Reusable pads

[skoobi1]

Anyone got experience of cloth pads. I'm not a tampon wearer and not comfortable with the eco side of disposable pads although do like the convenience. I'm a really heavy bleeder, maxi pad full every two hours. What are people's experiences of cloth pads, can they hold much, how often do you need to change do they leak, do they smell? And how are they to get clean? I'm not sure I want to be wringing out my own blood, sounds really messy. Any advice welcome

I've been using reusable pads for 8 months now and love them!

I do not have a heavy flow at all, so I'm afraid I can't help you with how often they would need to be changed but I find it was on par with disposable pads.

I'm not squeemish, I don't mind wringing the blood out of them at all. It's not messy, you just run it in the sink. But that's just to avoid staining, I believe you could put them through a seperate prewash in the machine and then just put them in with your normal wash. I use cloth nappies, so I just throw them in the wash with them.

I find they smell better than disposables and I've not really had any cramping since I started them. Plus my period is a day less.

Been using them for over 2 years now and even converted someone

Wouldn’t use anything else

They can need a bit of getting used to as they are a lot bulkier than disposables but honestly you won’t regret it

Oh and we don’t wring them through either

Just straight in the washing machine

I use them. Lots of different makes, Earthqise girls is a good atrarting point. I store them dry and wash every coupe of days. Sunlight good for getting out stains. Getting the right size is a bit of a gamble some of mine are really too small.

Thanks both- that's really interesting. Good to know I can just sling them in the machine I guess. How do you find they stay in place? I'm active outdoors most days and have enough trouble with ''plastic'' pads staying out (have tried tampons and menstrual cups but have struggled with them to pads are it for me).

thanks June2007 too

I've found they hold loads and feel so much more comfortable. I ran out and had to use a disposable one the other day for the first time in ages and couldn't believe how uncomfortable it was in comparison.

I find them so much nicer than disposables and not messy at all. Buy a few different lengths and absorbencies to see what you like before you buy enough to last a few days.

I change them every few hours, just like disposables. I put the dirty ones in a zipped up wet bag and then they don't smell. If you don't wash them for a few days then they do smell a bit inside the bag but the bag absolutely contains the smell.

When I am ready to wash them I put them straight in the washer and shake them out of the bag, zip up the bag and leave that in there too, and then run a rinse cycle. Then I fill the machine with a dark load of washing and wash at 40 degrees. I buy "charcoal" pads so the pads are dark grey and do t stain (my single white pad is stained and looks pretty manky even though I know it is clean).

When I use disposable pads I get period pains (cramps and an achy vulva). With reusable I get no pain at all. It's made me question what on earth is in the disposable pads to cause those pains.

Following OP. It's something I'm looking into. The initial outlay puts me off, but the long term savings and benefits will be fab. I'm quite heavy too.. Any specific recommendations? Do you wear a larger one at night?. Im not squeamish thank fully.

Thanks interesting to hear about the absence of pain/cramps with cloth pads I had never heard that before. Do you find that you can feel the ..er..liquid/blood on the cloth? I can be so heavy that a maxi pad feels good for about an hour and then I get that yukky wet feeling. Can cloth absorb as good?

Weirdly enough no I don’t feel damp.

I have one with a minky overlay, so that wicks away the damp.

Yes the initial price is expensive, but I’ve not had to buy disposables for 2 years now and I’ve only bought two lots of 5.

I honestly wouldn’t go back

I use honour your flow, they’re a lot more comfortable than disposables BUT my period hasn’t got any shorter and I still get horrendous cramps so don’t get your hopes up too much about that!

I love "minky overlay" and will endeavour to work that into more than one conversation today.. thank you xx

Good to know dampness isn't a problem though. Just need to think about how many I'll need to get me through a day/the cycle. Seem to get through too many disposables atm

I do find I can feel wetness on the heaviest day of my flow but it's very very heavy and I always felt that with disposables too.
I still prefer them though as they are generally more comfortable once you get used to them (a little more bulky), I find they slip less than disposables
If I'm away from home without washing facilities I resort to eco disposables that have no oil based plastic