Collection: Tea Towels

We ship across NZ & to the rest of the world. Please see below for more details.

NZ SHIPPING: FREE SHIPPING OVER $95, OTHERWISE $9 residential $14 FOR RURAL.

We use Post Haste couriers as they provide an easy TRACK AND TRACE service and can deliver from us to you in 1-2 working days (allow longer for rural).

Once you have your tracking number (it is a barcode) you can use this link to see where your awesome parcel is as it zooms across New Zealand or to wherever in the world you are. Click here.

The posting satchels we use made from either:

1. 100% post consumer waste, can be reused and are recyclable.

2. Compostable Bags. If packing is required we aim to use recycled and pre-loved materials where possible. So, don't be too upset if your inner packaging material has a small tear or rip! Reuse, reuse and reuse.

Our courier cannot deliver to PO Boxes, so please provide a physical address for delivery. 

Cancelling your order: If you wish to cancel, then please call 021 293 2709 as soon as possible. If the item hasn't been shipped then we can offer a full refund.

We aim to ship on the same day you ordered, so if cancelling and it's already been shipped, you will be charged the delivery and the cost of returning the item to us. NOTE: cancelling your order is quite different to noticing a fault with your item.

Tissues are the fast fashion of face care. HANK is the natural wardrobe staple that outlasts them all.

Our HANK are handmade in India by a fair trade, fair labour family business whom we have supported since 2015. They make our organic cotton Loot Bags and we expanded to the HANK when they grew large enough to afford a digital fabric printer.
They only ever work with organic fabrics under the GOTs Standard, and use Eco Certified Inks. 

Locally we inspect, fold and pack each HANK into our locally printed recycled card paper packaging (printed 100m from our workshop). Enjoy x

Q: Why go back to hankies?

You will note that many of the sustainable trends you see today are not new ideas. For centuries our ancestors had to make do with what they had and be more frugal. Reusing everything, caring for the possessions they did own. 

HANKies were common place until in 1924 Kleenex (who started making paper tissues to remove coldcream off your face) saw an oppourtunity to sell more, and switched to marketing tissues for your nose.
Convenience and a strong marketing campaign won many people over.

Convenience sadly beats many of the longer lasting products. Think of plastic food wrap, single use bottles and coffee cups, takeaway containers, cotton buds and more.

The return towards HANKies takes many different thought processes. Bare with me...

1. Low Waste. Tissues + serviettes are made from trees, and a large percentage of these trees are still not FSC Certified Forestry and they're made from virgin timber. Grown for years and used for just a few seconds. Tissues are over-used for many tasks from a quick clean of the bench to picking up dust, dap running eyes and noses from allergies or simply crying. 
   
2. Low Toxicity. Have you ever tried to find the ingredients list on a packet or box of tissues? You won't. The ingredients they select are well hidden deep on the parent company websites, for example Kleenex is owned by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Let's consider a tissue box with soothing conditioners and eucalyptus; what goes in to these? The more enhancers, the more ingredients. To start with tissues are bleached and the layers are adhered together into 1-2 or 3-4 layers of ply. Petroleum based mineral oils, silicon based polymer dimethicone makes them feel so soft, yet can clog pores and irritate sensitive skin. Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Citric Acid etc.
   
3. Sensitive Skin. The more we learn about what is in our cosmetics, cleaners, perfumes and air fresheners the more we seek out natural alternatives. Even the 'fluff' that comes out of a tissue packet when you pull one out can irritate and trigger those with allergies. Forever chemicals PFAS once absorbed are being shown to accumulate in our bodies, and when you use these items against your most delicate skin you can absorb the most. If you can't resist a tissue for snotty days, then opt for plain tissues, without added benefits. Choose a natural balm or salve to soothe your skin. Unfortunately tissues made from recycled paper sound appealing but have had more processing and the varieties we have trialled are still rough on the skin. They can also contain recycled paper from many different sources sent to recycling centres which can include thermal backed shopping receipts (BPA), and a wide variety of printed inks. 
   
4. Germs? If you are sick and blow your nose with a tissue OR a HANKie, it's what you do next that's most important. If you are out & about it's important to wash your hands before you retouch common surfaces.  Many people tuck tissues into pockets and re-use these teeny tiny squares multiple times with less surface area than a HANKie to keep snot away from your hands. BUT, if it's just allergies, tears or fixing up your make-up, then carry on!  So, both items can be placed back in your pocket but if you can wash hands in between uses you are 1:1 on hygiene.  
   

Q: How do I wash my HANK?

A general wash for light use is adequate. If used for a heavy cold or first aid you could pre soak to soften before washing it. A drop of detergent in a bucket of warm water for approx 30mins. Then rinse and add to your wash. Do the same if used as a napkin that is covered with tomato juice or red wine etc. A little sunlight does wonders for a natural sanitising touch. And a hot iron was a traditional way of sterilising. I still recall my first ironing practise was on hankies. 

Large hankies help keep blows separated, and I know which one I prefer to find in the washing machine if I didn't check pockets carefully enough!

Say goodbye to paper towel guilt, and hello to a cloth that can seamlessly move from kitchen to bathroom.

These 100% plant based cloths are the ORIGINAL Swedish Dishcloth from Sweden, printed with local original New Zealand art by over 30+ designers.  They have been making them in Sweden since 1949 and have an amazing state of the art sustainable factory. 

We are transparent with our information and NO ONE in the southern hemisphere yet makes this style of cloth. Other countries such as Germany and China have recently started trying to emulate the Swedish invention. Be an informed consumer. If you are not sure of the origin of any product, ask.

Durable, biodegradable, super absorbent and each cloth will replace 15 rolls of paper towels in their lifetime. 

One roll of paper towels can cost $1.30 in a combo pack x 15 rolls = $19.50

Each cloth can be washed over 200 + times. Wash in your washing machine, or top rack of your dishwasher. You can microwave your cloth (wet first and heat 1min to disinfect) or into a pot of boiling water.

Line dry - the sunlight can do wonders for the SPRUCE. Naturally antibacterial and helps maintain whiteness.

SPRUCE starting to look a little grubby? Try this; place the cloth in the bottom of your sink. Spray with an all purpose cleaner and leave for a few minutes. For very stubborn stains you can use a diluted whitening based cleaner. It will NOT affect the screenprinted print!

Rinse your SPRUCE after use and drape it over your tap or edge of the sink to prevent discolouration. The quicker a cloth dries the better for hygiene. That is why our SPRUCE are so amazing. They can dry in as little as 15mins!

The SPRUCE cloth is made of cellulose (made from pulping trees) and cotton. The pulp is made like making paper. Soaked, pulped, dried and cut. 

TREES: are certified sustainable under International Management Environment Standard ISO 14001.

COTTON: off-cut cotton threads from manufacturing that are too short to be reused are shredded into thread. This binds with the cellulose to give the cloth strength.

INK: is certified eco friendly and water based. 

These cloths can be composted in your home compost and will break down after just 6-8 weeks. The SPRUCE can also go into recycling for corrugated cardboard.