Guest blog: What's in Your Hand?

Everyone who shops at reuseit.com knows that plastic bags blow, but have you considered what happens to your facial tissue when you throw it away?  The tissues that fill your pocket or purse are just as unnecessary as the plastic bags that fill your cart because there is a great reusable alternative that is readily available -- The Handkerchief.  

The handkerchief is what people used for hundreds of years before 1930 when we all starting buying the disposable variety en masse.  I never thought of using a handkerchief until I met my husband ten years ago.  He didn’t grow up in the United States and had not been programed that he had to wipe his nose with a paper tissue, so he used a handkerchief.  I will admit, at first I thought his handkerchief use was a little weird, but it grew on me, and a year after meeting him I was a handkerchief convert.  
 
I prefer handkerchiefs for four reasons.  First, they are way more comfortable to wipe your nose on.  Secondly, they are much better for the environment since you are not throwing anything away and they take up virtually no space in a normal load of laundry. Thirdly, they do a much better job at improvising for other uses; wiping the faces and hands of my children, wrapping things up to store in my purse and cleaning my sunglasses are among a few alternative uses.  And finally, but less practically, they are way more stylish than a plain old white piece of paper to pull out of my purse for any of these uses.
 
Try it.  The cloth napkins in the store, work great as a handkerchief!  I know you will become a handkerchief convert too!

 

Julie Magro blogs at To The Dinner Table, a blog devoted to easy, healthy, whole food, organic cooking for busy families.  Her and her husband, Leonard also help couples who work together with their blog, Boardroom Couple.

 

Comments

[Weaver]

We LOVE our handkerchiefs! We have big ones, little ones, flannel ones (I serge the edges of the leftover yardage after making pj pants for the kids), old sheet ones (that Lands' End sheet that the kids put a hole in while fort building? the BEST hankies!), colorful ones, plain ones... well, obviously, I could go on and on :) There are six people in our house and we might buy one box of tissues in the winter when we all get hit with a cold at once and I just can't keep up with the laundry enough. Flannel hankies on a sore nose, definitely for the win!

[Natalie]

Thanks for the post, Julie! We're really happy with our reuseit™ Hemp & Organic Cotton Handkerchief - folks can check those out here: http://www.reuseit.com/store/reuseit%E2%84%A2-hemp-organic-cotton-handkerchief-p-3208.html

[claudine]

I'm all about reusing. I haven't bought paper napkins in years and I use my own cloth shopping bags, etc, etc. I can see using a hanky when you just have a little bit of a runny nose or allergies but aren't you just holding onto the germs when you've got a full blown cold? Hankies sound a lot better than scratchy tissues but I'd worry about spreading the germs around since you'd have to carry a used one around with you until you can get it to the laundry. I'd like the thoughts of those who use them.

[Natalie]

Well that's one good reason why ours come in a set of 4 for $11.95.

There's actually a really good blog post exploring this idea, you might want to check it out here: http://wasteweardaily.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/facial-tissues-vs-hankies/

[Julie Magro]

I tend to have 3 or 4 hankies in my purse at all times so that I am not constantly reusing the same one. Sometimes when I am sick I throw the used ones into one of my snacktaxis to separate them from the clean ones and then wash the whole lot on the Sanitary cycle on my washing machine.

Although partially unrelated, I have found that when I am sick with a nasal cold/flu if I use my Netti pot in the morning & evening I will need FAR fewer hankies during the day because that cleans everything out and while I may have other symptoms of the cold/flu I do not have to wipe my nose as often.

[Eco health]

I love to use colorful handkerchiefs.. Its a best article and thanks for the awareness.. Very nice to read and it makes my morning too..http://www.vivamagonline.com/index.php Keep on sharing more about handkerchief..