My experience with cloth pads

Well, those days of the month are still quite a taboo even though we're in the 21st century and half of the world population has to deal with it for about 30 to 40 years of their lives, so let's talk periods - period 😅

Last few years have been a great breeding ground for anything that can be sold as sustainable, clean or minimal. With this (somewhat good) trend, we've also done a full circle when it comes to feminine hygiene, from disposable plastic pads and tampons advertised as great option for a female on the run, to reusable cloth pads and menstrual cups as alternative, more natural and sustainable option.

As I'm not a good friend with tampons I was hesitant to give cup a try although I have a few friends which gave up their standard period products and now simply rely on their cup. Cloth pads were more of my speed to try out😁.

When it comes to my reason why I wanted to give cloth pads a go, it was, well, basic curiosity and aim to find more comfortable option for nighttime. At some point at the beginning of the year, I fell down the YT cloth pads rabbit hole and decided to take a plunge and order some cheap pads off of eBay (just google cloth pads or mama pads as these are also used for post-birth bleeding and the same materials are used for reusable nappies). Most of cheap cloth pads come with water-resistant backing to avoid spillage and soft padding of micro-fiber layers to soak in the blood. I chose black as they look more esthetically pleasing then the white ones and fell in love with all the different cute motifs on the back. You simply need to snap them on your knickers and you're ready to go... bleed... 😉

My stash of cloth pads, also known as "Chinese cheapies":
Regarding the sizes of the pads, the rule of thumb is to measure the lenght of your standard pads and get the varieties you use depending on your flow. I tend to have 2 days of heavier flow so I opt for 2 bigger pads for nighttime, 4 pads for "normal flow" (20 cm pads, marked as liners in cloth pad world) and 4 small panty-liners. Also, I got a single night-time/post-birth cloth which has soft backing (minky), which I find too warm and bulky to use. After a few cycles I noticed I miss a few normal sized-pads as I have to reach into my old disposable pads stash to make it through. In regards to "liner" size, they are still quite big and absorbable so I use them for last day(s). For spotting, I prefer standard disposable pantyliners as they're much more convenient.
Different sizes of cloth pads (L to R, from liners to bulky night-time/post-birth pad):
Main concerns I had when going into this adventure were the smell and bulkiness of the pads.
In regards to smell, you cannot feel it while wearing it but pad itself smells more of blood then standard pads do (which tend to smell rather "fishy"😖), at least in my experiance. In general, if you change them regularly and keep in a wet bag until washing, you are good, but note that wet beg can get funky by the time you wash them if blood does not dry down (just saying!). I cannot say I had any obvious odor issues and actually found cloth pads comfier to wear. I also did not have issues with sweating not even during the summer months.

On the other hand, cloth pads ARE bulkier then the regular pads, but I can wear them under my skinny jeans without them showing. Only the biggest, night-time, pad is problematic, but if I'm bleeding that much, most likely I'm at home in bed, waiting for that monsoon weather to normalize.

To add, some may be concerned about the leakage, but I did not have any problems so far, not even during nighttime which was a definite win. As cloth pads are bulkier then disposable pads they have bigger contact surface with your skin and soak in the blood before it becomes problematic. The only time I bled through was when I was wearing a liner on my first day while waiting for my flow to stabilize and I bled a bit on the front. This wouldn't have happened if I was wearing a pad for normal flow ("bigger" liner in the cloth pads world). Note that what kind of a bleeder are you, front, back or central is also something to take into account when buying cloth pads as there are flared pads (at the back or front) depending on your needs, so it could be something to keep in mind. I chose the basic ones with no flares.

Wet bags and cloth pads folded in as if they're soiled:

When it comes to cleaning of my cloth pads, I wait until my period is over and keep used pads in a wet bag and then clean them all together. I tend to soak them in cold water first (hot water will cause stains), rinse them off by hand and wash in a washing-machine on 40 degrees Celsius with standard washing powder and a cup of clothes sanitizer to be on the safe side (added as softener). Do not use fabric softeners when cleaning your cloth pads as it will decrease their absorbency (the same rule we follow for the towels) and avoid clothes dryer as it may cause shrinkage. Please note that these cheap cloth pads are made with man-made materials so during the wash you are still releasing microplastic into the world, but it's still a better option then standard pads/napkins.

Final Verdict: I am really impressed by the performance of these cheap cloth pads and I actually have a few more on my way. They are comfortable to wear, do not smell as I thought they would and don't make that weird plastic-y sound when you get up 😀 It takes a bit of trial and error to find underwear they fit in and you need to play around with your washing-machine options to have them cleaned properly, but after you have this under your belt it's a smooth ride.

Have you ever tried cloth pads or menstrual cup?
Would you ever consider reusable hygiene products such as these?

With love,
atwiglikeme :)

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