no towels to be found, and covering my nose and mouth during a couple dust storms. It is a versatile piece of square cloth!

Love that Aminata brought up the one handed nose blow, which i do often while walking my dog. Something to thank my older brothers for teaching me! Anyways, timely post! My kids both have colds and I rarely buy tissues (just cause I lazily run out really) so just yesterday I spied some pretty hankies in the pile with our pretty napkins that i have been using for a couple months (i figured why *not* use them? even if they get all stained at least they are getting use instead of sitting in a closet for the rest of our lives). Anyways, I kind of worry about the germ factor. I am a pretty huge handwasher. But I think the cloth is way softer on my poor kids’ faces to boot. So seems like the enviro choice here is the clear winner.

We use these hankettes. They are especially great through allergy season. I’ve also used bandanas and the like, but these hankettes are really soft and easy on the nose – easier than kleenex, IMHO! I just toss them into the wash with t-shirts or jeans, no problem. They also don’t get nearly as gross as tissues, since the fabric absorbs so much more moisture.

The same company makes a selection of hankettes in various sizes, and in the pop-up box format, for those who prefer.

I gave up paper tissues years ago and opt for men’s handkerchiefs which are larger than women’s handkerchiefs. You need to experiment with vendors until you find the type of cloth you like to use. Several months ago, I saw a quick solution from Tiffany Tomato in CRAFT magazine to make them from used flannel shirts. I’ve tried making some from an old t-shirt (not bad) which I reserve for home use.

Something to consider also are cloth wipes, usually used for wiping baby bottoms, are really soft and usually sold in sets. I bought a bunch at our local cloth diaper store and made some more from old towels/washclothes. Since I had a bunch, I haven’t priced them out lately.

They are significantly smaller than handkerchiefs, but they are certainly softer and work great for those who usually only blow once and then toss the tissue/tp.

They aren’t beautiful like some handkerchiefs, so we mainly use them at home.

I am intrigued by the pop-up idea mentioned above.

During cold season we just keep them unfolded in a pile on the table with a paper bag on the floor for “disposal” which I then dump into the laundry when I do towels so I never touch the used ones.

[...] Hello 2009, I’m sick.  It’s an interesting way to start a new year, slow and deliberate and sniffly… and it’s lead me to think about tissues & hankies.  Again. [...]

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