How to Use a Handkerchief

What to do with a set of handkerchiefs: a gift without a use or do hankies still earn their place in the age of tissues and small pockets?

Socks and ties are among the most thoughtless gifts for men. And a set of cotton or linen handkerchiefs is probably the most useless.

These aren’t cheap nowadays and are often marketed as antibacterial to justify their suitability for nose-blowing.

I’ve owned many since childhood. An elderly aunt I hardly knew was the usual donor on birthdays and holidays. Always a set of seven; one for each day of the week. Was it wrong to deposit them in a drawer without ever taking them out of their box?

To my way of thinking, there was such a thing as Kleenex: disposable paper handkerchiefs originally sold in 1924 to remove cold cream until being marketed for the nose in 1930. These were hygienic and small enough to fit into the pocket of a snug pair of pants without leaving a bulge.

But men like my father continued to use fabric hankies, and I was sure I would too when I grew up. A 16×16‑inch square of cotton could withstand the sort of nose-blow expected of a man in a way a flimsy tissue couldn’t.

Understandably, wives tried to convert their husbands to the Kleenex Mansize line to ease laundering, but the fabric hankie was much more than that. It was an essential accessory men could never be without. Just like the pocket knife and cigarette lighter.

These men weren’t consciously trying to be manly with their handkerchief use. It’s just that it had been around for thousands of years and was now a deeply ingrained habit. It was even part of a soldier’s kit.

In many European countries, the tissue barely had time to take hold before World War II halted its production, so yet another generation grew up with fabric hankies. As a result, the habit lingered.

That’s why you can still receive a set on Father’s Day. And many online men’s columns still tell us we should carry one at all times. Are these simply nostalgists trying to resurrect a relic, or do they have a case?

Are we missing something when rejecting these well-meant gifts?

Handkerchiefs and Men’s Pockets

My first objection is that pockets are no longer big enough for such an object.

In bygone days, they were roomier and more functional. Apart from a pocket knife and lighter, there was a pack of cigarettes, a wallet, loose change, a comb, a notebook, and a pen to accommodate. Even the breast pocket was larger, meaning a neatly folded, full-size handkerchief could double as a pocket square. Nowadays we have dedicated pocket squares. These are smaller and, being for show and not blow, made from nonabsorbent silk.

The only large object most men carry nowadays is a phone. I keep mine in a leather case together with cards and banknotes.

I usually have one folded tissue in a back pocket just in case. If I have a cold, I’ll take a pocket pack of Kleenex.

For me, that concludes the argument.

But it is a shame to leave such an expensive item to rot in a drawer—especially if it’s monogrammed. So let’s look at the things men have used handkerchiefs for in the past to see if anything is worth salvaging.

Source: Pexels

Five Handkerchief Uses Worth Revisiting

1. For Blowing the Nose

This is the most obvious and least pleasant use, so we’ll get it out of the way first.

I’m old enough to remember men blowing their nose into a fabric handkerchief—and they did it with method.

The secret lay in proper folding.

1. For the first blow, open the handkerchief so it is folded in half. A full‑size square is too large to use flat, so the first fold is always a simple halving.
2. For the next nose-blow, fold it into quarters. This creates a manageable square and exposes a fresh surface.
3. Then fold it into eighths, and finally into sixteenths. Each fold provides another clean surface.
4. After each use, fold the soiled part inward. This keeps the clean side outward and lets you put it back in your trouser pocket without making a mess.

This is the only way to make a single fabric handkerchief last all day.

Even in my father’s era, a heavy cold was reason enough to use disposable tissues instead.

2. Covering the Mouth When Coughing or Sneezing

If I have a Kleenex at hand, I always place it before my mouth and nose before or straight after sneezing. For a cough, the hand or inner elbow is less alarming.

I say this because period dramas have used the gesture for so long that it’s become a signal of impending doom: the white handkerchief raised to the mouth, the cough, and then the inevitable close‑up of a speck of blood.

3. Mopping Sweat

Sweat dripping down the face is annoying and can seem more profuse if you’re bald. A hat or cap is the best solution, but may not always be appropriate. Maybe you work front-of-house or find yourself in a courtroom or a place of worship.

Mopping the brow with a hankie is probably a better idea than using your sleeve, and tissues tend to disintegrate when wet.

I remember my childhood neighbor doing this while trudging up and down behind his Suffolk Punch lawn mower during 1970s heatwaves. It certainly gave the impression of a man slogging.

4. Drying Tears

Due to hormonal shifts, men cry more as they age. But not to an extent that justifies Boy Scout preparedness. Besides, a Kleenex can dry tears just as well as a hankie.

And according to my experience, you don’t have to be prepared for a “crying woman” these days, even if some online columnists seem to think so.

But just in case, it’s slightly complicated.

You’ve seen it in old movies. The woman starts to cry, the man gallantly pulls a crisp white hankie from his breast pocket. She instinctively accepts and delicately dabs her eyes.

This was normal behavior back in the day, and the woman got to keep the handkerchief. But even then, the man had to be wearing a suit. He couldn’t pull a crumpled piece of cloth out of a pants pocket. It needed to be fresh and appear unused.

Today, it doesn’t work at all. As previously mentioned, a modern breast pocket is too small for a full-size handkerchief. Even if it weren’t, you’d probably be met with a puzzled frown rather than acceptance. And she’d certainly crinkle her nose at something produced from your trouser pocket.

As for offering a Kleenex, it’s like saying, “Pull yourself together—I want this to stop.” And that’s exactly what we’re thinking while wondering if a hug would seem like taking advantage.

Now that the old hankie prop is no longer practical or understood, be assured you’re not the only man incapable of coping when a woman cries.

5. A Handkerchief as a Pocket Square

Why let a perfectly good set of hankies sit for years in a drawer when you could use them as pocket squares?

We’ve already established that they’d cause a nasty bulge in today’s smaller breast pockets, but you could reduce their size.

Cut the handkerchief in half with a pair of pinking shears to prevent fraying and place it in the pocket without showing its edges.

I’ve been wearing pocket squares since the 1980s and can guarantee that nobody will ever pull it out or touch it. Nobody will ever know.

You could actually do this with any piece of fabric in a pinch.

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In truth, no modern man is likely to carry a handkerchief. Their value as a convenience vanished with the arrival of the tissue. As a gift in the present day, it remains useless.

But just in case you happen to have one, here are a few more uses:

• As a makeshift sun hat: tie the corners of your handkerchief and place it on your bald or thinning head to protect it from the sun.
• To polish your spectacles if you don’t have a tissue or microfiber cloth at hand.
• As a makeshift napkin.
• To dry your hands in the absence of paper towels in a public bathroom.
• To wipe minor spills from ties and clothes.
• As a mask folded over the mouth in smoky or dusty environments.
• As a glove substitute when touching something dirty or hot.
• As a makeshift bandage for small cuts and scrapes.
• To wave goodbye from a train platform.
• To signal surrender or truce.  

© 2026 J. Richardson