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I’m Siel, an environmental writer and activist who lives in West Hollywood, Calif. I’m BlogHer's Green Section Editor, and I write green LA girl. a p...
 
 
 
 

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Pick an eco-friendly handkerchief

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Can you spot an environmentalist by her red nose? Grist recently tested out five recycled paper tissues, found none of them soft or strong, and ended up recommending hankies!

Thus, a guide to eco-friendly handkerchiefs, from the plain jane squres to the too cute to blow my nose in designs:

Hank & Cheef. (right) These organic cotton hankies have to be my favorite -- because the designs are just so cute! Plus, the hankies are designed, printed, and sewn in Vancouver, BC. Get them individually or in a pack of 7 -- with each pack featuring nature-inspired graphics.

Handmade hankies at Etsy. Many Etsy sellers call their hankies eco-friendly simply because they're reusable, but these two crafty gals make truly green hankies! Adrienne of atozcreations makes cute ones made of upcycled vintage fabric, and Evah of potatohavetoes (left) sells organic hankies embroidered with her own designs.

Hanketts. This company tries to make reusable handkerchiefs convenient by offering them in paper-tissue-esque boxes and pocket packs. Most of the packs feature simple hankies in multiple colors, but Hankettes does have a one design with an organic cotton lace border too.

All of the hankies are made with organic cotton flannel, but for some reason, tend to cost a few bucks more each than the similar Lunapad hankies (below). Penny pinchers who still want the tissue box convenience might consider saving their empty box of paper tissues, then filling them up with Lunapads hankies.

Lunapads hadkerchiefs. Want a simple, no-frills hankie? These organic cotton handkerchiefs by Lunapads come in a plain neutral cotton color and are available in two sizes. Plus, at $2.99 - $3.99 each, they're the most affordable of the bunch.

Related links:

>> Sarah van Schagen at Grist wrote the roundup on recycled facial tissues that inspired this roundup of hankies.

>> Laure at Apartment Therapy's put together a roundup of eco-friendly fabrics -- if you're crafty enough to make your own hankies!

>> Green sheep wishes she could replace her kid's boxes of Kleenex with reusable handkerchiefs. Check out her ideal back-to-school shopping list!

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snigdhasen 5 pts

Growing up in India, I had no concept of paper tissues. We used only kerchiefs: hankies for women, bigger kerchiefs for men. My husband still has loads of them and uses them. The tough part is the cleaning. A bit yucky: soaking in warm soapy water should do the trick. Sometimes you need to scrub. I know, I know, gross, but environment-friendly, no?

My family back in India still don't use tissues. 

Nice post!