Updated March 2020. Today we’re going to talk about cloth menstrual pads and answer some questions you may have if you’re considering giving them a try. I’ve been using cloth pads for a few months now, so those beginner questions are still fresh in my mind!
This is somewhat of a taboo subject, so I’ll do my best to be helpful without getting too detailed or graphic.
Before anyone asks, yes, those are brand new pads that I received in the mail yesterday… so they have never been used. 🙂
Tips for Purchasing Cloth Pads for the first time:
1. Measure the pads you currently use. Grab a ruler and an unused disposable pad that fits you comfortably and measure the length. Also, consider what you don’t like about the sizing of the pads you currently wear. Are they too long? Too short? I should’ve followed my own advice on this one because the cloth pads pictured at the top of this post are larger than I thought they’d be.
2. Purchase from more than one seller. Purchasing from more than one seller ensures that you’ll get to experience more styles, and fits, of cloth pads. If you initially purchase all of your pads from one seller, and find them uncomfortable, you may decide that all cloth pads are uncomfortable simply because you’ve only had one experience with them across the board.
Answers to Common Questions
I put together a list of questions that I had as a beginner and that I’ve been asked by friends that are interested in using cloth menstrual pads. Please remember that I’m answering from personal experience, so others may have different experiences and opinions.
What’s the minimum number of cloth pads I need to get started?
Comfortably, I’d say six is the minimum. Though some say three, which is possible, but you’d have to launder them daily. I purchased six to get started and it worked for me because I only needed to toss them in the wash every other day.
Do I need anything else to get started?
Technically, no. But there are tools that may make your experience more comfortable and help keep your pads stain-free. Some of these may be:
- Stain stick (I use a Fels Naptha bar – you can find them at most grocery stores in the laundry section)
- Sanitary method of storing soiled pads
- Oxyclean (off brand is fine)
- A wet bag (if you work a job outside of the home or are a student)
What about odor?
I have found them to be completely odor free.
Will the cloth pads become stained?
Short answer: maybe. Long answer: There is always a chance, but you can take certain steps to minimize staining, like using a stain stick and soaking in oxy clean. A friend that has worn cloth pads for years recommends purchasing black pads and says she never has to worry about stains (good idea!).
How uncomfortable is it to clean?
It may not be as uncomfortable an experience as you might think. Being a fairly squeamish person, I dreaded this part at first, but it didn’t make me uncomfortable or disgust me (which is a word I unfortunately see used to describe cloth pads by those that haven’t worn them). It is an adjustment, though, and not everyone may be comfortable rinsing a soiled pad.
How do you clean cloth pads?
Some rinse and fold after use, and place in a wet bag, bin or laundry basket until laundry day. While others soak in a container of soapy water or oxy clean, changing the water daily. Others prefer to rinse, treat with a stain stick immediately and on laundry day do a quick soak in oxy clean before washing (which is what I do).
There is no right, or wrong, method for cleaning cloth pads. It’s all about which method best fits your lifestyle and comfort level. Most cloth pad sellers will include recommended care instructions with your package.
Note: I also clean the sink with rubbing alcohol so it can resume its normal use without concern. I’m not sure if everyone else does this, but it’s a “for good measure” step that I never skip.
Benefits Of Using Cloth Pads
There are many reasons to consider making the switch to cloth pads, and I wanted to take a minute to share those with you. Granted, I have used regular pads for years, but I am always up for trying new things when it comes to helping the environment and saving money! Take a look at these top reasons to throw out the old pads (pun intended) and try cloth ones.
- Savings – I have to hit this first because it’s such a HUGE money saver. Just like everything else, commercially made pads are expensive, and the prices are only increasing. You can buy a few of these cloth pads and save a lot of money. Seriously!
- Cool Designs – While it’s not exactly a benefit to using pads with unique designs, it makes being on your period a little more tolerable.
- You’re Helping Small Businesses – In many cases, the cloth pads are made by small businesses. When you buy from a small business, you are helping regular business owners and not corporate bigwigs.
- Helping The Environment – This might seem like a no-brainer, but you will be significantly benefiting the environment by switching. It can take a really long time (think years) for disposable pads to decompose.
- Chemical Free – Disposable pads are loaded with chemicals and things that you really don’t want next to your nether regions. Using chemical-free cloth pads is excellent if you have extra sensitive skin.
- Cloth Is More Absorbable – When you use cloth pads, you’ll find that they are more absorbable than store-bought ones — just one more reason to consider trying them out.
What If I Switch To Cloth Pads And Don’t Like Them?
