# Men who carry handkerchiefs... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594 "2018-10-27T16:27:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/41 "2018-10-28T14:11:18Z")
When I was at my desk at work or when I’m in the house I use paper towels(never understood how people can get by with kleenex - they just fall apart). The problem with using a disposable snot rag is that you still have to put it in your pocket if you’re not near a trash can. There are lots of days when I’m not within miles of a trash can. And if I’m in a restaurant I would much rather return a used handkerchief to my pocket than lay a snotty piece of paper on the table until the waiter sees it and picks it up - probably giving me the stinkeye while doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/42 "2018-10-28T16:08:11Z")
It’s news to me that using a handkerchief for its intended purpose is offensive and scandalous. Of course I use a handkerchief. The way I’m supposed to, for heaven’s sake. It would be nice if all of us were clean all the time, I suppose, but that’s not true, so we have laundry, showers, soap, toothbrushes, and all manner of other aids, including handkerchiefs. Must we really shame each other for not reaching this obviously impossible ideal? Tissues, by the way, are pretty useless to me. I blow them apart so it looks like I stood out in the snow. Moreover, my whisker stubble shreds them leaving white lint all over my face. I can use paper towels, but a day’s worth of those more than fills my pockets, and they’re even less acceptable than handkerchiefs for reuse. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/43 "2018-10-28T16:45:49Z")
You know what’s grosser than leaving a snotty-hanky in your pocket? Leaving it in your _head_. Gross. Can you imagine walking around all day with that crap inside your face? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/44 "2018-10-28T17:09:23Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Tissues, by the way, are pretty useless to me. I blow them apart so it looks like I stood out in the snow. Where in the hell do people in this thread find such cheap shitty tissues? I’m 63 years old and have been using tissues my whole life and have never blown one apart. Frankly I’m surprised that some people have so much trouble operating something as simple as a tissue. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/45 "2018-10-28T17:16:07Z")
I’m like Scarlett O’Hara in this one way. Never in any crisis of my life have I been known to have a handkerchief. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/46 "2018-10-28T17:17:51Z")
I have a weird combination of nose snot and also an obsessiveness with having a clear nose (sometimes with the way it comes out I get a worry that maybe it’s CSF fluid, but that’s a thing for another day). So I blow my nose probably at least three times a day, if not more, even when I’m totally healthy. Eating makes my nose run, too. When I was a kid I could go through boxes and boxes of tissues when I got sick and used only each tissue one time. It would always run out in the middle of the night and I’d be left considering wiping my nose on my bedsheets or picking a used tissue out of the trash to re-use. Eventually this inured me to re-using tissues because I noticed about 80% of the tissue wasn’t even used the first time, so I could get a tissue out without even touching any snot. It just seemed wasteful to toss that much unused tissue at that point. And as an adult, it meant that if I reused them, I didn’t have to buy a new tissue box every damn week. So yes, I reuse paper tissues all the time until all the bits are used. I just don’t care anymore. Usually it dries out in my pocket before I use it again, and when I get to the end I toss it. You don’t have to touch it, I wash my hands, you can deal. Maybe I should switch to a handkerchief but I find them not very soft what with the dye, and at this point I don’t feel like changing. It drives me nuts when I go to a friend’s or relative’s house and they have no tissues in the house at all though. I can’t imagine it. It also makes my life tough if I’m staying overnight. Please keep a box of tissues in your house. And for the love of god I don’t want to hear anyone continually snuffling and sniffling all day. Blow your nose. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/47 "2018-10-28T17:39:49Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Where in the hell do people in this thread find such cheap shitty tissues? I’m 63 years old and have been using tissues my whole life and have never blown one apart. Frankly I’m surprised that some people have so much trouble operating something as simple as a tissue. Some of us have very powerful, manly lungs. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/48 "2018-10-28T18:39:55Z")
You people that blow your noses - disgusting! You should suck that snot back in your head and swallow it. I don’t need to know about your mucoussesses. Keep your bodily fluids to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/49 "2018-10-28T20:03:15Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > 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. So, you’d prefer to ruin the environment by making and wasting paper rather than reuse? Look, I admit I usually carry a few paper extra napkins when I dont use all at a eatery (that way, there’s not waste, since they will toss them anyway)- but cloth handkerchiefs are better for the environment. If my nose is going crazy, yes, I will carry tissues. I carry a bandana for Non-nose wiping things (sunshade, hat, first aid, etc), and yes a cloth handkerchief for nose blowing- altho as i said, i usually don’t use it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/50 "2018-10-28T20:05:09Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > 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. > . Yep, which is why I carry both. