A Person Can Develop a Bad, Bad Cold
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.27.06
It’s cold time, with the wheezes and the sneezes and a sinus that's really a pip... Instead of searching desperately through your handbag or pockets for a dirty tissue, try an age-old solution: the handkerchief. Before they even knew about the environment our fathers used them—a clean, ironed white hankie in the breast pocket of the suit jacket. So did our grandmothers: flowery, sweet and smelling of eau de cologne. And now we can. Softer on the nose and kinder to the environment, carrying a real handkerchief instead of tissues cuts down on the use of paper. Look for vintage ones in second hand shops; they are often made of fine cotton with lovely old or retro prints. Or buy new pretty designer cotton ones. These were written up in Vogue so you know that their time has come. They add a whole new decorum to the nose-blowing business. :: Atishoo
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One word: Ewww.
Absolutely disgusting! Do you wipe your butt with a rag and then put it in your pocket? Your body expels viruses through mucous, that's why your nose produces so much during an infection. Blow all that into a rag and then stuff it in your pocket, just to pull it out and do it again? GROSS!!! There are certain applications for which a disposable option is necessary, this is one of them.
I am disgusting because I have always used a handkerchief. careful folding and keeping it in a back pocket, where hands tend not to go, keeps things sanitary.
Not recommended for heavy duty colds, of course. If that's the case you should just stay home.
As for wiping my butt - well, I just use a sock.
100% recycled tissue to the rescue? if you don't use your compost for food plants then a toss in the compost bin. I remember TH did an article on China and our paper going there for recycling partly due to TH who don't print as much. THis seems a natural fit for hygeine and recycling-loop that is closer to home. Now where can one find 100% post consumer reycled content kleenex? Is there such a thing? I guess little piecs of Shit Begone toilet paper is in order for tissue paper.
It DOES take a lot hot water to wash a hankie.
That being said, this kind of mild re-exposure can provide low-level innoculation. Over-clean environments lead to poorer disease resistance. The hygeine craze after the 1920's flu epidemic lead to lessened natural immunity to polio, which actually rose as hygiene imrproved.
I think there can be some room for personal style and preference in this matter. This is nothing on the scale of the disposable diaper problem.
I started using organic cotton handkerchiefs a few months ago, and I love them! They are much softer than even the softest paper tissues. To counter the ewww factor, I carry them in a washable pouch so nothing else in my purse gets contaminated. I wash everything in cold water and hang to dry, just like all the rest of my laundry, so minimal energy is used. Just have enough handkerchiefs on hand so you can wash them frequently. My mother and boyfriend have also made the switch to handkerchiefs after seeing how well they can work. Kimberly Clark gets none of my money to support its logging of old growth forests. Perfect!
My daughters gave me a dozen handkerchief for Christmas. They tie-dyed them all, to make them special. I am so fortunate!
I generally don't go out without a lighter, pocket knife and two handkerchiefs. They're my 'ready for anything' kit. I am now trying to memorize a few furoshiki-wrapping techniques (I think these were featured in this site some weeks ago) to make the (freshly-washed) handkerchiefs more useful.