It’s totally fine if you switch to cloth pads and don’t want to keep using them. Just save them in case you want to try again later. I recommend using them for a few cycles before making the decision, though. After the stigma wears off a little bit, I’m confident that you will actually prefer cloth pads after you give them a try.
How Long Do Cloth Pads Last?
Most cloth pads will last 4-5 years on average. You may find that varies depending on your usage. So, even though the initial price per pad is more, all the usage you get out of them is insane! This is where you will really start to see those savings kick in.
Do Cloth Pads Smell?
I never had any issues with cloth pads smelling, and most women don’t. I know that you would think that there would be a noticeable odor, but because the liquid is going into cloth, it will evaporate some. When this happens, you will notice much less smell than with commercial pads. You should change them frequently to prevent any odors, just like you usually would. You can’t use the same one all day long and expect it to be entirely odorless.
Another anti-smell tip is to pour Peroxide on it to cut the smell and cut down on any stains! There’s an old mom tip right there!
Do Cloth Pads Shorten Your Period?
The jury is out on this one, and everyone has different experiences. However, there are many women who have stated that they have fewer cramps, and their periods tend to be less heavy or last as long. Some women have said that it has no bearing on how long her period lasts or the number of cramps she has. Give them a try and see if there is an effect for you either way.
Can You Wear Cloth Pads When Swimming?
Unfortunately, swimming with any sort of pad is going to be difficult. The cloth pad is made to absorb liquid, and that includes water. In many cases, the flow will stop while you are in the water. As soon as you get out of the water, it may start right away, so making it to the bathroom could result in a mess if you have a heavy flow.
I find that the best option is to use a menstrual cup when swimming, so you don’t have to worry about this. You can easily insert it and swim, and no one will ever know a thing about it, and there won’t be any leaking issues.
Do cloth pads leak?
They can, but this really depends on whether you are wearing an appropriately sized pad and whether it has the necessary absorbency for the particular stage in your cycle. I’ve found it best to wear longer, more absorbent pads at night to avoid potential leaks.
What do you do when changing a pad away from home?
Most ladies use a small wetbag which has a waterproof lining and two pockets –one pocket for clean pads, and another for the pads you’re changing out of. When changing, you simply fold and snap the pad closed and place it into the “used” pocket; while grabbing a clean pad from the other pocket. You can keep this bag in your purse. Then when you get home, treat as you normally would.
Here’s my wet bag (which I haven’t had to use yet) with clean pads in each pocket to give you a better idea.
I’ve had no personal experience with this situation, however. I work from home so the need simply hasn’t arisen. I would love for more experienced ladies to chime into the comments below with their tips and experiences.
Can I throw them in with the rest of my laundry?
If you’d like to. Some prefer to keep them separate from the rest of the laundry (like me), however, so the way you wash them is up to personal preference. But be mindful of the heat settings on your washer and dryer. Generally, cloth pads should not be treated with hot water.
When rinsing and washing, I use cold water. When drying, I use the lowest heat setting. Some prefer to air dry cloth pads, but if you don’t have many pads in your stash, this may take too long to be practical.
Are they less expensive?
There is an upfront cost involved ($8 to $13 per cloth pad, in my experience). But over the long term, it is less expensive than disposables, as cloth pads last for years.
Please feel free to leave any questions you may have in the comments below. I’ll try my best to answer, but if I can’t help hopefully someone else will chime in and answer your question.
If cloth pads aren’t for you but you’d like to move away from disposables, consider reusable menstrual cups as an alternative. I have no personal experience with this, but some women prefer them to cloth pads.
Calling all Cloth Pad Users!
If you have experience purchasing cloth pads, please leave your recommendations and the name of the shop in the comments below. I’d love to help each other out by recommending our favorite shops/providers. If we get enough recommendations, I may add them to the post.
Cloth Pad Shops:
I’ve found most of the cloth pads in my stash on Etsy.
- Pink Lemonade Shop
- Fig Leaves Pads
- Luna Pads (Recommendation from a friend)
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
I just toss them in a laundry basket after use. They dry very fast, then wait until it’s time for laundry. I put them in the machine by themselves with no detergent and run it on a warm or hot cycle.
I used to go through all the effort of soaking and boiling, but it seemed like a waste, and it was destroying the softness of the pads.
I find that they can last a whole day if I need them to. But if I do want to change, I’ll bring along a large ziplock bag. This has even worked while travelling – I just bring one ziplock bag with clean pads, and one bag for the used ones. Then I wish when I get home.
