S/O - replacing paper tissues

[velochic]

I have about 100 handkerchiefs that were my grandmother's and my father's. I once tried to extend our "no paper" policy to hankies, but we went through the entire stack in less than one day, using all parts and folding over, etc. I have allergies, as does dd and my mother (who lives with us).

Now, dh has always used cloth. He doesn't have sinus problems and it's not a problem for him. If he's sick with a virus, he uses paper instead.

We go through about 2 large boxes of Puffs each week. I have a trash can I put them all in, and actually use them for firestarter in the woodburning stove (is that gross?). Thoughts? I can't see a solution to substituting cloth for paper in this case. Any ideas?

[ArtsyMomma]

I would just think you need more. If you sew, you could make some wipes/hankies really easily with two layers of flannel, just zig-zag stitch or serge around the edges.

[cristeen]

How does 100 hankies in a day = 2 boxes of Puffs/week?

In the grand scheme of things - you're not putting the tissues in the landfill, they're serving a further purpose, so I wouldn't worry too much about that part, but I do have to question going through 100 hankies in a day between 3 people. Even with sinus problems, a hankie lasts a couple days around here. And when DH was sick last week with severe congestion, he still only went through about 3/day. Are these hankies the tiny little kind, or the kind that are super thin and don't hold anything?

[Purple*Lotus]

Originally Posted by cristeen

How does 100 hankies in a day = 2 boxes of Puffs/week?

In the grand scheme of things - you're not putting the tissues in the landfill, they're serving a further purpose, so I wouldn't worry too much about that part, but I do have to question going through 100 hankies in a day between 3 people. Even with sinus problems, a hankie lasts a couple days around here. And when DH was sick last week with severe congestion, he still only went through about 3/day. Are these hankies the tiny little kind, or the kind that are super thin and don't hold anything?

I agree, a good, thick hankie should last at least a day per person. I have some nasty allergies myself and I can always go at least one day with a hankie.

[velochic]

They are older handkerchiefs that are about the size of a paper facial tissue. They aren't thick. They are about as useful as a paper tissue, some not even as, because they're not as absorbent. These were my grandmother's and father's. Some are very pretty, actually.

Yes, we go through that much. Believe it or not. I sneeze probably 50 times a day. My mom is in worse shape than I am, not with sneezing but with a runny nose. Obviously this is seasonal. We're now thawing where I live and things are growing. It's not as bad in the middle of winter when everything is frozen. Anyone with truly severe seasonal allergies would know what I mean. It's quite miserable.

I've thought of making more handkerchiefs, but I don't know where to put them all. I wonder if a particular fabric would be better. At some point, washing a whole load of just snot rags a couple times a week seems counter-productive if conservation is the goal (which it is, in my case).

I also am considering the um... tenderness factor. My nose is often very red and sore from wiping it too much, as is dd's. The cloth didn't seem to be as tender on our noses and I could see that during the spring and fall (our worst times), that these could become a problem. Our clothes are not very soft (VERY hard water) from the wash.

[zoebird]

well, i think it's a fine use for the paper trash.

but, here are my recommendations:

1. learn to use a neti pot--everyone whom i know who has serious allergies and sinus problems sees them greatly reduced by the daily use of a neti pot. look up jala neti on the internet, and go get a neti pot. teach yourself, grandma, and daughter how to use it.

you can use it up to twice a day. it will make a big difference for you over time (most people see results in a matter of days).

2. try to do some allergy elimination work--what are the allergens, how do you get them out of your house if possible. do what you can. you probably already have, but filter systems, cleaning, etc can go a long way.

3. use cloth as much as possible, and use tissues if you need to. do your best and don't worry about it all.

[velochic]

Thanks zoebird.

I am allergic to everything... I can't even list them all. Unfortunately they can't be avoided because they are everywhere (grass, flowers, dust, pollen, etc. etc.)

I counted how many handkerchiefs I have... I have 78 total and yes, I go through all of them when I'm here at home all day long and it's high allergy season (like now).

The other problem with going through so much cloth is being out and about. If I'm gone for a day, I just can't bring enough along (and TBH, I don't want to carry around snotty handkerchiefs).

We are virtually paper and plastic free in the house. Tissues and toilet paper are the only things we have left, so as I have with the TP, I'm just going to resign myself to the fact that I will have to continue to buy paper. It would be hard to give up the tissue with the lotion in it, anyway, as it certainly helps the skin around my nose.

[jimblejamble]

I used to be like you. I'd sneeze so much that I had to stay home from school! I was allergic to everything too and I stopped drinking milk (before that, I could easily drink an entire gallon in 2 days by myself if I wanted) and cut back a LOT on cheese (I have it now maybe once a week at most) and that helped. That was 3 years ago and since then I've had fewer than 5 severe allergy attacks. This was after trying all the allergy medicines there are.

