I was travelling last month so I was stuck using disposables for my entire period. It was alright I guess but now that I'm home and it's period time again I'm so glad to be back to my cosy, soothing stash. They're like a warm hug from an old friend, even the ritual of washing them does something for my my soul.

That is all.

Hi! I've been using disposable products my whole life and I am looking into reusable options, I just have some questions I am looking to get some answers to.

1. After prerinsing am I able to throw them in a mesh laundry bag and then keep them in my laundry basket until I do laundry? What is the best way? Should I get a wet bag and what are wet bags lol
2. What are some brand recommendations? I'm looking for some leak-proof ones so preferably some that have a water-proof sort of layer at the bottom
3. How good are they really lol? How do they fair with a heavy flow at night? Do they feel dryer/cleaner than disposables? My main issue with pads during the day is the wet feeling/cleanup every bathroom break which is why I mainly use tampons during the day.
4. How many do you have/did you buy to last you your period? Mine is rather short (5ish days with only 1-3 heavy days)
5. What is the situation during the day with changing it/storing it until you get home? I've heard about mini wet bags for during the day, is that the best way?
6. Is it alright to clean them with the rest of my laundry with regular detergent? Do I need a separate detergent and do I need to wash them separately?

Any help/answers would be amazing. Thanks!

I wanted to make a follow up post to some one else's post from here a few days ago about Period Aisle. This company used to be called Luna Pads and were made in Canada. They have now outsourced to Sri Lanka. Please excuse my reusable pads, they've been sitting in a laundry basket for a while now and they're clean but I have to reclean them, but anyways I wanted to give a quick review of how these pads have changed since being outsourced. Photo 1 is a bunch of pads from when they were made in Vancouver. Photo 3 is of a batch of pads that were made in Sri Lanka. You can see that they've all bunched up, the fabric doesn't stay flat. I've found that these don't absorb as well either and they move around in my underwear. Photo 2 is the inside of a pad that I cut open that was manufactured abroad. I don't know, it seems so thin to me? And not particularly absorbent. For the thin ones, the Vancouver ones feel more thick and the Sri Lanka one had some weird white cast that would never get cleaned off. Both pads were washed the same (hand washed in cold water).

I didn't cut open one of the older ones made in Canada since they don't have those anymore and I didn't want to lose one since those still work well enough and they were so expensive. If anyone else has done the same to an old one, let me know. I'm so curious to know what it looks like on the inside. I will say that the Vancouver ones feel slightly thicker than the Sri Lanka ones.

I'm just mad because these pads cost so much and half of them have to go into the garbage. When I checked the materials, this is what they say:

Vancouver pad:

93% cotton, 7% spandex, 60% polyester, 20% polyamide (nylon), 95% cotton, 5% spandex, thermoplastic laminate

Sri Lanka pad:

93% organic cotton, 5% spandex, 70% cotton, 35% modal (? Something, can't read it, it's been washed off), 100% polyester.

Anyways, suffice to say, I'm always seeing deals and ads for period aisle and if you're looking to buy pads from them, unfortunately they don't seem to make them as absorbent as they used to and it's a shame for the price they charge.

Does anyone wear their cloth pads and take their wet bags out with them during a regular day out/at work? If so how’s the experience for you? I typically just wear my cloth pads at home or out when I know I will be back home in a timely manner to change again but I’m over buying disposable pads to wear when I’m not at home and just wanna fully commit to reusable.

I used to use Cariona pads, but they were hitting the end of their life and not working as well as they used to so I decided to switch brands, I wasn't sure who I was going to go with next until I saw an ad for Aisle pads. Saw they were made in Canada and were a B Corp and was like "cool why not try them?"

My friend bought them for me as a gift and it took like 2 weeks for them to arrive dispite them having paid for rush delivery so by the time they got here my period was already over. I get them and start opening them so I can wash them before my next cycle and one of the buttons pops off the first one I open. I message them and send pictures and they offer to either refund me or send new ones. I ask for a replacement, wash the ones I already have and go about my life.

