To wonder why more people don't use cloth sanitary pads?

[Bex107]

They have changed my life, and I'm so sad I didn't discover them sooner! When my periods came waltzing back just three months after DS arrived I couldn't bear the thought of tampons or plasticky towels, but I couldn't find anyone I knew who'd used cloth. They are bloody (!) wonderful, if you're considering it give them a go - I wish I'd had someone to tell me that!

I remember sanitary belts. Thankfully, they were going out of fashion just as started having periods!

Maddie I think cloth pads today are much less bulky and uncomfortable than the sanitary belts women used to have to put up with.

And only on MN... I'm glad it was, because I'd never heard of them anywhere else, tried them purely on the basis of a thread I read on here and liked them. Same for a mooncup.

I'm glad MN talks about these other period options, with all their good and bad points. Not everyone has to use the same things, but if someone finds something that works better for them than they usually use after reading a thread like this, that can only be a good thing.

I love the look of the Bloom & Nora pads!

At what degree do you wash them and are they properly hygienic? I would hate to get an infection due to 'bacterial residue' or somewhat. Can this happen? Wash at 60 degrees? 90?

I've made the switch to a moon cup and washable pads (Cheeky Mama).

The advantages:
No thrush
No sweating/ sweat rashes
No smell (probably due to lack of sweat?)
Good absorbancy (no leaking onto bedding or clothes)
Don't need to restock each month
No painful resticking to pubes
Minimal additional laundry; cold rinse then add a load and wash as normal
No worries about disposal (absence of bins, overflowing bins).
Fabric just feels like underwear, not uncomfortable, crinkly and plasticy
Environment: no landfill, minimum environmental cost of production
Folded up cloth pad doesn't get battered up and need replacing after a few months of just incase mode.
More comfortable for running than Tenna (no squashy gel feeling)

Disadvantages:
Initial outlay, but is compensated for over time.
Errr....
I have to remember to take them with me, but actually had to do that anyway for disposables.
Umm...

I've been using them for 2 years since my periods returned after DS2. I've once used a tampon in that time- my period came early when I was away from home for a race. I'd forgotten how dry tampons are- I always did have to moisten them, preferably with KY to be able to push them in. I have absolutely no desire to go back to disposables.

Why don't people use them?
Lack of awareness- like many, I got into them through cloth nappies. They're not advertised and it's not the most common line of conversation.
Inaccurate perceptions of ease of use/ laundering/ comfort/ hygiene. Most of these are based on the weaknesses of disposable pads: e.g. my disposable pad smells therefore a disposable pad must smell more.

My periods are lighter and considerably less painful these days which is probably down to having had children, but it's great that I have little awareness of the protection that I'm using now because its so much more comfortable.

Stumbled across this discussion and just joined especially to post...

I'm a pad seller. For those who were asking, it's perfectly fine to wash most pads at 40 or 60 if the washing instructions say you can (usually to do with what temperature the fabrics are pre-shrunk to). I wash mine at 60 all the time. I generally cold-rinse first which helps to avoid staining, and I also treat stains with vanish. It's also fine to use something like Dettol in the washing machine if you're worried about bacteria growth.

The rest of this post is really to MaddieMookinsMum, whose post made me laugh - nobody's forcing you to use them if you don't want to, but do you tell your daughter never to wear a swimming costume, because your grandmother has told you how awful they once were? Swimming costumes used to be made of wool, back in the day. They weighed pounds when wet, and had to be put through a mangle after use to wring them out. I recently read an old school story that referred to characters having to do this after a school swimming lesson. Fabric technology has made huge strides since then, and this is not a good reason to refuse to use a swimming costume.
(Disclaimer: I am not attempting to force anybody to use a swimming costume if they don't want to.)

But seriously, I had hellish periods when I was a teenager (undiagnosed and severe endometriosis). I really wish that I had had decent cloth pads then, because they make my life so much easier. To answer your question, I do know how lucky I am, because I once had to manage a serious medical condition without them, and at far too young an age. This is not 'only on MN' - I'm not a Mumsnetter, and am a little surprised if you think that only Mumsnetters ever end up with problems like mine that cloth pads help to manage. There are also teenagers who are keen users, such as Bree of Precious Stars Pads is one such.

I reckon demand is growing. In the past 4 weeks, I've sent pads to Italy, Spain and the US as well as within Britain. It astonishes me to think that anyone feels that these women are somehow not 'free'. Use them or don't use them, but let's get beyond that level of debate.

I'm happy to answer any questions about use/care of pads, but I think most have been covered already.

I am actually quite enthused about these and will definitely give it a go.

Thank you for the thread OP, although I have a sneaky, sneaky suspicions that it sounds a tad like a sales pitch. I don't mind though as I love the idea.

I never got on with tampons, might try moon cup one day but don't like the idea of a foreign object up my fanny at all. Everyone is different in terms of anatomy and personal preference. I'd never ever use tamapx, horrible thought.

