Should You Plant Them. I might have to put this question in context before answering it. It needs to effectively wipe away all that unpleasantness from your nose while at the same time be gentle enough to wipe away a child’s tears. From what I’ve been hearing, this has been one of the worst cold and flu seasons in years, and that means a lot of paper tissues headed straight to the landfill. I spent basically all of last week battling a horrendous ick: fever chills, watery eyes, and (of course) an endlessly runny nose. I had it similar in that I always used hankies as a kid but then stopped at some point until I decided to but a few more in my final year of high school and try them out. Whenever I had a cold my mum kept a stack ready. There are many others as to why handkerchiefs are better. As time progressed, her blows become really long, explosive … The Walmart-brand two-ply tissues were very similar to Target, passing most of our tests, and even besting their big-box competition in comfort when reusing the same tissue a couple of times (so during those horrible colds when you basically need a tissue attached to your nose). Using tissues made from virgin pulp has a long tail of environmental costs associated with it (read more about paper and pulp production from WWF). Get smarter about what you're buying. Cold & Flu Season is Here: Let’s Talk Hankies! Putting boogers back in your pocket? So today I want to go back to the old handkerchief and explore a bit why it’s come out of fashion and how to get it back. We spent several days with each box totaling about three weeks of testing. Handkerchiefs are still used for a variety of purposes, mainly as signals. Testing tissues meant a lot of nose blowing. It’s very suave to offer a handkerchief to a person in distress. As Kleenex is one of those ubiquitous brand names, it was vital to include them. Your email address will not be published. And that’s just my personal reason. If you can’t find a linen that you like, very soft organic cotton will work fine, just make sure that it’s not sateen – that shiny coating hinders absorption. Reviews, Although there is an up-front cost to handkerchiefs, they will outlast any box of paper tissues. But honestly, if your main concern is just comfort for your sore nose, there's no reason not to add this to your cart. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process. Hi, I’m Alicia Cypress, the managing editor for Reviewed’s “Best Right Now” product guides. So, unless you’re talking about the specific Kleenex brand, don’t ask your friend for a Kleenex to blow your nose! The last thing you want to do when you’re sick is deal with a load of laundry! Together with my colleague, Reviewed Senior Scientist Julia MacDougall, we blew our noses with different force, over and over again and then some more.We tested for durability by using the same tissue multiple times and I used each tissue to sop up a teaspoon of water (note: tissues with added lotion don’t do so well here). The decisive part is what happens afterwards. Check out Julie’s easy drawstring bag tutorial – she’ll have you whipping up a bag in minutes! As I got older I started using paper tissues. Sign up for our newsletter to get real advice from real experts. Cloth is much better. That’s why Puffs Ultra Soft (available at Amazon) is our favorite facial tissue. This happens, regardless of whether you’re using paper or fabric. Do I Need Lotion in My Tissues? The most important part of making the hankie thing work is choosing the right fabrics. If you just blew your nose and have to do it again – and this is going to sound obvious – don’t use the same spot on the hankie! Their price is competitive with its Kleenex and Puffs counterparts, so if you want a softer tissue, those may be a better choice. Hankies are more fun to use. In her free time, she studies and writes about wine. Last thing: at the risk of getting too detailed, I’ll tell you that there is a trick to using hankies. It should be soothing, but it also needs to be durable, so it doesn’t disintegrate if you have to use it again or accidentally leave it crumpled in a coat pocket only to find it the following winter. They are environmentally friendly. When you use a handkerchief to blow your nose when you’re sick, you blow out viruses into the hankie or tissue. The handkerchief code is also established in the LGBT community to signal sexual preferences. In Australia, the US, and the UK you can always turn to Who gives a crap for recycled tissues. Unfortunately, this strength (it’s also one of the few three-ply tissues we tested) doesn't necessarily mean it's absorbent. We can’t help you decide which camp you fall into, however, the Puff's got high marks on all our comfort and durability tests. 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If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. I mean, you could give them a Kleenex, but it’s much nicer to give them a handkerchief. this fell to the middle of the pack. In our scoring, Kleenex was a minuscule 0.003 behind Puffs. Fold the clean hanky neatly in half, then into several squares across the longest For a big blow, open one or two sections (two if your hanky is and blow your nose on the bottom third, holding the hanky around your nose. She’s a veteran journalist, spending her career before Reviewed at The Washington Post and NPR. Whether you buy a handmade hankie or make you own, choosing a reusable er…nose-blowing solution….is great for the planet. Of course, the equation goes the other way around as well. Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar. After using over and over again, these tissues don’t hold up as well, as they don't do a good job at sopping up the water we spilled. The testing scores from the Kleenex Soothing Lotion with aloe and vitamin E mimicked the Puffs Plus Lotion, acing almost all our tests except for the absorbency. Theme By. Whether it’s allergies, a cold, or something worse, when you’re standing in a store and staring at all those colorful boxes wondering which to buy, chances are, you won’t go wrong. What Is a Ply? However, I did notice some white residue on a black sweatshirt I wore, which I could only believe came from the tiny fibers in the tissue. Yes, there’s an initial ick factor with a reusable hankie. by I have a lot of allergies that make my nose run, and I still remember the dry, nasty, painful red nose I used to get from using tissue after tissue. Copyright 2020 Live Small - Be More All Right Reserved. If you like my work, you can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Puffs Ultra Soft is the best facial tissue we tested. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Did the nose blowing or the prospect of it make you more or less attracted to the other person, or them to you? Great decision you’ve made! Aftermath video - my boyfriend catching my sneezes - Nose blowing into a Handkerchief by Leas.