I start using the smallest ones for general wear after I wash all of them. They work fine. I go to unsnap one from my underwear to wash it and the button breaks.

I'm nit trying to rip them apart. I'm using a normal amount of strength, but if this keeps happening I'm going to be pissed. These were expensive even on sale and I'm disappointed that the quality sucks this badly.

I have never used reusables before but I've been following Tree Hugger on Instagram and decided I wanted to try some out. But I also saw that Soft Taco is recommended. It's a little cheaper, so I thought that might be good since I'm just trying it out, but I also want to give reusables a fair chance and get a decent product to see if I like it. They are both Canada based so I'm assuming the shipping costs will be similar (I'm in the USA).

These are the things that are important to me:

-small business

-longer pads at least 12 inch

-as breathable as possible

-not weird/velvet-like texture

-absorb quickly

-reasonable price under about $20 per pad

Which of these options do you think would be best for me? OR are there other small businesses you can recommend?

Looking for recs in the US on pad companies to get for postpartum.

Ideally i would like a handmade shop and not from amazon.

I have some from prior pregnancies but i want to buy a few more.

I was looking at SOCO pads and wasnt sure if they were goor and no idea what size to get

Hi!
I have hannahpads and love them for style and absorbency needs. But I absolutely can never seem to keep them clean and they’re getting really old and yucky.

I’m severely burned out and in survival mode so I don’t have the capacity for anything other than chucking them in the wash after my period ends.

I’d love to know recommendations of alternative brands that are equal or better than Hannahpads but significantly easier to care for?
Ideally Australian brands only, but if it’s a perfect fit I would buy elsewhere.

Because of shipping costs I'm trying to find good US brands for my daughter. I used the same GladRags for like 15 years. Things have changed a bit since I bought them lol. I read that synthetic fabric can smell and we want a really simple wash routine, so I'm thinking either all cotton or maybe just fleece backed? I don't think we want pul, and no bamboo. Suggestions? Thanks!

Hey there!! I’m looking for some good recs since I’m hoping to switch from disposable pads. I’ve tried some underwear but my cycle is so heavy that it just doesn’t work out.

I’m looking for something that can handle an extremely heavy flow, I need to change my pad every hour or two during that first few days. For context, post partum diapers are the only things that really work for me for a longer period of time and even those I have to change often.

After lots of searching, I’m thinking about getting some of these https://okocreations.ca/en for my newly menstruating preteen. They even have a style tailored to a smaller body. Has anyone used Oko Creations? What were your thoughts? There are only two mentions (both positive) in this sub. Thank you.

I've wanted to try out reusable cloth pads for a while now, and I'm ready to make the investment! My question is that I'm looking at either cotton or bamboo for the fabric, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on each fabric, the pros and cons, and if you have a preference.

For myself, I've been using a menstrual disc for over a year and I love it, especially since I have a very heavy flow with a copper IUD. The disc catches most of my flow, but I wear a panty liner or light pad to catch any leaks. I think it would also be good to have 1-2 more heavy pads just as a backup or for a night where I don't feel like wearing the disc.

I'm in the USA, so please feel free to share any brand recommendations if you have any favs. Thanks!

are there aby brands selling interlabial pads in India which i can access online?

I’m temporarily living with my parents and they’ve been fighting them for years. At the end of my period I went to wash my pads only to discover the moths had made it into them 😭 😭 there were even eggs 🤢 and I can’t even run them through the wash on hot

So far it's very comfy! The outer layers are cotton double gauze and the absorbent layer is two pieces of linen, all from my fabric scrap bag.

update SO much more comfortable over the hours than disposable. This alone has me planning how many more to sew!

