Period pants smelling

[Blueowlnight]

i really struggle with period pants smelling after a couple of hours of wearing, sometimes even can catch a smell after washing (if I really smell them).

I have always rinsed until as clear as I can get them but this honestly takes 3-5 mins or so and there always seems to be a slight yellow hint to the water. I don’t think I’ve ever managed to get it clear but I’m there for so long using so much water! And then where do you let them dry? I don’t want unclean pants hanging around the house, have tried to air dry in the bathroom but they never seem to dry properly and then the smell is awful while I wait for a wash to put them in.

help, what is the secret? Is it better not to rinse straight away to avoid them just sitting damp? Or am I doing something wrong that means I’m not able to get them
dry?

Usual practice is wear in day or overnight; rinse them in cold water; hang them to dry (but this smells awful and they never dry); wash them on a 40c for 2.5 hours with a non bio smol tablet and white vinegar instead of softener.

Yeh don't rinse. I put mine as they are in a sealed wet bag until I'm done for the week then on a 90 wash & an antibac wash of the bag itself. They hum but nowhere near as bad as if they get wet too - in the sealed bag keeps them from being too grim.

I have the most horrendous periods and when periods pants were first suggested to me (after decades of using tampons and sanitary towels and being completely miserable) I couldn’t comprehend at all how they would be suitable or how they would cope with my blood loss.

But they were an absolute revelation!

4 years now of using them and I will never go back.

They make dealing with my periods so, so much easier. They were life changers for me.

You would not believe how much blood they can hold.

I have some but I don’t wear them on heavy period days. I bought them to wear before the start of my period so that I don’t have to use a sanitary towel in anticipation of my period starting. Sometimes also at the end of my period when it’s very light. No smell issues.

How old are they?

Agreed. I love them.

The enzymes in bio detergent are denatured above 40 degrees.

They are much better and sanitary than disposable pads .

The washing contributes to micro plastics and global warming but you’re using so much less plastic/future landfill by avoiding disposables. You need to wash them on at least 40 and use dettol laundry sanitiser. No wonder they smell!

I put them in a bag until I am ready to wash them all then do a machine rinse. Then I wash them with bio liquid and dettol laundry detergent. Always air dry if I can.

I don’t rinse mine , I just do a longer cycle at 30 or 40c then tumble dry . Mine have no wash at all . Maybe it’s the sort you are using ? Mine are just cotton , I see a lot of them made of very synthetic material .

I think people who like them have incredibly light periods. They suited me when I had the coil but still had a light bleed every month. When I used them for a true period I got a uti.

And bio detergents also degrade the fibres in them, making them less absorbent.

I've also heard you shouldn't use dettol laundry wash on underwear.

Use them to prevent leaks and on my lighter days - on the heavier days I use a cup or disc. Just because I don't like the sensation of them being really full/damp. Rinse and spin and then normal wash with bio.

Find them v handy

I keep mine in a lidded bucket unrinsed until I'm ready to wash them. I then do a quick cold wash without a spin to rinse out them out before adding anything else I want to wash with them and doing a 40 degree wash. I use a biological washing powder, although have used non-bio in the past without issues. Dry them outside or near to a radiator if that's not possible. Have worn period pants for years and have never had an issue with them smelling.

In the past when I have had issues with musty smelly clothes (washing machine didn't spin properly and lived in a flat so most drying done inside) I found that soaking them in a bucket of water and vinegar before washing really helped. I'd try that with your pants, and if it doesn't work chuck them and start again with new pairs.

I don't rinse by hand. But when I'm ready wash them I put them on a cold 15-20min cycle in the machine. Then wash at 40 with other items, always with a bio laundry tablet. Forget smol and all those other supposedly eco friendly laundry things. They won't clean anything like that properly. Save them for items you wear on your upper half only. Or use them every other wash.

I have heavy periods and love them. I’d never use anything else now. Not having to change pads multiple times a day is so nice. One pair of heavy flow pants normally lasts me a full day.

Anything with blood on it should be soaked or washed in cold water with bicarb added first. Do a hot wash after, if you prefer.

I do the same as you.

If it isn’t a full load, I add some other clothes. I put my underwear in a mesh laundry bag and wash everything at 40 C. The instructions say that it is best to rinse your period knickers before washing them with other clothes.

On my heaviest days, I prefer to use sanitary towels, and I may wear period shorts over them for extra protection.

My machine has a super quick 15min cycle so I shove them in do a short wash and spin then add the rest of my laundry and wash as normal. I tumble dry them unless it’s very hot outside though (I know you aren’t supposed to, but I’m lazy).

I’d rinse them , pop them in a closed lid bucket with something like napisan and then when you had a few to wash , wash them at 40c with detergent and add in Dettol laundry liquid in the fabric conditioner compartment

We use bio and 60 degrees for mine and both DDs.

I’ve never used them, but understand what you mean as I have to wash my daughters. She’s 13 and started about 10 months ago, so is very new to the game. I can’t stand them and have said she’s either got to rinse and wash them herself, or she can’t wear them (there’s another issue of them just being dropped in the washing basket and left).

BUT as a 40 year old bigger woman I can’t see how they would be comfortable. Most I’ve seen are high legged briefs, which would let my tummy hang out…… and, I doubt they would be able to cope with my flow! ……anyway, I use a cup. They’re especially great for heavy periods, easy to change and have no smell. I rarely use pads as they make me itch and they do smell….. nauseating combo of blood and flowers 🤣🙄.

Try soaking them in bicarb and lemon , after you have rinsed till clear, but before you put them in the washer x

Maybe try some stain remover powder in the wash as well. Or a bit of Zoflora.

You might need to do a strip wash to remove the smell and kind of “reset” them.

My DD uses period pants. I deliberately avoided Modibodi so that I could use Napisan on them. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to with Modibodi because they generally contain wool. The pants go into a bucket of Napisan and once there’s 4 pairs in there I tip it out and make up fresh Napisan and soak for 2-6 hours. After that a rinse and spin in the washing machine, then a normal cold water wash with normal laundry liquid detergent. I add Canestan hygiene rinse and vinegar to the rinse water. I then line dry them.

For those who only wash them once at the end of your period, how many pairs of period pants do you have? You must have a lot. My DD has 7 pairs and I have to wash period pants every second day so she doesn’t run out.

Are pads scented in the UK? Gross. Can you get unscented ones?

I encountered scented pads twice. Once in high school in the 1990s and they were gross. You could smell the pad and work out who had their period. The second time was in hospital after giving birth and a nurse gave me some maternity pads that were bigger and more absorbent than the ones I had with me. The smell of scented pads was still gross even 15 years later after high school. I had DH go and buy me some big unscented maternity pads.