Poll: Do you carry a hankerchief? If so where?

[pb4uski]

Another poll on where one carries their wallet prompted this poll. My Dad carried a hankerchief and for some unknown reason, I adopted that practice in my early to mid 20s (I'm 61). I suspect that I am a small minority, but who knows?.... hence, this poll.

Handy for blowing my nose or wiping sweat off my brow.

 

[H2ODude]

Not a handkerchief but a bandana in rear pocket if I remember, always if walking in woods to wipe sweat and spider webs. Never understood the practice of using not disposable articles for nose maintenance though.

 

[scrabbler1]

I carry my hanky in my left front pants pocket. Years ago, it flew solo in there. But now it shares the pocket with my cards-only pouch and either my cell phone or soft reading glasses case.

 

[Danmar]

I thought only really old people still used handkerchiefs? Sorry pb, I'm older than you. Seems really unhygienic to me? Who wants to walk around with a used one in your pocket?

 

[braumeister]

No pockets in my super-suit, so I just wipe the sweat off with a corner of my cape.

 

[pjm-7]

In my purse. I always keep a hankie in the purse as a back-up. Don't assume that all hankie users are male.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I thought only really old people still used handkerchiefs? Sorry pb, I'm older than you. Seems really unhygienic to me? Who wants to walk around with a used one in your pocket?

After seeing what all my grandpa used his for and then put it back in his back pocket, I was turned off of carrying a handkerchief forever.* But I carry Kleenex in the car, towels in the garage, and I guess it'd be easy enough to pop in somewhere to use a restroom if something ever happened that I needed to wash or wipe something.

* It reminds me of this scene from 13th Warrior:

 

[Meadbh]

I usually carry a few paper tissues in a pocket or purse. I haven't used cloth handkerchiefs since I was a child.

 

[Midpack]

Always carry a plain white cloth hanky, front left pants pocket. Very rarely use it, habit I guess. It has to share a pocket with my smartphone nowadays unless I'm wearing a jacket.

 

[Dawg52]

I carry a Kleenex in case I start drooling.

 

[Cobra9777]

I thought only really old people still used handkerchiefs? Sorry pb, I'm older than you. Seems really unhygienic to me? Who wants to walk around with a used one in your pocket?

+1 The only person I've ever known to use one is my 84 year-old FIL. It's pretty disgusting to watch him cough into it, blow his nose, wipe his face, and then put the thing back in his pocket, only to pull it out 15 minutes later and repeat. On multiple occasions, DW, BIL, and several adult grandkids have tried to convince him to stop and use tissue paper instead. But he refuses and just laughs at any suggestion that this is unsanitary. DW even tried to get DMIL to secretly throw them away. DMIL says the behavior is too ingrained to change at this point, although she does insist that he start with a clean one everyday.

 

[ER Eddie]

Where do you carry your wallet? Do you carry a handkerchief? Do you own a gun and if so, do you carry it?

Why are you people so interested in what I'm carrying?

But no, I don't carry a hanky. I used to when I was a kid, but I don't anymore. Don't like the idea of carrying around a "snot rag."

 

[timo2]

I carried one when I was a kid in Missouri and other humid climates. Once I moved to the intermountain west, my sinus issues went away and I dumped the hankerchiefs and never looked back!

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Why are you people so interested in what I'm carrying?

Targeted marketing. Expect an email later with an ad for a hanky that can clean your gun and folds up to fit in your wallet.

 

[RE2Boys]

I carry a white cloth handkerchief when in dress up mode. Just in case needed and a box of tissues is not readily available wherever I am. Mostly goes unused. Habit picked up from my Dad 50 years ago.

If working around house or exercising, I'll have a colored bandanna, mostly to sop up sweat that burns my eyes.

Rest of time, as to store, etc, don't carry anything to sop up whatever.

 

[Lsbcal]

2 tissues in left rear pocket. I have mild allergies.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I used to carry a pressed white hanky all the time, Probably by the time I was in my early 20's I had "graduated" to a monogrammed one. When I bought suits, I remember the guy at the store would sell me matching ties and pocket handkerchiefs that stuck out of my breast pocket, I never blew my schnozola on those,hahahaha. When I was at work I used it more than once to try to stop the bleeding on someone. Those I would not reclaim for future use. Now mostly stick to a small wad of tissues in one of my pockets, I have a large box in the car as someone always needs one in the car. When dress up time happens, a hanky is a guarantee. It they get "water" logged Ive been know to throw them away.

 

[Scuba]

I thought only really old people still used handkerchiefs? Sorry pb, I'm older than you. Seems really unhygienic to me? Who wants to walk around with a used one in your pocket?

+1

 

[Fedup]

No, but I'm linked to the hip with my husband, most of the time anyway, and he carries tissues. No reuse necessary.

 

[RE2Boys]

The question in the poll didn't say anything about use of the handkerchief, just if you carried one. I have one, but it's use is usually the emergency variety (be prepared) to sop up whatever is needed to be sopped up, sometimes it is to stop bleeding, sometimes to quickly minimized damage from spilled drink and it has been used to wipe a kid's nose at church (given to the mom and don't want it back).
Tissues are usually too fragile to be count on unless you take fresh one's for your pocket regularly.

 

[gerntz]

My nose runs most of the time even with taking allergy shots. So I need one. Pull it out multiple times a day. Also wear glasses, so use it to clean those too though I need to look for a snot-free area first.

 

[pacergal]

Targeted marketing. Expect an email later with an ad for a hanky that can clean your gun and folds up to fit in your wallet.

Always have kleenex in the cars, in my purse. Do have small all cotton hanky for glasses.

 

[pb4uski]

OP here... interesting set of responses. I guess that I started carrying one because Dad did and it is handy if one has a cold/runny nose. Also handy to wipe one's brow when sweating. Or cleaning glasses.... but a cotton shirt is handy for that too. I concede that in some ways I am a dinosaur.

I concede to the obvious hygene issue but just find it a lot more convenient than tissues that end up being a bundled mess by the time I want to use them. DW dislikes them, particulrly when I have a cold or runny nose.

And I understand that it is not just a male thing which is why I attempted to make the pool gender-neutral (both men and women have pants pockets don't they?).

I would never thing of routinely carrying it in my front pocket though and a few responses in that vein were interesting.

Another handy use... a couple months ago I was out on the golf course and had eaten something that disagreed with me and had to go bad... found a porta-potti on the course but alas, no TP.... I now have one less hankerchief but it was well worth losing it. Dad was a traveling salesman and did a lot of driving in rural areas with no or limited facilities but lot of woods and as I understand it lost more than a few that way.

 

[pb4uski]

As of this writing 12 respondents regularly or sometimes carry one.... and 6 carry it in their right rear pocket, 1 in the left rear pocket and 7 somewhere else.

Perhaps some respondents carry more than one... either that, or math is hard.

 

[Nemo2]

Another handy use... a couple months ago I was out on the golf course and had eaten something that disagreed with me and had to go bad... found a porta-potti on the course but alas, no TP.... I now have one less hankerchief but it was well worth losing it.

Oh, was that yours? You'll be pleased to know that it washed up real nice!