Handkerchiefs.

Yes I always carry proper handkerchieves. In one pocket I always have a clean ironed one that would be reasonably sterile in case of emergency. In the other pocket one for use because my nose tends to run. I see people on TV - on sad news items - wiping tears from their cheeks with their fingers and wonder why on earth they didn't have at least a tissue with them.

Athrawes

Guess what I shall be asking for for Christmas !
I may be inundated!

We always got those from the courtesy aunties folded into pretty shapes, often in clear plastic tubs. Together with hair ribbons, knickers and rose shaped soaps.

Guess what I shall be asking for for Christmas !
I may be inundated!

Tissues or toilet roll?
When toilet roll comes in triple strength or wet strength or quilted or extra thick for comfort, especially if you’re using the latest in gel butt cleansers, is the perceived danger of dropping a tissue into the bowl really that valid?
DGD (on half term) carried out an experiment yesterday.
3 jugs of water

one with a man sized tissue,
one with 2 sheets of cheap toilet roll and one with 2 sheets of deluxe quilted toilet tissue.
(I don’t know of anyone who uses a paper hanky or only one sheet of toilet roll for wiping.)

Whisked, left for one hour (to simulate time between flushing)
Repeat 4 times.
The result?
None of them dissolve, (disappear into the solution like sugar).
The cheap toilet roll had thinner strands and lowest residue, followed by the man size tissue. Unsurprisingly the quilted, luxury left the biggest pile of sludge at the bottom of the jug.
WHICH has a more scientific approach, and they include comfort of use, which DGD didn’t. Unfortunately since I don’t pay for WHICH, I can’t access their results.

If I’d had newsprint and tracing paper, DGD could have extended her research. She thought the idea of using either of those was hilarious.
If anyone has access to WHICH and would like to share their results, we’d be interested.

Nothing worse than sniffing

Couldn’t agree more, it drives me up the wall.

I have a box of man-size in my kitchen but much prefer a cotton hankie. I went through a making-spree several years ago and made a lot from soft cotton, they are still perfect I use them and I still prefer them to tissues. The tissues tend to be for visitors, to take if they need one. Microscopic bits come off tissues and I don`t want those particles up my nose

Cotton hankies are better for my sinuses too, I used to get a lot of sinusitis when I was using tissues and they act like sandpaper on the delicate nasal passages, which have several very tiny openings to other parts of the face, ears and eyes

I use tissues . But remember birthdays and Christmas receiving a box of 3 pretty hankies embroidered edges. My nan always had a man's hanky stuffed up that leg elastic of her bloomers and a pretty hanky under her watch strap.

I remember my mom saying grandad shirts had long tails which nan cut off and made into hankies as they couldn't afford to buy ones. Mom said in assembly everyday had to hold their hanky above their heads those that didn't have one had a stern letter sent to the parents .

I can only remember seeing the boxed tissues on the supermarket shelf at the beginning of the 70s, Too expensive for me to buy. Some posters have said that they have never used a handkerchief. How much did they cost when they first bought them?

Carenza123

I have been brought up with cotton hankies and although considered old fashioned, I like them - compared to using thin tissues that disintegrate when you use them. Son-in-law tends to sniff his mucus up into his nose and obviously hasn’t been used to blowing his nose properly. I really hate that habit, especially as my granddaughters have inherited this trait as well.

Nothing worse than sniffing. I have taught piano, violin and viola for more years than I care to remember and hardly any child, even quite big ones, seems to think a handkerchief or tissue might be a good idea when they have a cold or hay-fever. As, strange creature that I am, I have an aversion to the sound of sniffing, I keep a box of cheap tissues and hand sanitiser in my music room and give them one when I see they need it. I make them put the used tissue in their pockets or sleeves because l don't want their germy tissues in my bin. I have occasionally been offered the used tissue back but, strangely enough, have never accepted it.