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/51 "2018-10-28T20:06:39Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Do people reuse cloth toilet paper? That _would_ be a disgusting practice. They call those "diapers’ dontchaknow. But snot isnt unclean to the originator. Nor does it smell. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/52 "2018-10-28T20:48:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Look, I admit I usually carry a few paper extra napkins when I dont use all at a eatery (that way, there’s not waste, since they will toss them anyway)- but cloth handkerchiefs are better for the environment. If my nose is going crazy, yes, I will carry tissues. > > I carry a bandana for Non-nose wiping things (sunshade, hat, first aid, etc), and yes a cloth handkerchief for nose blowing- altho as i said, i usually don’t use it. Way to pick a side! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/53 "2018-10-29T04:02:53Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > … > It drives me nuts when I go to a friend’s or relative’s house and they have no tissues in the house at all though. I can’t imagine it. It also makes my life tough if I’m staying overnight. Please keep a box of tissues in your house. And for the love of god I don’t want to hear anyone continually snuffling and sniffling all day. Blow your nose. I often use toilet paper if there isn’t a tissue handy. I’ve never stayed in a house that didn’t have a supply of toilet paper. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/54 "2018-10-29T11:18:17Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > It’s news to me that using a handkerchief for its intended purpose is offensive and scandalous. > > Of course I use a handkerchief. The way I’m supposed to, for heaven’s sake. It would be nice if all of us were clean all the time, I suppose, but that’s not true, so we have laundry, showers, soap, toothbrushes, and all manner of other aids, including handkerchiefs. Must we really shame each other for not reaching this obviously impossible ideal? I concur 100%. I have a friend who – over assorted matters – takes fastidiousness and germophobia to the extreme extent seemingly displayed re handkerchiefs and nose-blowing, by the OP here and those who fully support him. I feel very sorry for my friend – this stuff seems to make his life a non-stop and highly complicated hell of anxiety and misery. My sentiments toward the OP and his cohorts, are the same. I’m in the UK; possibly, we here are mostly filthy bastards in comparison with the super-hygienic people of America. If that’s the case – it’s fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/55 "2018-10-29T12:21:28Z")
I can carry around a packet of tissues, but not a trash can. Whether I use a hanky or a tissue, often it has to go back in the pocket or purse because there’s no trash can or hamper nearby. As a former elementary teacher, I couldn’t afford to get squeamish about body fluids. I appreciate adults who find a way to contain them rather than wear them on their faces or wipe them wherever they find convenient. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/56 "2018-10-29T12:39:13Z")
I use Kleenex (brand loyalty) or paper towel (Brawny) to blow my nose. I cannot imagine using a piece of cloth and then not disposing of it. Also, the word “hanky” is freaky. I can’t believe adults are using the word unironically. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/57 "2018-10-29T13:37:02Z")
The more one thinks about it, the more one will realize human bodies are absolutely revolting. Disgusting soft fleshy bags of sticky and stinky substances. Once this is understood and accepted, I find it’s best to compartmentalize this knowledge and, when one comes across instances in real life which reinforce this knowledge, ignore it and move on, as long as these humans are making some effort to minimize the amount of bodily substances that might contact others. So tissues are fine, if that’s your thing. So are handkerchiefs. As long as you’re not sneezing on people, or wiping your snot on people – as long as you’re keeping your disgustingness within your own personal space – then you’re probably doing just fine. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/58 "2018-10-29T14:46:01Z")
So, for those people who use hankies, how do you launder them? Please don’t tell me you wash them with the rest of your clothes! ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/59 "2018-10-29T14:50:14Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > So, for those people who use hankies, how do you launder them? Please don’t tell me you wash them with the rest of your clothes! Why not? Mucus is relatively innocuous (no smell, non-staining, etc.), and the water, soap, and agitation will clean everything. I mean, I’ll throw my underwear in with other similar colored clothing (something I know some won’t do) and, being female, there are some bodily fluids on them, too. Ones usually deemed grosser. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594/60 "2018-10-29T15:11:20Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Ok, I was with you until cloth kotex. Nope, not gonna happen around here. I have a septic system so flushing tampons was a big no-no when my girls were home. But I ain’t washing pads, nope. Not. Gonna. > Sorry, YMMV. Don’t knock it till you try it. I’m using one right now and I’ve come to detest regular pads. The sticky tape gets stuck to skin and hair and, over time, it ruins your underwear. I’ve been using cloth for almost three years now. I’ve always taken excellent care of my stash and I don’t have even one stain on any of them and some of them have white in the designs. They’re like a soft, gentle hug to your lady-bits. > **[Ladies - cloth menstrual pads?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=786319)** > > I’ve been thinking of switching to cloth menstrual pads and I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with them? My research shows a very wide variety of kinds, sizes and material for them. They look so soft and comfy! The tree hugger ones are... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-who-carry-handkerchiefs/823594.md?page=4)