We've switched to CFLs, outfitted the family with Klean Kanteens, dutifully recycle everything we can and are looking for the next painless green step we can make in our household - the reusable hanky. Handkerchiefs have a quaint old fashioned quality to them and many of us have fond memories of our fathers (who likely still carry them) wiping our noses, cheeks and eyes with them over the years.
But with kids around having a single hanky in our pocket isn't going to cut it and we also don't want to be finding used handkerchiefs dropped haphazardly around the house. Allyson Hill has switched to handkerchiefs in her home and has come up with a solution for stockpiling them and collecting them once they're used. She's made clearly labeled "clean" and "dirty" receptacles and placed them around the house for retrieving or depositing hankies. She made fabric versions and as well as labels to put on ceramic bowls (download templates for each on her blog). [Allyson has some organizational gifts - you may remember the product she designs and sells for keeping car backseats tidy.]
One note: Handkerchiefs are ideal for allergies and everyday sneezes and running noses, but to prevent spreading germs, disposable tissues are the way to go when you or your kids have a cold.
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Awesome. Thanks!
htpp://embritadesign.blogspot.com
view EmmieB's profile
I don't really understand why dirty hankies can't just go in with the dirty clothes.
view javagrrrl's profile
Javagrrrl, I definitely think they do go in with the dirty clothes. The idea is that kids will be more likely to use them if they're readily available throughout the home. And it's probably unrealistic to think that they will always run them to a hamper as soon as they're done. So these, or something like them, would just be temporary depositories.
Carrie
view CMcB's profile
No thank you! The idea of old grandpa and his disgusting hanky is NOT a fond memory. I can think of no other word to describe them except GROSS.
view 2kidsandus's profile