what is the most efficient hankerchief use method?

December 19, 2006 1:55 PM

because i hate disposables, i use a hankerchief. my current method is sloppy, and mostly inolves scrunching it up a lot... i've noted in the past that some "gentleman"-types have a method of folding hankerchiefs to allow for many blows while avoiding ever having to accidentally touch (or even see) snot. any of you have a great method for getting the most blows out of one hankerchief?
posted by lgyre to clothing, beauty, & fashion (12 comments total)

I keep mine folded in a triangle (folded point to point instead of side to side).This provides me with many little segments in which to blow.

Disclaimer: I am usually using my hankerchief for cold air --> warm air sniffles. If I have an actual cold, more unfolding must occur, and the whole business gets scrunched up more quickly.
posted by desuetude at 2:00 PM on December 19, 2006

Igyre: I'm not a gentleman, or even male, but I 2nd dfleming's environmental concerns.

The way to fold a hanky for maximum usage is indeed, as desuetude stated, triangularly, point-to-point - as per Step 4 of that link. I stash mine in the front pocket of my Chrome bag, but if you are a wearer of gentleman's suits, you can flip out the top point of the triangle in a decorative fashion for an old-school touch.

I learned to fold (and prefer) cloth hankies in my youth as a retail menswear store clerk. I have dozens of hankies of all different colours and styles, mainly cotton or linen - it's viewed by my friends as a bit of an eccentric habit of mine but it's mainly harmless.

And yes, when I have a cold (i.e. masses of nasty drainage and lots of blowing) I often will resort to paper Kleenex to get rid of the bulk of the gross stuff. Kind of like parents who use cloth diapers most of the time, willo resort to disposables during travel, etc.

The cloth hanky does gets used probably 90% of the time however to address the 'just came in from outside' and/or 'touch of allergies' stray drips. I simply can't justify using a throwaway piece of paper once for minor sniffles. There's only so much environment to go around, after all.
posted by lonefrontranger at 2:33 PM on December 19, 2006

on review: ugh I hate this keyboard at work! kindly ignore the spelling errors above. I also wanted to add that a bonus of using soft cotton is that a) it doesn't lead to a sore nose / cold sores from blowing, and b) one can also clean one's specs without lint or that godawful 'lotion' greasy crap getting all over them from paper tissues (oh how I loathe lotion-scented-blablabla paper tissues!).

Also, a tip to the OP - always make sure you have enough stock to use a freshly laundered one each day. The cheapest / easiest accessible ones are the plain white cotton style that are sold in packages of five in Target's men's accessories section.
posted by lonefrontranger at 2:38 PM on December 19, 2006

nuts, and of course I forgot to add this handy link on all things awesome as regards handkerchief folds!

I swear, I'm done now.
posted by lonefrontranger at 2:45 PM on December 19, 2006

Handkerchiefs are so much nicer on the nose and so much classier/non-offensive-looking! There's nothing worse than a pile of snotty, stringy, mangled tissues when you have a cold. They're also multipurpose. Tissues are really such a waste.

There was a thread recently about pretty/fun handkerchiefs from Japan, where apparently they are very common.

I've never sorted out the folding thing on my own (though I will read the link) but I find if you keep it folded when it's in your pocket it's pretty easy to find where you were last and move over.
posted by loiseau at 3:10 PM on December 19, 2006

but if you are a wearer of gentleman's suits, you can flip out the top point of the triangle in a decorative fashion for an old-school touch.

No.

The pocket square is not for blowing one's nose, and shouldn't really be a handkerchief at all.

But that's if we want to get all Ask Andy about it.
posted by oxford blue at 3:28 PM on December 19, 2006

I'm a bandana man myself and have been for, yikes!, twenty years. I love the touch of color and carry one with me at all times, even when I'm in paper-kleenex mode because they are so gosh darned handy. Yes, even with formal wear. Maybe it's the cowboy in me, but I carry a (usually red in the circumstance) bandana even in a tux.

When I was a kid I received "The Bandana Book," which was probably an early Klutz imprint. There were all these goofy things that could be done with a bandana and I love the multi-taskability of a simple piece of cloth. Noses are only the beginning. Oh, and folding? I keep mine square and just move outward from the innermost fold.
posted by terceiro at 4:07 PM on December 19, 2006

Yes! Bandanas are great. They can be kind of stiff when they're new - try to wash them a bunch to soften them.
posted by loiseau at 4:11 PM on December 19, 2006

[a few comments removed, take the environmental derail to metatalk or to its own thread]
posted by jessamyn at 5:30 PM on December 19, 2006

Bandana man here too!

I soak mine in a mild detergent solution and ring them out a bunch before the first wash. That helps to speed the softening.

Ditto on terceiro's inward fold to outward fold. If I am really sick though I save the bandana only for when a wad of toilet paper is not handy or I use it up and throw it in the wash.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:30 PM on December 19, 2006

Oh, and I usually use a navy blue one for formalwear.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:31 PM on December 19, 2006

Ok, here's how I fold my handkerchiefs:

1. Lay the handkerchief flat. Fold it in half.
2. Fold the long sides back, on the outside, toward the first fold.
3. You should have a flattened "M"
4. Now rotate it 90 degrees and fold it in half along the short axis.
5. And then fold the ends, back towards the fold, on the outsides.
6. You should now have a square with lots of little pockets to blow your nose into.

This isn't a fold that you would use on a handkerchief that goes in your lapel pocket, btw.
posted by bshort at 9:20 PM on December 19, 2006