So far, I’ve bought all of mine from Lunapads.
On the odor issue, I have noticed that my cloth pads smelled when I had a systemic yeast overgrowth. Now that I am on the path of healing that, my pads don’t smell. I just wash them in a load with towels and hot water and they are fine. I make my own, and some have been so thick with my attempts to “water proof” them without spending money that it’s ridiculous, but they work well at night. My daughter recently bought herself some and says they are even better than my home made ones, which are way nicer than paper ones that gave us both a rash. I’m 44 and hesitate to buy them since things are not working like they used to and I’d hate to make the investment if I’m not going to get enough use out of them!
I make my own. I am a pagan, so I did it at first as an offering of less waste to the Earth. I kept doing it because it is more comfortable, and cheaper. I work outside my home, so i do the wet bag, 2 pocket thing. Most women will at sometime or other slip into the restroom with a purse, so noody really notices. I wait until I get home to deal with them. I soak then at home with hydrogen peroxide until laundry. Its just like underwear. I am sure everyone at one time or another you have had to wash a stain out of that. As I make my own, if they get stained, or funky, I dispose and make a new one. I line it with flannel, so they really do get very soft, like older nightgowns.
I’ve been using cloth pads for several years now. I use disposable ones for work on my heaviest days but they work fine for lighter days. just place in a ziplock bag and then in a cloth zippered bag (cosmetic bag) in my purse. Cleaning, I’m not that squeamish, so I throw them in the shower with me and step on them until they run clear. then wring out and launder with towels. I have assorted colors and the lighter ones are a bit stained, probably from the too hot water in the shower rinsing, but I don’t mind. I ordered mine from NewMoondot com. I wear the pantyliner size on all non-period days too.
LOVE Pink Lemonade Shop! The link you have doesn’t work though, they use their own website now! Pinklemonadeshop (dot) com!
Will fix that now!
I heard about these when I heard about the cup. But I didn’t give them to much thought. However, I am thinking about it. Especially since I don’t like having to buy more products and I’m tried of the plastic feeling of the other ones.
I never even knew such things existed. Your post lead me on to researching all the health nasties of disposables too, so I’ve now just ordered a few cloth pads to try out. Thank you for the informative post.
I’ve been toying with the idea, but not there yet. I did notice that they sell a couple different kinds on nickisdiapers.com . I buy my reusable sandwich bags from them and have always been happy:)
I made my own out of my daughter’s cloth diapers after she was potty trained. I kept an empty ice cream bucket in the tub next to the toilet, filled with water and generic oxy clean to soak them. I washed them with towels, and bleached them regularly so odor was never an issue. I didn’t care if they stained, who would see them except me? Snug fitting underwar kept them in place so I never added snaps. I started this out oif economic necessity but even once I was in a better place financilly, I continued to use them. The only exception was when I travelled to Europe, I had no idea what my options would be so I packed tampons. I think more people should give it a try, it’s not as complicated as it sounds and most people I know, once they try it they prefer it.
Thanks so much for starting a conversation on this! I’d love to hear from women who work outside the home. One thing holding me back is that I wouldn’t feel right about rinsing them in the sink at work. I’m not squeamish about it – – but other women might be and I don’t want to violate shared space. Any tips from working women?
I do sew and it’d be a breeze to make some.. I just have to take the leap and try it.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable rinsing in a sink that is not my own either. I know many women simply fold the pad closed and place in a wet bag until they get home, but I’m not sure if that makes them more prone to staining. I’d also love to hear about what other women do when they’re at work! 🙂
Personally I would start with using them at home and not at work yet. Get used to using them first. I have been using these reusable cloths for some time now (think little over a year) and I never take all these steps in washing them. I have a small bin (with lid) in my bathroom filled with cold water and I throw them in after use. No products in the water, no rinsing. The cold water will do the work and simply wash them at 30 degrees celcius (cold) whenever you have a load of laundry. After a year of using them I have never had smells or stains using this method. I use Momiji pads, especially the nighttime pad from them I really recommend. Also, get the pink or black colored ones!
Oh, and never use fabric softner when washing them. They will become less absorbing.
If you are using them at work I would suggest no rinsing at all and putting them straight in the wet bag. Maybe start with using them only on the last half of the day and using disposable in the mornings so you dont have to carry the full wetbag around all day and worry about it.
I know it has been long time since the question was asked. How would you feel about using both at different times? My babies are all adults now, but I used a mix of cloth & disposable diapers. Cloth at home & short trips, but I did use disposables when I knew that carrying the soiled ones, even using a liner, would be a problem.
