Do you or anyone in your family still use cloth hankies?

NO, I don't know anyone who still uses cloth hankies.
My father used to - he just would not use the paper tissues that had been around for so many years, and insisted on hankies which my mother used to iron.
Come to think of it, my brother still uses cloth hankies - he lives in another State to me, and I just remember last time I was there, laughing that they have to get washed and ironed.
Like father like son!

by Finy

I must say that the tissues which were around many years ago, were so rough on the nose especially when it was already red and sore! Before the softer ones were available, my mother would rip up old soft cotton sheets for my extreme hay fever attacks, and then they would be burned after use! Basically, they were disposable just like tissues!! My dad still uses hankies too! I think that men in previous generations were raised to always carry a handkerchief in case of emergencies totally unrelated to nose issues!! They could then always offer this pristine piece of soft white cloth if someone had a spill or was crying for some reason. Offering a box of tissues just is not quite the same, is it?!!!! Plus, you cannot carry a box of them in your pocket!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

I actually LOVE special soft linen and cotton hankies, though I just have them for very special occasions such as weddings, funerals, etc when they are used for wiping tears away, rather than blowing the nose! I used to love getting the job of ironing all the hankies when I was little.I guess it is a great way to learn how to handle an iron! I have some exquisite old handkerchiefs with the most gorgeous lace and/or embroidery, and I simply HAVE to keep them all!! When I was little, a special gift would be a hanky which I had embroidered all by my little self for the recipient.I guess this is why I love hankies to this day.They usually were items which had a lot of sentimental value attached to them. I can still hear my mother's voice asking 'Have you got a nice clean hankie with you?' when going anywhere special!! Being a child with shocking allergies which caused sneezing a great deal, I used tissues for my everyday nose issues, and NOT my gorgeous hankies!!

by Jules

I have never used a hankie or seen any member of my family use one

by Belinda

No.. Not for many years.

by BritishStorm

Yes, I do. Not all the time, but they're nicer when I have a cold because they're softer. I use bamboo ones, and they're also more absorbent, so if you have a lot of snot (like with a cold) they hold up better than a tissue. I hot wash them, and the bamboo is naturally anti bacterial and anti fungal which can't hurt.

by Jennifer Muirhead

Absolutely NOT!

by jonaja

No, I haven't used them for many years, but i still have all mine. Well, I can't make myself throw them out. My husband still has his, but doesn't use them. I still have a 3 that my grandmother gave me, when I was little. (She died when I was 12.) 1 of them has a picture of a dog, & the word DOG on it! (We never had a dog in the family.) Another 1 tells you, with words & pictures, how to catch a man, a 3rd has London seines on it. Others aren't even made from cotton. How much would that hurt ones nose, to have to use a nylon hanky with a heavy cold? I'll have to go & find them & look them out again. There's lots of lovely pretty ones. I think they're in a nylon washer bag type pouch.

by Miro

How wonderful for you to have such memories attached to your hankies!! I am just the same with mine! Hankies were something very personal and special in the not so distant past, and I feel sure that many others also feel as we do about ones which were received as gifts from special people in our lives!

My husband still uses cloth hankies. It was one thing about him that really impressed me when we first met. If i was upset, he handed me a cloth hankie to wipe away my twars. What a true gentleman, I thought. His father was very gentlemanly too, and he was well known as a true gentleman, with excellent manners, by all who knew him. It seems like my husband followed his fathers good example.

by Lluxi

I still have pretty crocheted edge hankies that are used as Jules described and were mostly given to me by my Grandmother. They come out on special occasions and are for wiping tears away. Not nose blowing.
I have several white man size hankies and will carry a few clean ironed ones in my handbag for emergencies or to dry my hands. I have hyperhydrosis which means my hands and feet perspire a lot! I have learnt to hold onto a folded hanky to protect my clothes.
On the rare occasion that I have a drippy nose I prefer to use a cloth hanky and have a few that are used for this and promptly put in Nappy San before washing, drying in the sun and ironing.
It was interesting to me that some men in India still carry clean ironed hankies that are whipped out to serve duty in an emergency like to cover a chair or to bandage a knee. It reminded me of my Grandfather who always carried a clean hanky in case someone needed it in a crisis. He was such a gentleman.

by annfi

I hate handkerchiefs. The thought of washing them with all the clothing etc. of other family members I find quite nauseating. I know you can keep them in a pocket if you have a cold, so they ware handy, but I could'nt use one and then expect someone to wash them and iron them for me (if I had a head cold). I don't think they are very hygienic.

by fran.

If I have a cold I use tissues. always have a cloth hankie in my handbag.

by flaga

You can't beat a soft cloth hanky when you have the dreaded lurgy. Use tissues, and you end up looking like Rudolph. I keep a small bucket filled with disinfectant for soaking prior to machining. Othewise I have tissues handy for ordinary use. My husband is always a hanky user.
There are folk who don't use anything except their sleeve or fingers. Our city is experiencing a dreadful 'flu outbreak, and not of the man kind. No wonder. There are folk on public transport who have no idea of how to manage their sniffles. Being a grumpy old woman, I am carrying extra tissues in my bag to distribute to the ignorant. Rant over.

by grann

Oh yes - my mum! she loves cloth handkerchiefs. I go looking for beautiful ones to gift her with, for special occasions. She used to embroider them herself but not anymore. She is not a big fan of tissues!

by Sharm Jay

No

by AJ

No. Tissues. Tissues. Tissues. Not great for the environment, but too convenient to say no.

by Vee