AIBU to go Ewwww at how my eldest's using her re-usable period pads

[Wills]

Now, I'm not against them, just against her tossing them into the main washing pile! I have four kids and do approximately 2 loads minimum a day BUT sometimes some things get left for a while at the bottom - this has lead me, in the past, to insist that ordinary used face flannels are put in a separate container in the bathroom that I can pick up and put in the wash before they start to stink. But given how I feel about face flannels being left to fester I hope you can understand that I'm being rather squeamish about used sanitary towels. At the same time I want to be progressive and save the planet and my youngest will be starting in the next 2 years so umm, if you use them how do you 'deal with them'. I have 3 daughters so need to find a solution suitable for them all.

I rinse mine out in cold water when I change them and stick them in a bucket at the end of the bath to chuck in with the next wash.

My youngest uses them and they are put in her laundry bag and transferred to the main washing pile when she wants a wash done. they go in with mixed colours at 40degrees and including fabric conditioner. They work fine. They aren't stained.
I've washed my children's filthy clothing, skid marked pants and period bloodied underwear and bedding for years and I'm hardened.

Don't use them. Disgustingly unhygenic.

If she’s a uni student she should be able to research how to look after them. Mine get rinsed in cold water and then left to soak in a box of cold water and tea tree oil in the bathroom until I’m ready to wash them.

www.cheekywipes.com/baby-wipes-containers/baby-wipes-container-mu.html

@Viviennemary

Don't use them. Disgustingly unhygenic.

🙄🙄 I think you spelled "they're not for me but each to their own" wrong

How disgustingly entitled! Dd needs to bloody well clear up after herself!

That is so utterly rank!

I know others have said but I use a 'wet bag' that hangs on the back of the bath room door. Dont completely close the bag though as that causes the pads to smell musty. Then at the end of my period I soak them in cold water with some stain remover (like varnish oxiaction) and then put them and the bag in the washing machine. They come out completely clean and unstained.
If someone is using reusable menstrual products they need to research how to look after them properly.

Another vote for buying her a mooncup. Amazing things.

Waterproof bag in the normal washing basket sounds like a good idea.

You should ask her to hand wash them herself and then air dry them. She’s being very inconsiderate by tossing used sanitary pads into the laundry.

yanbu if you pick one of these examples

Why doesnt she wash them herself

I keep mine in a bucket in the bathroom and typically chuck them on the shower floor to rinse while I shower each morning and then straight in the machine to wash with everything else (we tend to run the machine daily).

I wouldn’t put with other items before washing so as not to stain them.

She's old enough to do it herself. I'd say a box or similar with a lid is what is needed. Depending on how long they are there for it could be the box has a anti bac/disinfectant water in it.

I'd was them on a hot wash with other things like flannels and towels. But I'm not squeamish about things like that. I know some people do want them to be separated.

I thought you were going to say she was 12-15... She's a University student fgs. Get her to rinse & wash them herself! It's all part of personal hygiene especially at that age. She's hardly squeamish if she's happy for her mother to handle & clean her used pads. The smell must be disgusting.

Take it off when I shower and put on the running water. Swish out until water runs clear. Put in washing machine to wash with next load.

I use period pants and this works for me.

@StitchesInChristmasTime

Or yes, teach her to use the washing machine.

But to have a whole wash cycle for just a small bit of fabric seems nuts.

It is strange that we have gone full cycle...Victorian and before women suffered the ghastliness of period cloths...

I commend those who use them however.

@Viviennemary are the heck. What’s in your twopence that you’re so scared of? Much nicer than chemicals and bleach on disposables.

I used to rinse mine but found it made no difference. I just chuck mine in with the rest of my laundry. There is all sorts of bodily fluids in general laundry, not to mention fecal matter in underwear (whether you can see it or not!).

As other posters have suggested, get her a bag/bin/box to store them in so you don't end up with rogue ones in the basket.

Just wash them ?
Do you Chuck leaked on knickers or sheets. No different.

I can't believe the basic things people don't seem to teach their kids from an early/earlier age. They're left to figure things out on their own, then they get older and are blamed for not knowing things at their age.

How are they to know if no one taught/showed them, especially when they're surrounded by others who've also not had basic life skills guidance?

And the pp who are on about 'period shaming' - honestly no words if you can't differentiate between basic hygiene and 'whatever shaming'.

She needs to rinse them clean (at the very least) in cold water and then store them until the next load of washing. A box/bucket with Milton or detergent would be a good idea.

Mine has a mooncup and the bathroom always looks like someone has been stabbed in there after she’s changed it.

I rinsed them at first but now just chuck them in with my clothes, everything comes out clean so what's the big deal.

Yanbu
I've always thought reusables are really disgusting

@LadyHedgehog

Have enough for a whole period. Mesh laundry bag with zip. Goes in the washer (and dryer if you have one) without you having to unzip it. Put it in with towels (or the flannels!) as it shouldn't have fabric conditioner. Bag can be stored in a bin with lid in the bathroom for convenience. Daughter to either alert you when it is ready for the laundry, or stick it in the machine herself.

Do this.

You need to make it easy enough that it's not a palaver for a (potentially bit lazy) teen, and a lot of the solutions here would involve too many steps.

You're willing to do all the steps as an adult, because you do all the washing and you realise that it makes sense in the end. But if you don't keep it simple and practically one-step for someone else, you're likely to get frustrated.

They need to be soaked and washed by hand or soaked, rinsed and then put into the washing machine. You can't collect them as they will smell.