6 Reasons to Carry a Handkerchief: A Visual Guide

I’m 21 years old and carry a handkerchief, and surprisingly, when some girls saw me use it, it went over HUGE! They loved it, thought it was a super-adult thing to do. I was just a casual “hanky” kinda guy back then, but now it’s an everyday pocket-piece.

Where should one carry it?

I personally find handkerchiefs a bit gross (as I wrote about here:http://www.dailyvowelmovements.com/2011/11/hankerchiefs-are-disgusting.html) but there are a couple of good uses above.

As always, another fun visual guide. I loved the bit with the “robbing a stage-coach” — it made me giggle a bit.

Being a Girl Scout leader, it’s in my habit to be prepared — so carrying a clean cotton handkerchief is one of the things I keep with me at all times.

Agreed with Bill on cleaning glasses, especially if you use fabric softener or static guard. You’ll just be smearing the lenses for eternity.

So I’m supposed to blow my nose, then wipe my brow, then dry my hands, then offer this thrice-used hanky to a lady, then rob a stagecoach, and finally try to clean my glasses with this now filthy square of fabric?

Patric and Andrew-

Are you purposely being obtuse or you guys really that dense?

Pretty sure AoM would trust that you use some judgement and not hand a snot filled hanky to a woman or wipe your glasses with a sweat drenched rag. If you were to do that, then you’d be an idiot.

Call me silly, but I think this is supposed to be representation of what one could use a hanky for and not meant to be taken as a mandate to use a single hanky for all these purposes right after each other.

Disregard the above comment if you guys were trying to be funny. If you were trying to be funny, try harder.

Carry two handkerchiefs. A white one for personal use, as illustrated. Carry a red bandana to wave in case of emergency. The red one should be in your bag, car, etc., within reach anyway. I’ve only needed the red one once, but I was sure glad I had it.

Boy, are the snot-o-phobes going to have trouble facing cloth diapers…..

Never leave home without one.

@MJH-

I agree on the bandana and hanky approach. I’ve been carrying them both for years, and only need the bandana once to help splint a broken bone on an unfortunate lady. I let her keep it as a souvenir, and my two young boys thought that their pop was a hero.

I carry one red and one blue so I’m prepared for which hood I go to.

A gentlemen always carrys a handkerchief. Ladies always appreciate it.

Just having a hankerchief isn’t enough. It’s about it’s quality, the colours and patterns of the hankerchief, it’s looks. Also very important is the way a man uses it’s hankerchief in public, the timing, the suplesse. Well, being a man is hard these days.

I prefer to keep a pack of pocket tissues in all of my coats & laptop bag. One and done. No fuss, no muss.

Been using hankies for years, and actually have a side business selling them! Folks have asked me if it’s gross to use a handkerchief… Using a hankie and putting it in my pocket or purse for another future use was just like doing the same with a paper tissue so I didn’t find it disgusting. If it gets used too much, I just toss it into the laundry and grab a fresh one. Using a flannel hankie feels so much better on your nose when you’ve got a nasty cold than a regular cotton hanky, let alone a scratchy paper tissue… and will help keep that sore, red nose at bay. The Flankies I make are also so thick and absorbant, it takes quite a bit to soak through one, unlike the thin cotton ones you soak through with one blow! I sell them on Etsy at http://www.kaalisti.etsy.com... and will have more in stock soon, I’m currently sewing a whole new lot.

As I understand it, men don’t loan their hankie to a Lady. They give it, as the gentleman should not expect her to hand the cloth back after using it. In Victorian times, this would have been considered rude, or it would mean she did not care for the man. In modern times, I’d think that If she knows the kind sir, she will wash the handkerchief and it to him clean. That is just something I read somewhere and it made sense to me.
My dad used to carry one, and I recall my uncles caring handkerchiefs when I was little. I’ve only seen my hubby carry one when we went on hiking trips. I will admit to being a bit of a germ-a-phobe, and the thought of using a cloth to blow one’s nose and then putting that cloth back in your pocket is somewhat icky. However, I would assume that if you are leaving the house with a runny nose due to a cold or allergy season you are likely to take a handful of Kleenex. Isn’t the handkerchief for those unexpected emergency nose-blowing or wiping situations? Furthermore, I would assume that the gentleman who carries a hankie for those unpredictable sneezes or brow-mopping sessions, or the bandit who needs to remain incognito, has a stash of clean handkerchiefs from which he picks every day. That is how I would bring myself to accept the chivalry if ever offered one –as a Lady.
Here is an article on etiquette for using a handkerchief: http://www.ehow.com/way_5611215_etiquette-using-handkerchiefs.html