So I have been using Always Ultra for decades but hate, hate, hate the scented ones, can't abide them. They stink to high heaven of nasty horrible chemical pseudo flowery shit

So I but Morrison's Maxi Towels for comfort, which are not treated with a smelly substance and I rather do like them a lot (thank you Morrisons, nest supermarket in the UK!).

OP, I will try the clothe ones but would welcome some views on how best to was them. They should also sell special containers in which to 'store' them until it's time to pop them in the washing.

The visual designs of the cheeky wipes and Bloom and nora look, very nice indeed.

YANBU to wonder that Bex . But neither am IBU to wonder why more people don't use mooncups.

Tried everything, me. Mooncups win pants hands down.

I wonder if Always will jump on the bandwagon and produce reusable pads anytime soon?

Surferbabe, I reckon the reason most of us don't sell special containers for storage is they would cost a lot to post for you, and you can get something locally very easily. I went to my local T.K.Maxx and bought a type of ceramic cooking pot with handles and a lid - I don't know what it's called. It's tall, about the height of a big biscuit tin. It sits under my sink and takes pads as I use them. I think in the US there are people who sell special decorated ceramic pots or enamel pails with lids, but the postage is really prohibitive. A plastic container will work just as well.

I have no trouble believing it isn't a sales pitch, actually - I've seen the relief people can get from switching and having been through it myself, I can understand how it makes them evangelical. I don't think it means they want to force everyone to use them, it's just that they want to let people know they have the option.

(I am not the maker of any of the brands mentioned on this thread, in case anyone is wondering).

Having discovered reusable pads after the birth of DC3 I honestly wouldn't go back. I agree they are soft, comfortable and totally non-smelly.

I use Fairy Hammocks. My preference is for minky in dark patterned colours, so the blood doesn't even look like blood and no issues with staining. They are waterproof, and you can get long ones for heavy days, with extra absorbency. When flooding occurs I find they soak it up magically, unlike disposables that used to sort of overflow. Yes, they withstand sneezing and coughing (bleugh!).

However, if it's not your thing, it's not your thing.

Thanks for the ceramic pot idea interesting.
The fabric patterns also remind me of the beautiful fabric baby sling i used when the kids were small.

Might give this to myself as a x-mss gift.

What brands are there and what are the differences? Thanks.

I use as mooncup backup, they don't smell at all (while disposables / tampons do whiff when bloody).
The poppers are only uncomfortable when cycling IMO. I have 'lunapanties' as backup for my mooncup as a result.

surferbabe have a look at earthwisegirls for a good selection with descriptions, should help you see the various options. On top of the brands they sell there are a lot of people who make these, so lots of choice.

No thanks, I have enough laundry to do as it is. Mooncup all the way.

And they're surely better for the environment, given that there is zero laundry involved.

OP your choice of sanitary protection has "changed your life "

Seriously? You need to get out more.

BTW we are a family with several women suffering endometriosis.Many close family members.
Doctors and consultants in the UK and abroad have all advised against mooncups because of the menstrual flow restriction.

What a brilliant thread!

I use a mooncup, which works perfectly for me. But so great to hear other people being open minded to a non disposable solution.

Periods are much smellier, messier and icky when you use tampons and disposable pads. It's such a shame that the people who only use disposables won't believe the people who've used both!

Well, I didn't know such a thing existed! Have RTFT and just ordered some from eBay. Looking forward to trying them. Always have found plasticky pads uncomfortable, and tampons unwearable since childbirth 15 years ago. Hope I don't hit the menopause before I've had my money's worth 😄

Not -yay,hope you like them! Surfer - I was worried when I initially posted that I sounded like I work for a reusables company! But no, sadly not, I genuinely just wished someone had told me about them before now so thought I'd share the love

deedee I can assure you that my periods are not "icky" messy and certainly not smelly.

For people thinking about trying them, would you be tempted by a selection pack with, say, one each of three or four different types of cloth pads?

I found that I had to buy several three/four packs of different types beforehand figuring out which ones were best for me. First, it's pricey to do that, but also, what does one do then with the uses but unwanted pads that don't suit?

In my case I have a bunch of chums who do talk about this sort of thing and the ones I didn't want found new homes with other women who wanted to try them and weren't fazed by washed cloth.

So I was thinking, what about a selection pack, like you can get for cloth nappies?

I'm a recent convert having read about them on MN!

I bought a mixed starter pack from cheeky wipes and have been using them for a few months. I can't remember how many were in the pack but I've not needed to buy any extras.

I reckon they are more absorbent than disposables, they are also much comfier and they're very little hassle, I just rinse them in cold water and chuck them in with the wash I'm doing that day. No special separate wash. I was surprised that they've not stained at all.

The best bit as others have said is that they don't smell! I really did think periods were a bit stinky until I tried these. It's chemicals in the disposables that stink.

The only issue I've found is that they can sometimes slide forwards/backwards a bit, and so I wouldn't wear them to go running, but they've stayed put otherwise.

(I do have a moon cup to try too but I'm a bit scared of it.)

I use a moon cup and love it, however the thought of using cloth pads....no thanks

biscuit - try wearing slightly tighter knickers to solve the slipping around issue.