Hankerchiefs!!!!

[bluensm]

My hubby was driving home yesterday and listening to the radio.... they had a lady on from CDC or something like that (you know, preventing contagious diseases kind of place). She was talking about how disgusting hankerchiefs were and how everyone should use disposable tissues and throw them away as soon as possible. Also that everyone should wash their hands as often as possible to prevent catching diseases.

We use hankerchiefs (made from hubbys old shirts!) and they've never caused us any problems! Surely people have to build up their immune systems?? And hankerchiefs have worked quite well for hundreds of years, perhaps she didn't realise you have to wash them occassionally?!

I can understand these kind of precautions in a country that you are new too and you're not used to the bugs but surely in everyday home life it's fine to use hankies!

Apparently the presenters of the radio show said that was the piece that they'd had the most comments on so I don't think I'm the only one who thinks she was mad!

anyway rant over.... :-)

[Rosendula]

I agree that using washable handkies are far better, both for the environment and the pocket. Unfortunately, this is one area I haven't yet managed to become good in. I'm the one who does the laundry in our house. I can sort through everyone else's underwear, no problem, but used hankies I just couldn't do. I'm bogiephobic.

[snapdragon]

We always use handkerchiefs - mostly made from pillow cases that have 'given up'. When I wash them I generally pour boiling water over them before they go in the wash machine (a habit I picked up from my Mum I think)
I can't see why they say that a fabric nose-wiper should be worse than a paper one - as unless you have an open fire to hand the paper ones hang about in bins for ages (especially in workplaces)whereas your fabric one sits in your pocket hidden away.
When I was at work I was often the only one who didn't catch the colds and 'flu' that went round the workplace, I put that down to handkerchiefs and wearing a neck warmer.

[Sally Jane]

I have a vast collection of ladies' silly little hankies, but I am going to replace them (when they finally have the decency to wear out) with gents' hanks. I only have a little nose, but the ladies handkerchiefs are only good enough for one decent blow!

I certainly agree with the idea of pouring boiling water over them the night before washing them - considerably less horrible than my late first husband's insistence ( he was a good bit older than me, another generation really) on boiling his hanks in a pan on the stove before washing them (by hand and scrubbing the sn*t off with a nail brush in the days before we got our trusty old twin tub washing machine when the babies came along)

Thank goodness they can go in the washing machine these days...!

[red]

we use cloth hankies - we have a bunch of mens ones, and I make them out of worn out clothes.
infact here are some I have made as a stocking filler for son


We use them mostly because they are much kinder on noses.

Cannot see how throwing them away is more hygenic then washing them. They still exist if you throw tem. In an office say, if you throw, they sit in the bin, then the cleaner picks them up an carries them around.. whearas a cloth hankie will stay in pocket, be taken home and washed.

agree with teh hand washing thing. Fast food places are an open admission that no one washes their hands before eating....