I have been carrying handkerchiefs for many years now. It is wise to have several. I have at least for every day. I have 2 children, and I can tell you those hankies have proven themselves over and over again. From cleaning dirty or snotty faces, drying hands at a public bathroom when there are no towels left, cleaning up scrapes and scratches, cooling down on a hot day, to simply playing pirates. (Not all with the same one.)
“But what about the germs, and it getting dirty?”, you might ask. Well, they are designed to be washed. A clean hankie for every day. That’s what I say.
I like using for their functionality, and their re-usability. I don’t like to make more waste than is necessary . But, that’s just my opinion.

I never did understand hanky stigma. I cannot explain how many times in my younger years I needed something to blow my nose on and had nothing but those sandpapery brown paper towels from school. Or I had one of those mini packs of tissues and it ran out because my nose was running bad. Besides, if you are in a public place with no garbage you have nowhere to dispose of those paper things in the first place, you have to either be a jerk and litter or put it in your pocket. The worst thing is those paper tissues are usually so thin my hands feel dirty the first time I blow my nose with them in the first place. With a handkerchief if I need to use it more times in one day than preferred I can take a detour to a bathroom, wash it with antibacterial soap(a common staple today), ring it out and keep on using it.

P.S. I did not have the leisure to spend the high price tag on my favorite cologne, so I bought a mini bottle. To extend its lifetime I apply it to the bottom of a folded hankie I use as a pocket square. The scent is light and pleasant, and lasts a long time. Bonus if you give it to a lady as a gift.

The reuse issue is why I always carry two — one for me an one for the world — one in each back pocket. My wife says they also improve my hind appearance.

To those who find carrying a handkerchief to wipe you nose gross, do you carry a tissue pack in your pocket? And if not (I can’t say I have ever met a man who does), what do you do when your nose is running and you’re somewhere there isn’t a tissue box handy? I mean this happens all the time. Do you wipe your nose with your finger or with your sleeve, and how is that less gross?

Robbing stage coaches: best reason.

I carry one with me most days. Especially when I go to work. I use it for mopping my brow(and wouldn’t offer it to a lady after that for obvious reasons and I don’t wipe my nose with it, gross). And it goes in the hamper to be washed when I get home. That’s probably the reason I own 5-6 of them.

I always carry a handkerchief but rarely, of ever, use it for my own purposes. I have it handy for cleaning my wife’s glasses or to offer her for her use.

I also find a clean hanky comes in handy when little children fall off their bicycles and need help covering (or cleaning) up any blood. This has happened more than once…didn’t know the kids, but was glad to have the one tool (clean) needed to help them.

“Offering to Crying Lady” is definitely the most manly and rewarding reason to carry one, even if you never use it for anything else (or can’t bring yourself to use it for your own nose:S).

When I was standing at the altar with my bride-to-be 15+ years ago, she started to get weepy during the ceremony. I pulled my hanky out and discreetly handed it to her. Despite my discreetness, few of those in attendance failed to notice, and I received countless kudos for the charm and chivalry of that one little thing!

Sometimes people can get so literal! Of course you’re not going to offer your hanky to a lady if you’ve used it for anything else!

But I agree that these are handy little pieces of fabric. I know some people are grossed out, but in the winter when you have a runny nose, one hanky is better than using 100 tissues! It’s softer on your nose and green (both environmentally and from your mucus, haha)!

My only problem is; I can find any decent Kerchiefs,

Anyone know any sites where I can get some?

Sorry – my dad’s hankies were the most disgusting things I remember growing up. My sister and I wouldn’t come within 10 feet of them. Kudos to my mom for washing and ironing them every week.

I think the spirit of the tips is the ‘be prepared’ motto. OF COURSE you’re NOT going to be blowing your nose constantly on it; that use is meant for an EMERGENCY when you don’t have any tissues! What’s your alternative, use your hand? And, OF COURSE no gentleman would offer a crying lady a dirty one! Why are some people so darn literal??

As a former funeral director & a current pastor I have found them invaluable. I keep a clean & folded handkerchief with me at all times & have given away dozens to ladies at moments that required gentle compassion. Besides it’s many other uses this outshines them all in my book. A little civility & compassion goes a long way in this world of ours. Hanky on Gents!