I found a pretty hanky in a drawer last year, so I popped it into a small shoulder bag I had bought for a friend’s DGD aged 9 along with a little comb and some sweets.She actually fished it out and asked my friend what it was!

I have been brought up with cotton hankies and although considered old fashioned, I like them - compared to using thin tissues that disintegrate when you use them. Son-in-law tends to sniff his mucus up into his nose and obviously hasn’t been used to blowing his nose properly. I really hate that habit, especially as my granddaughters have inherited this trait as well.

My DH still likes cotton hankies but I give him tissues to use when he has a cold. I haven't used them in years but remember being given them as gifts as a child but like you I don't think I could have used them much as I remember having some in draws when we moved a few years ago still in the gift boxes too.

I loved your description, and think I have some somewhere that I can dig out,

But you lost me at ironing <lol>

I keep cotton hankies in the pockets of my coats, simply because if I’m out in the rain and need to use a hankie, I find a a paper tissue disintegrates quickly if I need to use it more than once or twice.

Yes indeed, I love a handkerchief, never leave home without one. Having said that I also use paper handkerchiefs on occasion.

Athrawes

Having read many of the comments I feel guilty at using tissues and think I might make a change to proper hankies. That said they will need to be washed properly and ironed so it's a bit more expensive - depending on how you look on it.

Result!

I may have started the next trend!

Having read many of the comments I feel guilty at using tissues and think I might make a change to proper hankies. That said they will need to be washed properly and ironed so it's a bit more expensive - depending on how you look on it.

Mollygo

^I use tissues. DH uses hankies and tissues.^
Our dog prefers tissues for shredding and hankies (clean or used) for chewing.
Tissues are good for hay fever sufferers. I could collect 7-8 nasty wet cotton hankies in one day, and never knew where to keep them at whilst at work.
Tissues causing blockage made me think about my childhood.
Did Izal (good tracing paper) dissolve? Or even, squares of newspaper at my Welsh relatives’ home where we went for holidays.

I’ve always wondered that about Izal .

I don't actually use proper hankies as to be honest, I find the thought of ''doing nose/mouth'' things in them then shoving them in the washing machine to be gross, so I only use tissues but I do love the feel of proper ones, so from Coopers of Stortford I bought a pack of thirteen gents' handkerchiefs for £12.99 and a Ladies' Set of 13 Handkerchiefs for £19.99.

I don't use them, I just love the feel of them and the way they all sit on top of each other!

I use tissues. DH uses hankies and tissues.
Our dog prefers tissues for shredding and hankies (clean or used) for chewing.
Tissues are good for hay fever sufferers. I could collect 7-8 nasty wet cotton hankies in one day, and never knew where to keep them at whilst at work.
Tissues causing blockage made me think about my childhood.
Did Izal (good tracing paper) dissolve? Or even, squares of newspaper at my Welsh relatives’ home where we went for holidays.

My husband always uses cotton hankies.

I haven’t had a really bad cold for a long time but when I did I just used to use toilet paper because I would get through lots of it. When I was much younger I had a temp job in an office and had a bad cold. The manager was really angry with me for putting my used tissues in the bin next to my desk; being young it didn’t cross my mind that someone would be offended by it.

and to flush them away

Tissues should never be flushed down the loo, the wrong type of paper.

No doubt contributes to blockages.

Another reason to use proper hankies.

DH has always carried a cotton handkerchief. I wash and iron them.

Tissues are alright for one serious nose blow but they seem to disintegrate after that. Cotton hankies are so much softer and nicer to use. My cleaner had never seen them before she saw mine and refers to them as cotton tissues.
I did use just tissues for a few years when I had an allergy that made my nose need constant wiping. A dear friend of mine said how she couldn’t bear to have anything other than the cotton hankies she used. I started to say”If you had my nose…” and she said, “Oh if only…” She, apparently hated her nose and thought she’d never get married because of it. In fact she was really pretty and always looked lovely.