# Reusable Menstrual pads...do you/would you use them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835 "2010-01-06T01:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/21 "2010-01-06T03:34:03Z")
Have 'em, use 'em, love 'em. I have a selection of really super large sized (because I made them myself to my own specifications) to use at night, when I don’t feel comfortable using my Diva Cup. When I get up in the morning, I put them in a basin of cold water while I shower, then I pretty much hand-wash them. I have enough to last me through a normal cycle without re-use, at the end of the week I wash them in the same fashion as one uses to wash cloth diapers in order to maximize absorbency. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/22 "2010-01-06T03:34:08Z")
I don’t get why you’d have them in pretty patterns - you’re going to effin’ BLEED all over them! And blood stains. IF I were to use reusable pads I’d like them in white or unbleached colors, and then when I washed them I’d bleach the crap out of them to disinfect them. My mom told me about the days before disposables and… well, why would I want to return to _that?_ What a godawful, bloody, smelly mess. If I had to I could cope, but _really…!_ If you want a “green” solution to your menstrual flow catching get a diva cup. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/23 "2010-01-06T03:36:33Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > So what about reusable crotchet tampons??? > [http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/581661809\_e540433d70.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php%3Ftopic%3D178151.0&usg=\_\_1NXToLRVzpBVyPUSifjxWywEs4o=&h=375&w=500&sz=179&hl=en&start=7&sig2=yS4m7yYaqcUW\_NO2uDi4LA&tbnid=lK9j7C0Uav2xqM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcrotchet%2Btampon%2Bpattern%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26newwindow%3D1&ei=M\_hDS4udD4aCsgPNh-36Dg](http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/581661809_e540433d70.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php%3Ftopic%3D178151.0&usg=__1NXToLRVzpBVyPUSifjxWywEs4o=&h=375&w=500&sz=179&hl=en&start=7&sig2=yS4m7yYaqcUW_NO2uDi4LA&tbnid=lK9j7C0Uav2xqM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcrotchet%2Btampon%2Bpattern%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26newwindow%3D1&ei=M_hDS4udD4aCsgPNh-36Dg) > what about knitted? > [http://knithacker.com/category/ecohack/](http://knithacker.com/category/ecohack/) Not absorbent, doesn’t expand to fit, lots of holes that risk trapping fluids/blood clots and not coming clean. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs\_Johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mrs\_Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Johnson)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/24 "2010-01-06T03:46:11Z")
I’m not a pad user (Diva Cup or tampons) but I do think they’re a good idea for pad users. But my question is what do you do with the used pad if you’re not at home? Do you keep a soggy, bloody pad in your purse 'til you get home or something? **madrabbitwoman** – how would you sanitize crochet tampons? And like the pads, what do you do when you need to change it? Where do you store the used one if you’re away from home? ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/25 "2010-01-06T03:53:57Z")
I was a cloth diaper/washcloth instead of babywipes mom, too…but I am one of those heavy flow girls…I can soak through an Overnight maxipad and a Super tampon worn together in about an hour at work…I can’t imagine having to carry around a bag of used menstrual pads until I got home, and then having to do a load of wash a day…though I already have to do that on the worst days… Disposable, cheap mentrual products and indoor plumbing are my minimum standards for civilization. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/26 "2010-01-06T04:06:08Z")
> [@Mrs\_Johnson](#): > > **madrabbitwoman** – how would you sanitize crochet tampons? And like the pads, what do you do when you need to change it? Where do you store the used one if you’re away from home? I’m afraid I don’t know or care (no way on gods little green earth is anything like that going inside my body thankyouverymuch) they just scream TOXIC SHOCK to me. However I think my cats would enjoy playing with them. (an if anyone is interested in laughing at things that should never be crocheted have a looksee here [http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com](http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com)) ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/27 "2010-01-06T04:29:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I don’t get why you’d have them in pretty patterns - you’re going to effin’ BLEED all over them! And blood stains. > > IF I were to use reusable pads I’d like them in white or unbleached colors, and then when I washed them I’d bleach the crap out of them to disinfect them. My mom told me about the days before disposables and… well, why would I want to return to _that?_ What a godawful, bloody, smelly mess. If I had to I could cope, but _really…!_ > > If you want a “green” solution to your menstrual flow catching get a diva cup. This is sheer germophobic nonsense. It’s a little messy. It is not “god-awful.” I have a three day supply. If you have access to running water (like most people), there is relatively little inconvenience. You soak them in a bucket, pour off the water, toss them in the laundry. There is little to no smell if you do not leave them to fester in the soak bucket. The pads come with instructions about this. No need to bleach because hot water and detergent is plenty. Menstrual blood is not going to hurt you so long as you follow the recommended hygiene procedures. I use them because I cannot wear a Diva Cup continuously for five days without pain. Since I started using Glad Rags in conjunction with the cup, I have saved hundreds of dollars on tampons and pads. Cotton pads are also more comfortable than the plastic disposables. However, I wear the pads only at home, as it’s too potentially messy to wear them out. If the pads are not for you, that’s fine, but it’s not necessary to deride the perfectly reasonable and sanitary choices of others. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/28 "2010-01-06T05:20:21Z")
I’ve been spayed. If I still needed to deal with menstruation, though, I might consider making my own pads and using them. I used cloth diapers when I didn’t have my own washer and dryer, and I coped. As for going out, I usually used disposables when Lisa was in diapers, and cloth diapers at home. Of course, I didn’t have much choice, disposable diapers gave her a bad case rash if I used them too much. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/29 "2010-01-06T06:19:11Z")
No one has yet mentioned [Cherokee hair tampons.](http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/152130/?searchterm=Cherokee+Hair+Tampons) ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/30 "2010-01-06T07:07:23Z")
