Thought about trying cloth pads?

WARNING, before you read any further, this blog post is about cloth menstrual pads, which means I’m going to be talking about (loud stage whisper) periods and things. So, if you are a bit squeamish, or don’t want to read about things like that, go no further. Of course if you’re not bothered, let’s dive right in, have you thought about trying cloth pads?

Washable cloth pads?

I know that at the thought of trying cloth pads is just a bit much for lots of people, it’s all just a bit grim. The idea of washing sanitary pads, with all of that icky stuff on it…. yuck! But actually it’s not all that bad. It is. after all, your own icky stuff and I’m not suggesting that you wash them by hand. You can help things along by soaking them in a small tub of salt water (ok, the water’s going to look a bit like something from a horror movie when you’ve finished, but you can just rinse that away) and the washing machine will clear up the pads in no time. Really it’s no worse than a disposable pad that you have to throw away and at least with a cloth pad you know that there’s no nasty chemicals lurking in it.

Save money and the environment

How many periods does the average woman have? Twelve or thirteen a year lasting five or more days each for about thirty five years or so. That’s a lot of periods. Now imagine just how much you’re spending on disposable sanitary products over that time, just to use them once and then throw them away. Now think about how much waste you’re generating in that time. It soon adds up doesn’t it. The great thing about reusable menstrual products is that you can keep washing and reusing, so after the initial purchase, you keep saving money and you don’t keep generating rubbish.

Are they any good?

I suppose one of the obvious questions you might have, is are they actually any good. Will a cloth pad work as well as a disposable one, won’t it feel a bit wet and horrible against your skin. I’ll admit that I’ve had a few that have felt a little damp, but in all honesty they’re much nicer than disposable ones. The pads that I sell at Nappyneedz are topped with microfleece, which draws the moisture away, and leaves everything feeling nice and dry and comfortable. They’re also just a bit more gentle on your bits, I first used cloth pads after the birth of my second baby, a cloth pad against my poor, battered lady bits was so much nicer than those disposable pads, and they worked just as well (if not better). One of my midwives told me that they’d had some ladies getting “nappy” rash from the disposable pads and that they usually suggested switching to old rags to deal with it, obviously a cloth pad would be so much nicer (and more practical) than that.

Try cloth pads

If you fancy trying cloth pads, then it is really quite cheap. You only need one or two to give it a go first time around, then you can build your collection if you decide that they are for you. I’ve tried to offer a really reasonably priced cloth pad here at Nappyneedz, and our liners start from as little as $2.50 each.

If you’re thinking about trying cloth pads, take a look at our selection here.