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Did you know how damaging the humble tissue can be on our environment? Many tissue manufacturers acquire pulp from old growth forests!!! It seems incredible doesn't it, that in this day and age virgin forests are still being destroyed just so we can wipe our noses. And if that isn't bad enough, many tissue manufacturers contribute to air and water pollution because they use a dangerous and highly toxic bleaching process. Even some of the so called natural and recycled tissue brands are laden with undesirable substances! And surprisingly, tissues don't break down in compost or landfill as easily as you'd expect. It's not even recommended that they be put into a septic system. So many negative consequences - I figure it's just best to give up on tissues as much as possible.
We must be a sneezy nose-blowing kinda family, as we used to go through a lot of tissues here. Mind you, Till often pinched them for wrapping up all manner of things. Apparently they make perfect little blankies for small dolls, rocks and goodness knows what else. Anyway, a few boxes of tissues made their way into the trolley each time we stocked up at the supermarket. I felt guilty about it but we didn't have a supply of hankies. That situation has now been rectified. During our recent trip to Oz, I bought up BIG TIME! We're talking dozens of handkerchiefs people, ranging from the mega man-sized, to the petite-stuff-down-your-bra or up-your-sleeve sized ones (also perfect for small people's pockets, namely Harry and Till's). You should have seen my clothesline when they were all washed and hung out to dry! Very pretty.
And so how's it working out? I know you wouldn't actually ask me that. But seriously, I'm here to write a blog post...so here's my answer anyway. Our tissue to hankie transition is going fine. Hankies don't take up much room in the washing machine, I refuse to iron them (unless the kids offer to do it for me) and if one gets left in somebody's pocket by mistake it doesn't fragment into a million annoying bits. Yes I did always check first, but somehow a sneaky tissue would occasionally find it's way into the machine anyhow, resulting in a big fat Grrrrrrrrrr.....and washing that looked like it had endured a severe blizzard!
Some of you germaphobes may be concerned about hygiene! I'm confident I can keep the snot germs at bay. Sheesh, I used cloth nappies on my babes - so hankies are a walk in the park! Believe it or not, everyday snotty hankies don't have to be soaked separately, yes, throwing them in the wash with everything else is perfectly fine (I did my research on this one). They don't have to be washed in hot water either. As long as our hankies get a good breezy dose of sunshine, I'm confident they'll be squeaky clean and germ-free. Now and then I may decide to give them a bit of a soak (especially if one of us is ill). I don't buy/store/use bleach, napi-san or anything equally nasty and toxic (I can't even walk through the cleaning aisle in the supermarket these days - that smell!!!!! - how do people use those products???). As far as I'm concerned, cheap white vinegar is the environmentally-friendly soaking agent of choice and it has never let me down. For some extra germ-killing oomph, I just add a dash of tea tree or lavender oil.
So there you have it. Just another small way our family is reducing bin waste (plus helping the trees). Visitors come prepared, for if you require a tissue and don't fancy a handkerchief, I'll hand you a roll of toilet paper.....unless we decide to give that up also.
Hankies... they're snot so bad. If you want to read more....here are two links - the first one is pro tissues, the other promotes hankies! Make up your own mind.
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