Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be astounded that women use reusable cloth pads when on their period

322 replies

jeremytampaxman · 15/07/2013 14:03

I had no idea that people did this - found out courtesy of a thread on another forum.

Okay, I gather that it's supposed to be more environmentally friendly than using tampons or sanitary towels (although surely there is energy involved in washing them)...but using & washing out pieces of rag in 2013? Seriously?!

I know it's an individual's choice, I get that. But AIBU to be just astounded by that choice?

OP posts:
IncrediblePhatTheInnkeepersCat · 20/07/2013 19:57

Classified

They are great for whatever your flow. You can get them in a range of thicknesses and lengths and could add more layers if needed.

Also, you may find that your periods are lighter once you switch.

Shitsinger · 20/07/2013 19:59

They are brilliant .
Have very heavy periods and they are way better . I don't experience any leaks with my Mooncup and generally find washables much more absorbant. I can go overnight on my heaviest day with my Mooncup.
Think about it -manufacturers of disposables want you to buy as many as possible not less !

toomanyfionas · 20/07/2013 21:07

I am actually astounded that the OP's has such a retro take on life.

Where have you been for the past decade? The world has moved on from disposable living. It is very passe.

MacaYoniandCheese · 20/07/2013 21:13

The thought grosses me out but women must have used them up until fairly recently in history? Along with all sorts of other bits of fabric for mopping up/wiping away bodily fluids.

fandoobalawoozy · 20/07/2013 22:25

I've used them (can't use tampons or Mooncup) but I was too disorganised to keep up with the washing and was inclined to forget about my bucket of cold water where they'd be soaking! If it wasn't for that I'd still use them. Come to think of it I'm going to get them out and try again now I've read this.

They beat disposables on everything except for the organisation required to wash them, IMO. They were much much more comfortable - soft and clean and not rustly or sticky and plasticky. It's so good that you can change them silently when out and about (just unpopper the old one, fold in on itself and repopper to make a neat sealed square, then popper the new one in place). It's only the same as some people do if at a friend's house with a disposable - I tend to fold neatly seal them up well in a little bag and take those home too as I'd feel too embarrassed leaving one in a friend's bin.

Some of mine were black cotton and just fetl more invisible then and not like huge hospital style dressings!

I understand why people think it's icky at first but they're not "rags" at all, they washed brilliantly so they were like new every time. Felt great too.

I think there's a place for disposable paper products where past generations have used cloth.Take paper tissues - I hate it when someone with a cold uses the same manky cloth hanky all day and never washes their hands. I think sanitary protection is a good case where disposable paper is good for those who like it but absolutely not essential for hygiene though, so for those who like it it's a great thing for the environment to use cloth versions.

dementedma · 20/07/2013 22:32

My only problem with reusable would be that now that the Dcs are older, the washing machine isn't on every day and very rarely on a high temp wash, which I presume you would need? I would have them lying about for a few days I until the wash goes on which would be a bit gross I think.

SpecialAgentTattooedQueen · 21/07/2013 00:15

Why do people (me AND women, which is even weirder IMO) get so horrified by menstruation?

I got a fright as a child when mum clumsily explained to me the reason she bought 'those things' was because she bled out of her vagina. (Bad wording mum!)

But I'm an adult now. I've given birth. I don't get the disgust. It's just nature. It's not like I'm wandering around with a leaf to cover my fanjo ffs.

SpecialAgentTattooedQueen · 21/07/2013 00:15

men! Not me. Blush

differentnameforthis · 21/07/2013 09:31

it's the bf/cloth bumming babywearing/try and make other mums feel inferior club

I didn't use cloth nappies. I didn't babywear, I did bf my second dc, but only until she was 5mths & I am not trying to make any one feel inferior.

I didn't start using them until my youngest was 2, almost out of nappies. It came about because I was getting recurrent thrush & while googling, I found that disposable sanpro could be a cause. Indeed, I had noticed that it usually happened during my period, so decided to try washable sanpro, and have been free of thrush ever since.

if you feel inferior because I use washables, that isn't my problem. I use them for comfort, not because I want to prove a point.

