Am I a Mooncup minger?

[MooncupMinger]

I use a Mooncup (actually a Boots copy one, but that’s beside the point). When I empty it, I pour the contents into the loo, then wash it out in the bathroom sink next to the toilet. Whenever I wash it out I think to myself that DP would probably find it gross that I’m washing it out where he washes his face/brushes his teeth etc. He could also walk in at any second, as we never lock the bathroom door, so there’s always the fear that I’m going to be outed as a Mooncup minger. Tbh he might think it’s a non-event.

I COULD turn the other way and wash it out in the bath, but that seems a bit overkill. Also… what do people do in their downstairs loos (which I don’t have)?!

So…

YABU - you’re a minger and should wash it out in the bath.

YANBU - it’s a normal bodily function (/fluid 😂) and it’s fine to wash it out in the sink.

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080409223826/www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_why_is_it_better.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080409223826/www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_why_is_it_better.html

In 2008 they had got as far as telling you to boil it, but were still saying "The Mooncup menstrual cup contains no bleaches, deodorisers or absorbency gels. It does not interfere with your healthy vaginal environment, nor has it been associated with toxic shock syndrome."

@BadNomad Thank you for bringing the updated information to my attention. I was still working on the outdated belief that menstrual cups don't increase TSS risk.

That Keeper website hasn't been updated since 2014, so their cleaning advice (which sounds like it's from the 80s) is very out of date. They say to use vinegar to "sterilize" it. Might as well rub it with lemon juice and say a prayer.

Things have definitely changed over the past 20 years. They did use to think TSS wasn't possible with cups. Until it happened. It takes a while for these things to become apparent. There are some research reports that say cups might actually be a greater risk than tampons (especially if not cleaned properly). It is still quite rare, but with more people switching to cups, there will be more reports if people don't clean them properly.

Definitely don't use toilet water to rinse it. And if it falls in a public toilet replace it. 😬

They say to use vinegar to "sterilize" it.

If you boil natural latex rubber, it will disintegrate pretty quickly, which may be the reason why they say to use vinegar. No one would selling a product would give instructions certain to quickly destroy it.

Anyway, the important thing (for me):

I apologise for mocking women who boil their menstrual cups and more importantly I retract where I said that menstrual cups do not require sterilisation because many models of cup do require it. Follow your cup's instructions because a random poster on Mumsnet can sometimes be wrong.

Tampons still aren't sterile though.

I'm wondering if there's such a thing as a downstairs loo that doesnt have a sink?

Fwiw - sink is fine.

Also, why not lock the bathroom door?

Get the bottle out first and then tackle the mooncup..

It's no worse than crusty toothpaste and dried spit in a sink.

There's no need to fill a sink to wash your face. In fact, you'll end up rinsing your face with soapy water if you wash that way.

Cannot get over people washing them in the loo. Do you also just wash your hands in there as well? 🤮
OP I don’t think it’s you that’s the Mooncup Minger!

At the end of my cycle mine goes in the dishwasher 😂

Those of you who find themselves in a loo and no sink,and wipe their cup with tissue.You are inserting the cup with dirty fingers surely?
A flush at least disperses any toilet germs so perhaps is cleaner if there is no other option!

But I'm not rinsing it to clean it, I'm rinsing it to get the blood out so it's fully empty. And I wash my hands before and after. What I don't want to do is layer on toilet cleaning chemicals and the water that's run through, erm, residue down the sides/under the rim of a public toilet bowl.

This is a very interesting thread. I quite like a mooncup but they are incredibly messy. And I only change them at home because it would get very messy in my small work toilet cubicle and I am often on the road between jobs and I don't fancy using a public loo to empty it. But I do wash them in the sink. I think it's less gross than spitting in the sink though.
Regarding washing them I also boil them in a saucepan that is also used for eggs and milk. My DP hasn't really noticed but if he saw one he wouldn't have a clue about it's use 😂

You boil your partner's dick or fingers?

I wouldn’t use tissue, it would break up and stick to the cup surely? Plus you’d be inserting a dry cup which is tricky and uncomfortable. In that situation I’d wash my hands first, then remove and empty cup, then reinsert. I’d wash my hands again after leaving the cubicle. I’d wash the cup properly (in a sink) at the next opportunity. This is what was advised in the instructions that came with it. It doesn’t need to be washed every time you empty it, and certainly not in toilet water! 🤢 Dispersing toilet germs is not a good thing! Disperse means to spread…

The first line of my post literally says nothing else goes in there. Not everyone has sex.

I either use the disabled toilet with a sink in the cubicle or I take a bottle of water in with me.

I use the sink too @MooncupMinger 😊

Man here so likely to be on the same wavelength as your husband. Wouldn't bother me at all. If he's ever thought about it at all hes probably already worked out that you have to clean it after use so likely do it in the sink.

I washed mine in the sink on the only occasion I ever used a Mooncup…it followed a near self inflicted hysterectomy. The entire episode was scarring 🤦🏼‍♀️

This is exactly what I do. I just give the sink a good rinse afterwards. It's what I would do if I had a nosebleed. Our menstrual blood is not any more unhygienic that normal blood (unless there is risk of transmission of a disease). I hate this concept that our menstrual blood is somehow disgusting or unclean. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs a biology lesson.

I don't know how you manage to deal with one, the mess puts me off a bit!

Doesn’t sound too bad 😊 but maybe rinse it out first in a flushing toilet? I assume you spray disinfectant/Milton on the sink when you’ve finished?

Fun fact. a sink is what you find in the kitchen. What you have in the bathroom is a wash hand basin. But to answer your question wash it wherever you want.

Why would you need to wash it in a cubicle just to put it back in? Just give it a quick wipe with tissue surely?

Thankfully my periods are pretty non existent these days but I had a horrifying incident where a full mooncup slipped out of my hands on the floor … looked like a murder scene. I wish period pants had been a thing when I was in my 20s/30s 🙄