I’m a big fan of the big green cravats/bandannas that you can find in military first aid kits and usually carry one or three in my backpack, luggage, carry-on, etc. They are great for all of the above and are big enough to use as a pressure bandage or help splint a broken bone. Best of all, if you need to you can tie a rock or padlock into one and use it to crack someone over the head.

Carry two. One for blow and one for show (to offer to someone in need.)

I blew my nose before I robbed the stagecoach last time, and when the women inside started crying they wouldn’t even accept the handkerchief, I mopped my brow.

Robbing a stage coach could also be called ‘staying warm.’ This winter I didn’t have a scarf so I used my handkerchief like that just so my face wouldn’t freeze.

A buddy of mine says a hankerchief allows you to keep in your pocket what you wouldn’t want in your hands!

But of course I carry one.

Want to be a hero? Take at least two clean pressed cotton hankies to all weddings and funerals.

I actually had a woman, in the store, tell me didn’t know what a handkerchief was.

I have 7 or so in heavy rotation, a clean one for everyday. Most times you have no warning for an oncoming sneeze and its far better being prepared than sneezing in your hands. I’ve yet to come across a day I didn’t use one once for one of the reasons above.

of course you could do that with a sock or shirt too

Tim I just wanted to say the same thing :)
Ben ook van België, raar dat er hier zo’n punt word over gemaakt he!

Last summer, when Churchill Downs was hit by a tornado, several of the older gentlemen on the backside had hankies. We used them for everything that night–putting pressure on wounds (thankfully all minor), blindfolding one particularly scared filly, and as a lead rope for a pony horse. We could have done without them, yes, but it sure made the night easier.

To everyone who thinks using a hanky to blow your nose is “unhygienic” … I’d like to know what exactly happens in the second between it being in your nose and being in your hanky which makes it so gross?

Am I the only one who uses a lace hanky? Oh wait, you’re all too girly to worry about a little snot leaking over your hands?

I have carried a handkerchief for 30+ years. They are essential for all of the reasons illustrated. They get washed/bleached after every use. It beats carrying a wad of kleenex in your pocket. I would never consider handing a woman a “tissue”, but have often felt comfortable and subsequently appreciated for giving one to a woman. An extra touch is offering to allow her to keep it, in the event she needs it again. I have lost a few that way, but the gesture was appreciated. I have had them returned cleaned and pressed, sometimes with a nice note and once with a new package of very nice handkerchiefs.
Obviously, the use or order of use may exlude other consecutive uses in the same day, but one would expect the owner to use common sense.

Mike brought up a good point. A handkerchief could be an excellent “pick up tool” to re-establish contact with a damsel in distress. I think his advice of carrying two different types of hankies is cool and classy at the same time. I wish to submit another use for a handkerchief: Training Tool. That’s right, a training tool. Countless people have told me that when they first learned to use a steam iron, they practiced first on their dad’s hankies. With hankies disappearing, could this be why ironing has become a lost art?

Nothing quite as awesome as using a snot rag to wipe your head. I keep one in my car, hiking pack and gym bag. Sweat only. Nose gets a kleenex. Stage coach gets a presidential mask. Damsel gets a shoulder.

My father has always carried one, and taught me never to go anywhere without one.

Never left home without a plain white handkerchief. Mom taught me never to blow my nose in it though. But it’s a must here in the tropics. But people my age (I’m turning 22 this year) around here don’t carry one anymore.

I’ve been carrying a handkerchief daily since my sophomore year of college when a professor recommended it as a necessary part of business dress (do you really want to dry/wipe your hands or mop sweat with the sleeve of your suit jacket or dress shirt?). To answer an earlier commenter, I keep it in my back pocket and keep my wallet in my hip pocket to avoid back problems and pickpockets.

I was raised in the “Kleenex World” but was introduced to the handkerchief by my Russian-Jewish father-in-law along with lessons in how to buy a tailored suit in Hong Kong. Despite the occasional jab (ew, that’s yucky!) I’ve carried one ever since. Decades. My wife asks for it if we happen to be in sad movie together. Through some unknown magic it’s always clean when she uses it. Kleenex now feels like one of the many ‘scams’ the commercial world has put upon us all–as if the new and modern ideas are always “better.”

While there are plenty of good reasons to carry one, I still can’t get over having a pocket full of snot.