# Handkerchiefs; Anybody Still Use Them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034 "2009-07-06T00:57:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/21 "2009-07-06T06:03:10Z")
nah, I just carry around a wet pouch filled with plague. The pouch is very sexy though! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/22 "2009-07-06T07:17:03Z")
There’s more to a handkerchief’s uses than snot-soaking. I use it to dry my hands if I’m not near a towel, or to clean up a minor spill. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/23 "2009-07-06T07:59:43Z")
A handkerchief works better than a napkin for wiping off fast-food grease in the car. It also feels better, less scratchy than a cheap napkin. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/24 "2009-07-06T10:14:38Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > Sure I do. And I’m a 21-year-old girl. They’re more convenient than carrying around a raggedy little pack of Kleenex. They’re more environmentally friendly than killing trees every time I blow my nose. They’re softer on my nose when I do need them. They’re nicer for crying into, should I need them. They’re cheaper than Kleenex because **I’m only buying them every couple of years** , not all the time. I can toss them in the wash with whatever else I’m washing, and they don’t shed all over my clothes in the dryer. For that matter, they don’t shed all over the inside of my purse or my bag or whatever. If I need to clean a stain off something, I can wet one and use it as a little rag instead of using Kleenex which will disintegrate or shed all over my clothes. I can get pretty ones with flowers or whatever on them, which is nicer than Kleenex any day. > > I am a devotee. I can’t remember the last time I saw “ladies” handkerchiefs in a store. My mom had a bunch that were hand-embroidered, but I don’t recall ever seeing her use them. My dad still uses them. I’m turned off by them, myself. I don’t want to carry snot around in my purse if I can avoid it. I do find them pretty, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/25 "2009-07-06T11:15:40Z")
I started using them about 10 years ago. They’re not common in professional environments – or at least among lawyers. When I first started carrying a handkerchief, a couple friends of mine made terrible fun of me. Now they both carry them as well. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/26 "2009-07-06T11:17:06Z")
I’ve carried handkerchiefs for as long as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/27 "2009-07-06T12:10:32Z")
What else would you use to clean your glasses? Paper tissues/towels scratch plastic lenses, and it is just gauche to use your shirttail. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/28 "2009-07-06T13:54:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What else would you use to clean your glasses? Paper tissues/towels scratch plastic lenses, and it is just gauche to use your shirttail. I use pre-moistened towelettes specifically made for cleaning eyeglasses. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/29 "2009-07-06T14:17:19Z")
I have year around allergies - better some seasons than others, but always there. I carry paper tissues everywhere, keep boxes of tissues in every room, in the car, and at the office, and I throw them out after use. A handkerchief would soon be disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/30 "2009-07-06T14:22:22Z")
I bought a package of 5 at Brooks Brothers about 12 years ago (I had been given a gift certificate for the store as a gift). Those suckers are really nice & just get softer with age. I carry one in my back pocket every day at work, and sometimes on the weekends. People keep commenting about how they don’t want to carry their snot around with them, but it’s better than being without one and snotting all over your hands (or worse). I’ve been in meetings or at work with someone who lets out a big sneeze into his hands and unexpectedly filling it with snot. Most professional men (generalization here) don’t carry boxes or little packages of Kleenex around with them, so when you feel a sneeze coming, whip out the ol’ hankie. Women (here’s another one) tend to stow something in their purse. That said, I do keep a box of tissues at my desk. But I’m not always at my desk. Also, unless I was to shave every two hours, my whiskers shred the hell out of tissues, especially the Aloe-infused kind. So when I use one I have to find a mirror to make sure I get all the tissue flakes off my face. I can avoid all of that with a handkerchief. Get home & toss it in the hamper. I’m 42, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![chicken\_wire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@chicken\_wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicken_wire)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/31 "2009-07-06T14:35:45Z")
I have a hankie in my back pocket as I type this. I have a slight cold at present, and you get that clear, snotty dribble from the nose that you need to blot at periodically. A tissue isn’t really up to a whole day’s usage. If I wanted a full bodied nose blow, I’d find a tissue. For ongoing drip catching though, the handkerchief is better. When not sick, do not carry. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/32 "2009-07-06T14:41:38Z")
> [@chicken\_wire](#): > > When not sick, do not carry. I find that even when I’m not sick, they’re useful to have around. When I’m dealing with allergies, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/33 "2009-07-06T14:43:56Z")
My 65-year-old father-in-law uses one. I don’t have a problem until he tries to use it to wipe up my kids’ face and hands after it’s been used for snot. He’s gotten my boys sick on more than one occasion by doing that. (Or it would appear as such … Papaw sneezed into hanky, used to wipe boy’s face, boy was sick the next day.) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/34 "2009-07-06T14:45:09Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > My 65-year-old father-in-law uses one. I don’t have a problem until he tries to use it to wipe up my kids’ face and hands after it’s been used for snot. He’s gotten my boys sick on more than one occasion by doing that. > (Or it would appear as such … Papaw sneezed into hanky, used to wipe boy’s face, boy was sick the next day.) I think back in the day, people would carry two; one for themselves and one to offer up to someone else in need. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/35 "2009-07-06T14:45:33Z")
I carry them a good bit, though more for sweat than snot. Why in the world we Southerners insist on having numerous formal outdoor affairs in the summer is beyond me. Northerners come in from the cold, why can’t we come in from the heat? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/36 "2009-07-06T15:29:32Z")
I still carry handkerchiefs, though for blowing my nose I prefer tissues. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/37 "2009-07-06T16:28:49Z")
I carry two. One for snot-realted issues and the other for any other thing (usually wiping one of my kids faces). Kleenex is for wusses, not paper can contain the fury of my nose. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/38 "2009-07-06T16:40:22Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I can’t remember the last time I saw “ladies” handkerchiefs in a store. My mom had a bunch that were hand-embroidered, but I don’t recall ever seeing her use them. My dad still uses them. I found a bunch of boxed ones in my grannie’s effects and used them the next time I had a cold- so much nicer than tissues; softer, sturdier, do not disintegrate in the hand. But I haven’t seen too many good quality ones to buy- I usually pick up a box of men’s hankies at Winners when they are on nice and cheap. (I carry them in my purse & pocket for sneeze emergencies, and they hit the hamper once used. They’re much easier to locate in the purse jumble when required. Age 44) ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/39 "2009-07-06T22:46:55Z")
My dad always carried two, one for the nose and one for the glasses, basically. My mom apparently moved on to tissues before I ever knew her, but she was taught early on to carry two, “a shower and a blower”. I’m tempted to put one into my purse, just in case, as I never seem to have a tissue around when I need one while I’m out. My husband carries one, and on a bad day, sometimes two. Usually he goes through maybe one a week. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034/40 "2009-07-06T23:45:20Z")
> [@Annie](#): > > I found a bunch of boxed ones in my grannie’s effects and used them the next time I had a cold- so much nicer than tissues; softer, sturdier, do not disintegrate in the hand. But I haven’t seen too many good quality ones to buy- I usually pick up a box of men’s hankies at Winners when they are on nice and cheap. > > (I carry them in my purse & pocket for sneeze emergencies, and they hit the hamper once used. They’re much easier to locate in the purse jumble when required. Age 44) I think there are still some in my mom’s dresser drawer. I should snag a couple…they’re actually a very comforting memory for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handkerchiefs-anybody-still-use-them/502034.md?page=3)