Tissues versus Handkerchiefs

 I haven't done an official trash audit since last April, but I have been noticing lately that the largest volume of trash in my household is currently tissues. Singly-used, paper made, tissues. Last year, I did switch tissue brands so that we were using recycled paper tissues. However, I've still noticed that we use a lot of tissues and that is a lot of water and tree waste to take care of blowing our noses. 

So I started thinking about it. What did people use before disposable tissues? Handkerchiefs! Naturally. There was a way to deal with running noses. I have over my life ended up with a few handkerchiefs and haven't really used them. So I did some research. Why did people give up handkerchiefs in favor of disposable tissues? Mostly because people thought they were not sanitary. 

After doing some of this research, I also realized its not really that tissues are more hygienic than handkerchiefs, but how we use tissues or handkerchiefs which are the real issue. When we bundle whatever we have used to blow our noses up in a ball and leave it somewhere to get touched again later, then we are not being sanitary. When we take care with folding either in a proper way and putting used handkerchiefs in the wash after use, then handkerchiefs are as sanitary as disposable tissues.

I have a lot of old t-shirts and other cotton pieces that I can make into handkerchiefs. If I make enough to have around the house, then I can use one and put it in the wash. Then I can reuse them and reduce the paper and water waste of disposable tissues. While I am personally going to work on this, I have a feeling it will take a long while to catch on in my house, but here's to trying!

(I also stumbled upon a whole world of handkerchief code that I had no idea about. Only go there if you feel sexually comfortable with yourself.)