Handkerchiefs

If I use a tissue I am seldom near a bin. If I am near a bin . I think if people used paper hankies and dropped them on the street or grass in the park there would be an outcry.

Actually nose blow items are problematic. When people have specific severe infections such as TB it's better to contain the snot or sputum in a hankie in a pocket . For this purpose a cloth hankie is easier than a tissue to fold and put away in the pocket and won't disintegrate in the pocket. May be there are portable cups now for sputum. Snot is not as potentially infective as sputum for spreading bacteria.

My DH also won’t use tissues, only handkerchiefs. I haven’t used anything but tissues for as long as I can remember. I always have a packet of those small packs in each handbag. I also wash them on the hottest setting. I wish I could convert him to tissues but have been unsuccessful so far.

Infection control nurse - paper tissues - use it, bin it, wash your hands with soap and water and dry with paper hand towels also binned.
Cotton hankies worst thing possible for spreading bacteria and viruses.

Toilet rolls for a cold then down the loo. Tissues in bag or trouser pocket and woebetide if they end up in washing machine grrrrr. Handkerchiefs for sobbing into -usually weddings or funerals

My DH always has one in his trouser pocket (habit) along with tissues.

I usually get a still folded immaculate handkerchief in the washing basket when he puts his trousers in to be washed, he always empties his pockets and turns his trousers inside out.

Mil used to use them all the time and I did her washing! Yuk yuk !

Yuck no! Tissues for me

I use tissues.

DH uses them all the time, always has, always will.
I use tissues mostly, but do use hankies at times.

Handkerchiefs are revolting and harbour bacteria. We only use tissue or toilet roll.

Oh no, can't bear the thought of washing them, ugh! It's tissues for us.

Timely this thread. Just done a load of dark washing and thought I had checked all the pockets but think I must have missed one. A tissue was lurking somewhere and the whole load came out with white bits on them. Mr B said we never had this problem using hankies and that got me thinking, might go back to them.

DH is the same - I hate them. At least he uses tissues when he has a cold.

I try to be eco friendly , but it’s loo roll for me I’m afraid, I think that the amount of energy I would need to wash them thoroughly would out weigh any good I was doing for the environment.
My mum used to boil them up in a big galvanised bucket on our range, condensation all down the windows and walls, she soaked them first in a cold bucket of Daz then refilled with more Daz , cold water and then boiled them to death.

Greenfinch I believe it is more environmentally friendly to use handkerchiefs.

Not when you take into account the water and a hot wash and detergent.

I hate them but my husband insists on using them. I put them in a separate laundry bag in the linen basket and when I have 12 or so I give them two wash cycles at 60 degrees on their own. The wash after them is always something like dog towels, never tea towels.

I loath hankies- they are disgusting. Tissues for us.

Ra.ther ironic that the handkerchief post and the spitting one are adjacent on the forum !!!

Isn’t the environmental argument a bit like terry nappies v disposables? Yes nappies and tissues fill up land fill ( though tissues must degrade easily) but what about the electricity and water used to wash at 60 or 90 degrees.

My husband uses both, I use tissues

I believe it is more environmentally friendly to use handkerchiefs. I use both depending on where I am at the time and whether there is anywhere to dispose of tissues

Kept for funerals!

I think it’s a generation thing with men.

Yes I wash them at 60 too!

I’m allergic to tissues so handkerchiefs for me.