HollyBerryBush · 21/07/2013 09:43

Funny how things go in cycles, I can remember my mother telling me how lucky we are today to have disposable pads and tampons because as a teenage girl she had to wash out her own rags and it was a chore and an inconvenience and did make you feel dirty.

But heyho, thats the cycle of life, people now choosing to feel like that. Madness.

chocolatemartini · 21/07/2013 09:51

What's the consensus on which makes work best?

Shitsinger · 21/07/2013 09:52

I don't feel like that !Hmm
They are not "rags" and I have a perfectly good and modern washing machine . They are nicer, softer and more comfortable than disposables.
I prefer them .
Noone in RL would even know that I use them or a Mooncup.

chezchaos · 21/07/2013 10:01

My favourite are Homestead Emporium but everything I've tried has been better than disposable in terms of reliability

differentnameforthis · 21/07/2013 10:01

So users, how often do they need changing? Change as often as needed, you will know how often this is

And what do you do with dirty ones when out and about? I have a wet bag that I use while out & about

Can you wash them with your normal clothes wash? ^Yes, I do. I rinse them, then soak them in cold water until I do a wash (usually a day, 2 at most). They go into a laundry bag & into any wash.

CelticPromise · 21/07/2013 10:06

Mermaid why would you throw them out because they were stained? You're only going to bleed on them again...

I use cloth nappies, mooncup and reusable wipes. Have toyed with the idea of cloth toilet wipes instead of loo roll (since I've the nappy bucket on the go anyway) but DH vetoed Grin

And I have similar washing habits to cardibach.

OP YABU.

usuallyright · 21/07/2013 10:23

I don't especially enjoy having periods and it's one time in my life when I think I should have a level of convenience and comfort. I've used reusables and didn't like them. I much prefer disposables. As for disposable nappies and landfill. Didn't they do a study a few years ago which said the energy used washing cloth nappies is a big a drain on the environment as pampers in landfill. I can well believe it.
I used cloth nappies with dd1 and my washing machine was always on.

differentnameforthis · 21/07/2013 10:37

I guess you would be washing more with nappies, as they are constantly used. Washable sanpro is (usually) only used for a week or so, so no need for the washing machine to be constantly on. Also, because they are smaller, they don't really need their own wash. They fit in with other stuff easily.

dementedma, mine don't go on a hot wash, 30 or 40 is good enough. Even a cold wash would be OK, if you rinsed them, soaked them etc.

IWipeArses · 21/07/2013 11:23

usually, that study was totally flawed, they calculated based on one child, washing at 90C, tumbling and ironing iirc. Lanfill and energy use are different problems too.

fandoobalawoozy · 21/07/2013 11:55

Anyway there's nearly nothing left in them for the machine to have to deal with, after a good rinse and a cold water soak.

My dn goes in for frequent nose bleeds but I can't see paper clothes and bedding being the answer!

Fabric that (clean) blood has been on, but has then been washed out of again, must be fine, or we'd all be throwing things away left right and centre.

fandoobalawoozy · 21/07/2013 11:58

And I am a really fussy bugger about hygiene - I think pants with skid marks are far yuckier than washable pads and yet no one blinks an eye at washing those and reusing them.

MrsKeithRichards · 21/07/2013 11:59

Ah, the oft quoted but never linked to mythical study that proves reusable nappies are as bad for the environment as pampers.

Just stop and think about it for a minute.

Oldraver · 21/07/2013 12:04

Once you have had a lovely soft piece of cloth next to your fanny then you just dont want disposable stuff

JerseySpud · 21/07/2013 12:07

YABU.

I like being hippy and its far more comfortable, cheaper in the long run and less waste.

chocolatemartini · 21/07/2013 12:08

Leo Hickman in the Guardian debunked that one usuallyright

chocolatemartini · 21/07/2013 12:10

''To say that throwing them away is no worse than washing them is, to me, as logical as saying that there's no difference between taking your clothes off at the end of the day and tossing them in the bin''