I find the convenience of tampons well worth the minimal cost. But if there were no choice and I had to use a diaper, I wouldn’t find it squicky. Just…annoying, smelly, inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/31 "2010-01-06T12:21:27Z")
> [@Mrs\_Johnson](#): > > I’m not a pad user (Diva Cup or tampons) but I do think they’re a good idea for pad users. But my question is what do you do with the used pad if you’re not at home? Do you keep a soggy, bloody pad in your purse 'til you get home or something? This is honestly the only thing I don’t like much about reusable pads, but I do have a cute cloth pouch that’s lined with plastic on the inside where I can stash them. The plastic makes it easy to clean and keeps any fluids from soaking into anything else. Lunapads also makes pads and blankets designed for really heavy flows, like after pregnancy. Even on my heaviest days they’re just as absorbant as any disposable, some of them have wings, and I can swap out the top liner or two as needed. I’ve never had any problems with leaking and certainly never have anything running down my leg. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/32 "2010-01-06T13:09:01Z")
I use them. I find them more comfortable and it seems like my flow is lighter when I use them (although I have no idea why that would be). I cloth diapered, so I don’t find the washing to be a big deal. I have a Diva Cup, but I haven’t worked up the nerve to use it. I hate tampons, so I’m having to talk myself into the Diva Cup, although I have a lot of friends who use it and rave about it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/33 "2010-01-06T13:12:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Wash your hands and move on. Nicely put. This may become my new motto. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/34 "2010-01-06T13:24:08Z")
I’ve used cloth pads for about 10 years and loved them. As my period changed and got heavier, I really had to move on to kotex, et al. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/35 "2010-01-06T13:37:06Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > As for going out, I usually used disposables when Lisa was in diapers, and cloth diapers at home. Of course, I didn’t have much choice, disposable diapers gave her a bad case rash if I used them too much. Actually, this is one of the reasons some people use cloth pads. The plastic disposable pads give a sizeable minority of women dermatological issues. Rashes, irritation, etc. I personally get pimples on my lady bits if I use plastic pads for more than a day–that is more unhealthy and more disgusting than washing out any pad! One friend uses them because she has vulvodynia and cotton causes her less pain than synthetic. This is also one reason not to use bleach on the pads. Not only is it not necessary, but it can flare up any sensitive skin issues the user has. > [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I’ve used cloth pads for about 10 years and loved them. As my period changed and got heavier, I really had to move on to kotex, et al. Yeah, that’s a downside. If you have a heavy flow, all you can do with reusable pads is sit around the house and bleed, because you have to change them every 30 minutes to an hour. I have enjoyed mine more as my flow has gotten lighter. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/36 "2010-01-06T13:49:39Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > **delphica** , not to hijack but have you tried [Vetrap](http://www.horse.com/3M-4-Vetrap-Bandage-Tape-BHV50.html?email=MRHSGOOG&mr:trackingCode=7267A06B-E581-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA)? Its a wrap that sticks to itself but not to you (it does not stick to hair or skin). Natural latex gives it reusable stick; you can unwrap and re-wrap without losing the self-adhesive quality. You can get the same thing made for people, but it costs a lot more and isn’t any different. (and doesn’t come in fun colors!) Ha, you know I have seen that, but never made the leap that it could also be used for people. It’s fun and weird how it sticks to itself. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/37 "2010-01-06T14:35:50Z")
> [@Q.N.Jones](#): > > This is sheer germophobic nonsense. It’s a little messy. It is not “god-awful.” Come over to my house when I’m having a heavy flow day. If I want to call it “god-awful” that’s my business. Some of us can make a bathroom look like someone butchered a large farm animal in it on a bad day. If your flow has never been that heavy count your blessings. > [@](#): > > You soak them in a bucket, pour off the water, toss them in the laundry. The thing is, I don’t have laundry facilities where I live, I have to drive down the road to the laundromat and that can be inconvenient if you have to do it frequently. Like I said, if I _had_ to cope with reusables I would, but I would find it quite burdensome. > [@](#): > > No need to bleach because hot water and detergent is plenty. Menstrual blood is not going to hurt you so long as you follow the recommended hygiene procedures. I bleach all my underwear. My husband’s underwear, too, for that matter. I use them because I cannot wear a Diva Cup continuously for five days without pain. Since I started using Glad Rags in conjunction with the cup, I have saved hundreds of dollars on tampons and pads. Cotton pads are also more comfortable than the plastic disposables. However, I wear the pads only at home, as it’s too potentially messy to wear them out. If the pads are not for you, that’s fine, but it’s not necessary to deride the perfectly reasonable and sanitary choices of others. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/38 "2010-01-06T15:16:20Z")
Allow me to quote my grandmother: “fuck the Pill and to hell with epi, the greatest chemistry-related improvement to women’s life in the 20th century was disposable pads. And oh God those tiny tampons, what I would have paid for those!” (the de-Pitted version was part of my entry to an ACS contest to name the 10 biggest chemistry-related advances of the 20th century, I got a Mention). She underwent menopause before disposables got to the market. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/39 "2010-01-06T15:17:07Z")
My first day flow is heavy enough that the idea of washing out reusable pads would be god awful. It’s fine when I just have to roll the pads or tampons up in TP and toss them away–the idea of later having to wash them would give me vapors. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835/40 "2010-01-06T15:53:48Z")
**Broomstick,** I would have had no issue with your post if your remarks had indicated that you were talking about your own personal situation. I agree, for a heavy flow person who has no home laundry, reusable pads are not ideal at all. But you didn’t state that your remarks were confined to your own personal situation. They were made in the general sense, and strongly intimated that you found people who use reusables to have questionable hygiene. That is what I take issue with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reusable-menstrual-pads-do-you-would-you-use-them/523835.md?page=3)