# Does anybody still use cotton handkerchiefs?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-still-use-cotton-handkerchiefs/943753
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 7, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-still-use-cotton-handkerchiefs/943753 "2021-06-07T10:17:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 41

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### Author: ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-still-use-cotton-handkerchiefs/943753/41 "2021-06-07T19:46:57Z")

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I almost always have a cotton handkerchief in my pocket. I rarely blow my nose on them; I carry handkerchiefs because they’re useful things to have around. If I have a cold, I’ll probably be carrying a pocket-pack of tissues instead.

We had a similar thread about handkerchiefs a few years ago, and [this post from that thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/13) is a pretty good illustration of why many people still use them:

> [@Men who carry handkerchiefs...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/13):
>
> Not meant to be a hijack, but I used to carry a handkerchief before I retired…and blowing my nose was only about 1% of its usage. I would use it to dust off my shoes after visiting a construction site, wipe dust off of everything from my computer to old books, clean off a bench before I sat on it, mop my brow when I broke a sweat, dampen it to keep myself cool working in the field, and a dozen other things. A small pocket tissue may be OK for SOME of these tasks, but you can’t beat a bandanna-size handkerchief.

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