Maybe on work days, you could leave the house with a disposable, and return in a washable?
Best, a Retired Soccer Mom
I tried making my own but they were more difficult to sew than I’d expected and the snaps popped out within a few washings. So I bought some, and they are so great, I will happily continue to buy from this shop: http://stores.ebay.com/loveoflittlethings/ VERY good prices, excellent quality, fast shipping, and even choice of colors. 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation! I’m definitely not skilled with a sewing machine, so I wouldn’t attempt them myself at the stage I am at in sewing.Though I did find this beginner-friendly tutorial on YouTube (she takes it very slow and sews in real time) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLXnTbi0_7c
It’s always great to have affordable sources for those of us that can’t sew. 😀
You can sew regular sew on snaps. I found the snaps with the snap setter to come off easier. And then you have a hole there.
How do you keep them in place? From shifting and/or moving around?
The cloth pads I use have snaps which keeps them in place pretty well (the snaps are on wings). If the pad is shifting on you, wearing tighter underwear will help keep them in place.
you could use a safety pin like babies diapers. I grew in Cuba in the 80’s/90s and there was not disposable or even store-bought reusable. We used napkin type cloth pieces with cotton inside and safety pins to close them and hold them in place. This is definitely easier and less accident prone.
Charlie Banana makes a great one for panty liners . I know people who keep a small pail with lid and have hydrogen peroxide and water and a little soup in it to throw the used pads in until ready to clean.It keeps them from staining and out of the way till they are ready to deal with them.
Thank you for the recommendation. I’d never heard of Charlie Banana. Just looked them up and they have great prices on pads!
I’m 43. Have used cloth for 7 months and love them. I’ve never bought a store bought pad. I sew my own! I can customize length, absorbency, and fabric patterns, and types (like Wonder Woman fabric & pul ). The average cost of my makes is $2 per pad with sale prices material. I’ll never by disposables again!
I knew making them would be less expensive, but I didn’t realize they could be made that inexpensively! 😀
What keeps them from leaking? Just curious. I’m really trying to save some money any way I can lol, but that was my number one question I had.
What keeps them from leaking is all the layers of cloth, flannel, and batting. Blood behaves differently on fabric than water and urine. No matter how many layers of cloth, if you spill water or have an accident, the water or urine will soak through almost instantly.
Blood is thicker than water/urine,it will only soak through one layer at a time. So the more layers the better.
I make my own pads, and each one has upwards of 10-15 layers. I have worn them over night, as well as several really long stretches of time when I was out and about and I haven’t had leak problems.
Thanks, Katie for taking the time for that awesome answer! I’m glad to see another gal making their own!!
It seems this is complicated but it’s not. YoYou don’t have to buy pre-made pads, simply go to the fabric store and buy good quality cotton. Preah before using. Cut and fold to desired length and thickness for your needs. I used a small garbage can with cold water and detergent in it to pit used pads in. Wash as needed then when period is over store everything for the next month in the handy container. Pretty simple really and a lot cheaper. And your not fillin up land Fills. When I first started I had no choice, disposable wasn’t around yet. It’s kind of like cloth diapers. A little more trouble but a lot less expense. If your really concerned about overflow you can always wear a pull up on particularly bad days. Sorry this was so long.
Great tips, Hilda. I agree that it’s not as complicated as it seems, the research on which method you’ll use to clean your cloth pads is really the hardest part. And it’s certainly a lot less expensive if you have the sewing chops to make them yourself!
My mother used cloth, as did every woman in those days. I used it in a pinch on occasion. Mother’s generation used “menstral towels” which were dried by laying them on the grass, in the sun, to bleach. I am still a rag saver, and when good cotton garments or towels wear out, they are laundered, trimmed for use, and kept in a rag bag. (Cotton sox make cheap washable subs for those Swiffer towels, and Swiffer towels are washable, and sox make great fingerless gloves!) White cotton tees are especially valuable for personal higiene, for polishing, for many uses, as are cotton sweat shirts, which, I would think would be useful and absorbent for home constructed pads. (Being old, it is not something I need any more.). As for leakage, take a tip from yesterday to use a barrier of beeswax treated cloth. I have seen dyi instructions on line, so try a search. We throw away far too many useful items and buy too many one use items, and may I say that being poor is much less frightening when you are creative and have some skills. Being old is one of those times of life that frugal “old time skills” come in very handy!
Great tips, Jean! I love learning from others and appreciate your contribution!!