As for what to use, my allergies were so bad that I'd just use a hand-towel from the bathroom. :P This was before the diet change.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by JessicaRenee

I used to be like you. I'd sneeze so much that I had to stay home from school! I was allergic to everything too and I stopped drinking milk (before that, I could easily drink an entire gallon in 2 days by myself if I wanted) and cut back a LOT on cheese (I have it now maybe once a week at most) and that helped. That was 3 years ago and since then I've had fewer than 5 severe allergy attacks. This was after trying all the allergy medicines there are.

As for what to use, my allergies were so bad that I'd just use a hand-towel from the bathroom. :P This was before the diet change.

Hand towel... yeah, I might have to explore that option. But my nose gets sooooooo sore during allergy season, I am in search of whatever is the absolute softest option.

Dd nursed for 3.5 years. I had to go through a very, very strict elimination diet for her when she was an infant. Dairy and eggs were a problem, so I eliminated all dairy from my diet back then. Didn't change my allergies, nor did any other food eliminations. Tests show that my allergies are all environmental, unfortunately. I do use a neti pot, but it provides only temporary relief. I could pursue allergy shots, but I'm not quite that desperate yet. I might get there, though, because it's truly miserable this time of the year. Just typing this message I've sneezed 3 times, and gone through 4 tissues.

[luckygreen713]

My Dh has really bad allergies like you. He has days, aorund this time of year and well into the spring and summer where he sneezes continously for, like, 10 minutes. His nose gets so read and sore too. Have you ever tried a soft flannel wipe as a hankie? That's what I like to wipe my nose with, and dh likes them for his "bad" days too.

[rere]

Cut up t-shirts work really well for me and I noticed I sneeze less when using the t-shirts.

[greenmansions]

I had a cold for a few days last week and decided to try to use cloth rather than tissues. I had a bunch of cotton knit from cut-up tee shirts. It was pretty absorbent and I could use it a couple of times before I threw it in the hamper. But part way through the second day my nose was getting pretty sore and I switched back to tissues. I am not sure if a softer fabric would work better - though the shirts I cut up were very old and very soft from being so worn.

I have been using the cloth now for the run of the mill daily stuff that you'd use a kleenex tissue for. But next time I have a cold, I'll probably use tissues for the most part.

A bit OT, but I stuck a larger piece of knit fabric (maybe 5 x 12 inches) in my coat pocket and that was very handy to have as it was more absorbent than tissues and I ended up using it to wipe up a spill in the car. Now I have one in my coat all the time and change it when it gets dirty.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by velochic

They are older handkerchiefs that are about the size of a paper facial tissue. They aren't thick. They are about as useful as a paper tissue, some not even as, because they're not as absorbent. These were my grandmother's and father's. Some are very pretty, actually.

Anyone with truly severe seasonal allergies would know what I mean. It's quite miserable.

I wasn't questioning the allergies... we have them too, and it is spring as my running nose will attest to. I was questioning the hankies, because it didn't sound right. What I've found is that while the older hankies are very pretty, they're not very practical at all. They're far too small and too thin to be absorbent enough to be practical. A single hankie should last more than a single nose-blow, even during allergy season.

Last time we bought my DH a suit, I picked up a pack of 100% cotton dress hankies, and those have served us fairly well for everyday hankies. During really runny nose times I'll grab one of my kitchen cloths, which are hemp fleece and very absorbent, if not very attractive. If you're contemplating making them yourself, I'd suggest going for the thickest flannel you can find, double-brushed if possible, or cotton fleece (not poly fleece which does not absorb).

As for the hard water - have you tried vinegar in your wash? We have hard water too, and I had this one pair of sheets that I could not STAND to sleep on because unless i used a TON of fabric softener they were just too scratchy. After a couple washes with vinegar (after I stopped using fabric softener), they're not scratchy at all anymore. Hankies also can't be hung dry, they have to be run through the dryer, or they're too scratchy.

As for the raw nose, when I notice this happening, I coat my nose in pure aloe vera a couple times a day (not my entire nose, but the nostril area - where it gets raw, cracked and peeling). Really, that's essentially what's in Puffs, but without all the extra chemicals and the paper dust.

HTH

[velochic]

Yes, I do use vinegar in the rinse. The clothes are still very stiff. Things like undies I *have* to dry in the drier because line drying just makes them unbearably scratchy even with vinegar.

For the sore nose, I actually use Lansinoh. It's the best. I usually use it at night when I'm asleep because during the day I have a tissue to my nose literally all.the.time. I had to leave work early yesterday because of my allergies.

I have used t-shirt material, but with our hard water, they are not much softer than other material. I have not tried using flannel, though. That's a great idea and I'll try that for those times of the year when my allergies are not as bad.

Gah, these allergies are so debilitating... and embarrassing. I'm just going to stick to the soft paper tissues for these seasons. I'll use them in our woodburning stove in the winter and compost them during the summer. It's the best I can do.

Thanks everyone for the ideas.