…and use them to blow their noses.
There are few things more disgusting than pulling an already snotty piece of cloth out of your pocket, searching momentarily for an unused corner, and blowing even more snot into it before wadding it back up and tucking it back into your pocket.
Do you know any who do this? It is typically an old dude, but I’ve seen a few younger guys doing it, too.
mmm
I’ll admit to doing it. I inherited the habit from my father. I usually have two handkerchiefs and throw them in the wash every day. I know some find it gross; luckily, my wife finds it endearing.
If I have a cold and need to be out and about, I carry 3 or 4 usually.
Just wondering do you find it more disgusting that the advice commonly given now to sneeze into your elbow? Pants are as easily washed as shirts.
Do you find it more disgusting than a lady tucking the hanky back into her purse? Pants are more easily washed than most things in purses.
Next rant: People who use toilet paper! What’s up with THAT disgusting habit?
umm----if I have a cold, I carry a small packet of Kleenex. Ya know…about 10 or 20 tissues,neatly folded in a cellophane wrapper, easily withdrawn one at a time.
And then, after I use one and get it all snotty, I…(gasp!!!)…throw the frickin’ thing in a trash can and DON’T put it back in my pocket.
Amazing, I know.
see the last 7 words of my post above.
I am an old dude who does this and have done it ever since I was a young dude. But now seeing the error of my ways, I shall now just spray out forcefully around me from each nostril while pressing the other closed.
You should at least be grateful that you’ve had the proper training in how to blow your nose, unlike this British reality television star.
Do people really think the only two options that exist are reuse a filthy snot rag over and over all day, or blow snot into your hand/elbow/air!? Have you people really not heard of disposable tissues? It seems like every time there’s a thread about hankies, the responses are always, “Of course I use a hanky. Why would I want to blow snot into my shirt?” I’d understand if the response was, “I don’t like to use disposable paper products if I can avoid it. I use cloth diapers for my infant as well.” But the responses all seem to ignore the existence of tissues altogether.
Do people reuse cloth toilet paper? That would be a disgusting practice.
Guilty. Although I must admit to doing it since I was a little kid and not just when I became a senior citizen. I figure what the little hunk of cloth is for is personal cleanliness and comfort so why not?
I am very surprised that the sentiment posted in my OP is not receiving nearly 100% support 'round these parts.
You folks really don’t mind walk around with a (literal) snot rag in your pocket all day?
And don’t you get old snot on your hands when you whip it out for use?
mmm
And I tuck it into my shirt pocket, where it sticks out in that pattern they do.
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.
OTOH, the OP is right that I did not want to blow my nose in it and carry it around afterwards. I often tried to tuck a pack of tissues in another pocket when I foresaw the need.
The day I see or hear of someone pulling a piece of cloth out of their pocket, wiping their ass with it, and stuffing it back into their pocket I will arch my eyebrows to the sky.
mmm
As an allergo-American I keep a box of tissues in every room of my house, on my nightstand, in my car, and on my desk at work. I keep pocket packs in my coat pocket and laptop bag. Yet in addition to the pocket pack I also have in my pants pocket at all times, I do carry a cloth handkerchief. Because sometimes I use all the tissues and still have to blow my nose. Yes, I wash the handkerchiefs after use. Yes, putting a used snotrag back in my own pocket is icky. But unless you can tune my immune system to not over-react to every single plant, mold, and dust mote in North America, be grateful I use my own pocket.
I am an allergo-American as well - though not quite to your severity - so I am not without insight into the problem.
But I remain perplexed. If you have room enough to carry a hanky, you have room for extra tissues.
You say: “These tissues may not be enough, I’d better carry a handkerchief.”
I would say: “These tissues may not be enough, I’d better carry more.”
mmm
Second part first; rarely but if you had any idea how often I wash my hands its just not a worry to me.
As for the first part; I can’t realistically carry a box of Kleenex everywhere and at all times. I’ve tried tissues in my pocket and they always self-destruct long before they can get used. I’ve thought of doing like coworkers and either blowing my nose into my gloves (before handling the package you ordered online that’s headed for your home) or wiping my nose on my sleeve but neither appeals to me. So the old reliable-from-the-farm hanky comes into play. And as others have said, snot is the least of its uses. Emergency spills, sweat, grease, normal grime, getting a better grip on something, short-term emergency bleeding, or fast protective wrapping - lots of things. And once it is used as a nose-rag or napkin its replaced as quickly as possible. So all in all its something I consider totally reasonable.
Tissues gross me out. They break up in my hands or in my face and I end up with tiny sticky pieces of tissue on my face and in my hands. I also have a particularly powerful sneeze and nose-blowing technique, and tissues can’t handle it.
YMMV.
Somewhat boggling Britfact Laila Morse who appears in that clip is Gary Oldman’s sister. She’s a soap star who plays a hard bitten battleaxe. Not very Hollywood at all. When she first appeared I thought that’s Uma Thurman’s sister in law!