Washable sanitary towels and menstrual cups... cheaper eco-friendly menses products..

[FeministPixie]

Anyone here use them? I have just ordered a mooncup to try out as I stopped using tampons years ago because they made my painful and heavy periods much worse.

I am also considering buying a small amount of washable sanitary towels as a double protection just in case I leak.

Does anyone who uses a menstrual cup use extra protection with their menstrual cup?

I am sick of spending money on disposables, that end up in landfill (i never flush mine, I hate to think of some poor bastard swimming getting my winged sanitary towel bob up and down in front of their poor face!)

I haven't used a mooncup but I do use washable pads. I got a load off etsy. I love them.

What did it for me was that I couldn't stand the smell of the chemicals in disposables and the plasticky feel made me feel really sweaty [grim]

I shall be sticking to them from now on

Do you need to rinse or soak them before washing? I live in a shared house with all blokes and they get squicked out at my pants soaking in an old washing up bowl (can't really afford to replace my underwear every time I leak) and I think seeing pads would freak them out even more!

Of course I think they should just grow the fuck up (it's not as if I leave them soaking in the sink!) as they are adults and it's part of human biology.

Haha re the blokes.

No I just zip them in a waterproof bag and when af is over I just open it and chuck the whole thing in the washer. I put them on a quick rinse then put them through with a load if towels or something.

I use a mooncup, and don't bother with extra protection during the day. I've had one leakage nightmare in 7 years, and I think that was my fault, not the mooncup.

I use washable pads together with the mooncup at night, just for a day or two at the start of my period. I give the pads a quick rinse in the sink, then put them in an ice cream container under the sink until I chuck them in the next wash. As long as they stay wet they don't stain.

I don't live with blokes, but I share a washing machine with 5 of them, I used to do my washing in the middle of the night so they wouldn't need to empty the machine and see my undies/pads. I realised how stupid I was being and I pretend I don't care now, but I'm still slightly embarrassed about it, if I'm honest.

I have a Meluna- nicer colours and more choice in sizes. I have a medium one and it's fine. I got washable pads as back up and have never used them. The only time I've had a leak is when getting up in the morning after it's been in all night- 8 hours plus, and it wasn't as bad as the early morning flood I used to get using towels.

Well I have found a company that does starter packs of washable pads and all the accessories for menstrual cups and pads- Best thing of all is that they are based in my home town! I asked them on Facebook and they are happy for me to pick up my order at their reception to save on postage/carbon footprint (I will have to use the bus).

What kind of reactions have you had to your eco-friendly products?

I love my mooncup, it has changed my periods. My periods are really irregular so knowing I can just put it in if I bleed a little is great. I barely notice I'm on my period these days. I literally could not go back to tampons. I don't use extra protection, leaked a few times when I first started using it but used to it now.

I haven't had any reactions...my periods are my business, I don't tend to discuss them with people.

mooncup OK, washable pads just yuk, yuk yuk, in fact sitting about on top of stale menstrual blood is just disgusting.