Because cloth hankies have been 'off our radar' for such a long time, some people have qualms about using them. Our first reaction is "yukks!".

But hang on a minute. What do we (usually mothers) do when our kids clean their snotty noses on their sleeves or ours, or worse -- puke all over our pristine new blouse?

We do not throw those clothes away. We put them in the wash and use them again. Why not treat hankies likewise?

Yes, there was a time when people had to boil their hankies. Snot soup? No thanks! Little wonder therefore that paper tissues were considered a godsend. Ah! But we can now do hot washes in washing machines. The hankies sold here can be washed in your normal laundry.

If they are exceptionally snotty, soak them for a few minutes and rinse them out. When I have a cold, I collect a batch of these before soaking them together to save water. If, like me, you suffer from an occasional nose bleed, again rinse out in COLD water before putting in your normal wash.

organic●ally™ really started as Organic Hankies when Siew Peng got tired of having shredded tissue paper messing up her wash. Easy solution: use cloth hankies instead.

Tried as she did she could not find cloth hankies that would fit into the little pockets of her then three-year-old son. She resorted to making her own with old muslin nappies, but these were far too bulky and rough to touch. 

While in Singapore, she came across some ‘Made in Australia’ ladies’ hankies with fairly neutral designs. Her son (by now four years old) used these for nearly a year.