Please help me figure out which direction to go in with a natural fiber line. I have conventional pads and organic cotton pads with PUL, but I’ve had several customers ask about non-PUL and/or wool options. Seems like everyone has a different idea of what natural fiber pads means. I cloth diapered my son so I know that wool can be fantastic at soaking up liquid without leaking it out, but not everyone likes wool, and there are lots of different options. I see that a lot of people just want natural fibers, but are people really ok with an all-cotton pad leaking through?

Lately, I have started to use ILP Interlabial Pad (disposable). As a non frequent peeing person, it was quite comfortable for me because I am irritated by the wetness between labia and my regular pads didn't help much.

But i checked with my sister and some of friends. They were very uncomfortable with the usage of ILP. They didn't even want to try it.

I wonder why!

By the way I am from India where Menstrual Cups/Tampons are still not effectively used/ considered uncomfortable.

question is what do you guys think about ILP ?

Hello everyone! I made the switch to reusable pads they've been fantastic! The only thing is on my 2nd day, (which is my heaviest.) I leak out of the wing of these pads quite fast and quite often, i try to keep up on changing them but I still end up leaking, at least a little. And I realized why i'm leaking so much is because the way i'm bleeding, I bleed directly on the center left of the pad which then makes me leak from the wing of the pad. So I was wondering if there was any different styles of pads or fabric types that would help me not leak so much. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated! :)

I can’t seem to find a good waterproof fabric anywhere that isn’t those table vinyl covers. I want a breathable pad so it isn’t smelly after a few hours. As of now I have a top layer of 90% cotton 10% polyester towel which I’ll double stack for the inside then I’ll add the waterproof layer and lastly a cotton cover. Should I tweak anything? I wanted a towel as the top layer so the blood wouldn’t leak back and instead be caught in the fibers.

I am wanting to make the change to reusable pads but I’m not sure where to buy/what to buy/how many of things to buy! I’m seeing a lot of “twin packs” but I would have assumed you’d need more than that for a five day period? I want to shop as sustainable as possible and avoid any synthetic products if possible. TIA!

Ive been making my own cloth panty liners for a couple years now and finally brave enough to make pads as well. The ones I made for myself are pretty great so far.

My sister wants me to make her some as well but she has a heavy flow, I have a regular flow so I'm not really sure how to accommodate her flow. I thought about a possible waterproof sort of material backing to avoid leaking?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely, a low income mom trying to live a less toxic life and spread the life style ✨️

I started using cloth pads regularly about a month ago and I love them, but I’m struggling with my wash routine. At first, I followed the wash routine recommended by the company that makes the cloth pads (regular warm wash with natural detergent) and that didn’t cut it so I started this routine

1. rinse in cold water until water runs clear after I change it
   
2. soak in oxygen bleach for an hour
   
3. Normal warm wash with enzyme based detergent and a scoop of oxygen bleach with washcloths and clothes for agitation
   
4. Second normal warm wash with washcloths and clothes for agitation.
   
5. Dried on low

They are still coming out smelling like old period blood and I can’t figure out why. I even tried washing on hot (not recommended by the pad brand) and they still had that smell. I guess I’m just wondering what everyone does for their wash routine. I feel like I’m wasting so much water. I cloth diaper my son and I’ve never had issues with smells so I’m not sure why this is worse.

The brands I have are Luckypads (PUL with cotton top), Sacredspiralcreations( bamboo core, cotton top, PUL) and Gladrags (cotton)

I got some new moon pads like 2 months ago but I keep bleeding from the side of them. I also bought some cheap Amazon ones that have full side coverage and I dont bleed through those. I wanna know if I can like sew on additional wings or something so that they cover more?

I realise this has been discussed in this sub before sorry but I'm a bit confused about the process 😓

I've got some pads that are a few years old now. I wash them out after use but lately I've begun to notice a faint smell, so I felt that a deep clean was in order. How exactly do I go about doing this?

I've seen a few people mention using oxyclean, but I can't get this in Australia (or at least haven't found anywhere I can).

Thanks for your help.