I never have, until recently. My hayfever’s been worse than usual this year, so I decided to give them a go. If I sneeze while I’m on the bus or whatever, then often I’ll have to put the snotty tissue back in my bag for a while anyway. It’s much easier to fold the used hanky in a way that isn’t disgusting than it is to store a used tissue.
Lots of people I know do carry pocket-size packs of tissues round with them, though. Mainly women, because bags make it easier, I guess.
I’ve been carrying handkerchiefs since college or so; I’m 40 now.
Great for cleaning up a little sniffle, catching a sneeze, or blowing out one irritating little nasal stalactite. For serious snotblowage, though, it’s off to the men’s room for toilet paper. For everything except an emergency sneeze catch, though, I unfold out to double thickness so I can fold things back up nice and tidy.
I don’t use hankies, but I have quite a pretty collection I’ve acquired over the years. Every so often I take them out and look at them - embroidered linen; cotton printed with violets, or geraniums, or pansies; different kinds of lace. Then I put them away. I always planned to do something crafty with them, like make a Martha-Stewart-ish cafe curtain, but there aren’t enough to make a good sized valance.
One of my friends uses a bandanna for a handkerchief, and got in trouble in high school for it- even a very pale yellow bandanna full of snot kept in a purse wasn’t allowed to slide from the “No bandannas or gang symbols” part of the dress code.
If I had a hankie of my own I’d use it, especially when the pollens I’m really sensitive to are out and about- I have to blow my nose all the time, and since it’s allergen related, not illness, I wouldn’t worry about the germs. If I was actually sick, I’d probably stay with disposable paper tissues.
I carry two guns as well (2 hankies).
I sweat a lot, and am usually subject to a fair amount of eye-watering due to whatever is in bloom this season. I use one for sweat dabbing and other matters, and one for snot and sneezing only.
Oh, and they must be folded, never crumpled. Less surface area used in your pocket and what not, but especially to know what parts have been used and which are clean. If you fold a hankie in quarters, you have several layers within with which to wipe or snot into, depending upon the volume of either. By the end of the day, I get home and they go right into the hamper.
During the hot summer days, I also carry a bandana for higher volume.
One time, during happy hour, I handed one to a friend’s wife who needed one at a moment’s notice. She was amazed that I actually carried one. My reply was “Why? Don’t all men carry one?”
Her response was a glare at her unaware hubby saying “Why *don’t *all men carry one?” :rolleyes:
I’ve always used hankies. I always have two with me. Tissues are expensive and, I find, fairly useless.
Sure, handkerchiefs are classy … as long as you don’t use them for anything.
I always carry them. Not for snot, but because I have a spectacularly sweaty head and face.
I’ve recently returned to hankies. Like previous posters, I keep one for snot and another for other purposes. Most of the nasal stuff is allergy related in my case, so I’m not really infectious. If / when I get a cold, I’ll likely lay in a supply of paper tissues, though.
I have a bunch of nice ladies’ hankies that I’ve purchased in antique shops, estate auctions, etc over the years, but a few years ago when I tried to find some new ones for a craft project, it took a while. A few sturdy mens’ models work well for allergy season.
My dad still carries two handkerchieves in his pocket. My mom taught us kids early on the science of folding them to minimize snot mess in our pockets and maximize usage. She also used to carry five (clean) pretty lace ones in her purse with bobby pins, pre-Vatican II, just in case she, my sisters and me landed somewhere unexpectedly that required a head covering for females.
Oh, and I’m 46.
I do too. I have an assortment of bandanas, and I choose the color to match one of the colors in the dress I’m wearing. I have some plain white men’s hankies as well. I don’t blow my nose into bandanas or hankies, I use tissue for that, and carry a small packet of tissues in my purse. The bandanas are for dabbing at sweat, cleaning my glasses, or to use as napkins if I eat on the road.
My main beef with bandanas and hankies is that they seem to be shrinking. I think that a bandana used to be about 22-25" square, and now they seem to be about 18" square.
I have allergies, so hankerchiefs are a must.
I carry paper towels, sort of disposable hankerchiefs, as I can’t imagine sneezing into something that that isn’t disposable. But I thank the OP for starting this thread - reminds me of my late Dad who believed that no man should ever exit the house without a hankerchief. I see his point, just never got into the habit.