disappointed with washable sanitary pads

[jenniferjane21]

As part of being more environmentally friendly I've bought a supply of washable sanitary pads. They are fleece top, fastened by a popper under the knickers and are lovely to wear, soft and warm. However they are useless for catching anything as they move around so much :-(
Especially at night time I end up with mess all down my leg (sorry TMI!) and I have to wash my PJs every morning.
I'm so disappointed, I'm going to have to give up with these pads. is this a common problem? Are some pads better than others? Any info gratefully received.
TIA

< not envy.

How do you wash them? Don’t the end up stained and looking a bit rank?

Try a different brand, they're not all like that. Maybe one of the cotton ones with adjustable poppers. Also, tighter knicker help!

Invisimama- there are plenty of threads discussing the pros and cons of washable; this isn't to discuss how rank they are. FYI the fleece is dark and you can't we much at all. As for how to wash then, well, same way as my PJs.

Bookgirl - can you recommend a better brand? Happy to try a different brand

Sorry if this is a strange question, but have you tried bigger pants? I find they work best with my most sturdy, "granny" panties rather than ones from, say, H&M which tend to be skimpier. I'm not talking about g-strings, either, just their normal pants - and I've found the same from other fashion type brands. The gussets are really narrow, so the cloth pads have nothing to grip onto.

I made my own so don't know about different brands, but the ones that work best for me have a denim, twill or jersey backing.

Are yours fleece on the bit against your pants?

Mine only move when I wear pants which are too loose. I’m normally a 14 but my period pants are ‘full’ type size 12, so they are a snug fit. Without the snug fit I can imagine leaks would happen. I also only wear cotton pants - anything synthetic just slips.

I’ve been using washables (honour your flow, and some eBay cheapies) for over 18 months. No leaks, ever.

Never tried them myself, but I think washing would be the same way I deal with DD’s nix. Cold water and salt to get rid of stains, them machine wash on 40 to properly clean.

I've used reusable pads for 2 years now. Tried quite a few brands. Fairy hammocks are the best IMO. Never had a leak with them and they wash really well!

I've got some lovely ones from Honour Your Flow and Moo's. No leaks at all. All my pants are sturdy of gusset, which probably helps.

I've just started using them and so far I'm a convert. I do wear them with my high waist 'sloggis' though so they don't budge.

You say fleece top. I'd usually expect the fleece to be on the back as it's water resistant. Popular top fabrics are bamboo velour, cotton and minky. Try a different brand. I gave up on reusables for other reasons but I remember Honour Your Flow being lovely. And yes, snug pants with a decent gusset are a must!

I agree with the other posters, they fit best with tight fitting "proper" knickers on and also try the night time ones for heavy flow or sleeping in as they are much larger and have a water proof backing.

Try snug pants and rotate pad 180 degrees (the fabric on my ones are more smooth rubbing one way than the other and can shoot off if facing the wrong way) mine are from cheeky wipes

Buy a set of flannel facecloths. Fold and sew them to the width you want. You can sew ribbon or the like to either end of the 'pad', so you can loop and secure them to your undies gusset in the same way you would tying shoelaces. I made twelve of them.

That's how they used to make them in the old days when disposable ones weren't a thing, or were too expensive. Treat them as you would towelling nappies for laundry.

I use them at night and on the first couple of days of my period, because the cramps are too harsh for me to use my menstrual cup.

I can recommend Dutchess and Cheeky Mama brands; I bought mine two years ago and they are still going strong.

Brilliant, thank you so much everyone. So granny pants it is then! Not that mine are thongs, they are M&S or Fat Face type briefs.

The ones I have feel fleece on top to me but maybe have some bamboo in. The water proof outer layer is quite slippery so now I can see why they are slipping on my knickers and moving out of place.

Ah yes, I can see why those would move. Lots of brands have windpro fleece or wool as the backing fabric with the waterproof PUL layer (if they have one) inside that. Try one like that and you should be fine.