What is Cloth Menstrual Pads?
Cloth menstrual pads, also known as "mama pads", are a reusable alternative to disposable sanitary pads. Generally they are made from layers of absorbent natural fibers (such as cotton, bamboo or hemp) which are worn by a woman while she is menstruating, for post-partum bleeding, general daily discharge, urinary incontinence or other times when light to heavy absorbency is required. After use, they are washed, dried and then reused. When cared for properly, they may last for 5 to 10 years, depending on how often they are used and how they are cared for.
Why Use Cloth Menstrual Pads?
Just like cloth diapers, cloth pads have the similar benifits.
Cloth Menstrual Pads are made with all natural fibre such as bamboo, cotton and hemp, which means that they do not contain any chemical like disposable. Yes! Totally CHEMICAL FREE! Unlike disposable, cloth pads giving you a more breathable and comfortable menstruating process.
This is an important note to be concern for the female. As we know that our genital tissue is very sensitive and delicate, and those chemical that is used in produce those disposable pads is harmful to our body and will cause irriation and discomfort. And studies shows that the chemical in your disposable pads can cause you cervical cancer or other complications, isnt it scary?
If a woman uses an average of 5 disposable pads a day, that works out to be about 35 a month, or 420 a year. If an average woman menstruates from around 12 years until around 40, that's 28 years worth of menstruation (not including time spent pregnant or breastfeeding, where menstruation would stop). Which is around 11,760 pads used in that time, at a cost of around 30c per pad. Multiply that by all the disposable pad wearing women of the world and that is a huge amount of disposable pads that will remain in Landfill for many generations to come.
Many cloth pads use Hemp or bamboo as the absorbent core, which uses less water and pesticides to grow than Cotton or Wood pulp. While washing cloth pads does consume water, this is lessened if they are washed in a machine load of other items rather than on their own. They can even be rinsed out in the shower, using water that would normally just run off down the drain. The rinse water (and washing water if a garden friendly Detergent is used) makes a great Fertilizer, so this can be used to water the garden.
Most disposable pads are made from bleached Wood pulp, and most have a plastic waterproof layer (if not comprised mainly of plastics) with a plastic coated strip to cover the adhesive. Pads and tampons are usually individually wrapped in plastic and then most of these come packaged in a plastic bag or a plastic wrapped box. Cloth pads can be composted, where most disposable pads cannot be.
Some super absorbent disposable pads may use compounds such as Polymethylacrylate to enhance absorbency. The use of latex, adhesives, fragrances, and plastics in disposable pads can lead to irritations in women with sensitivities to this. Women with sensitive skin/allergies may find cloth pads to be more comfortable against their skin, particularly cloth pads made of undyed organic cotton.
Additionally, the plastic barrier of a disposable pad breeds odors, but cloth pads, many of which do not require any waterproof barrier at all, do not smell at all. Yes, now you know that why your menses smell stink. It's not your blood, it's the chemical!
Often women feel like menstruation is something embarrassing shameful and something to hide. Disposable sanitary product manufacturers have been known to contribute to this by advertising the advantages of quieter packaging on their products. Women who choose reusable menstrual products often comment on how they feel more relaxed with their menstruation, and some even look forward to it. Being able to choose from a selection of pads (the style, fabrics), and having something that looks and feels funky and fun can help turning menstruation from the unpleasant to something almost exciting. :)
How To Wash Your Cloth Pads?
Isnt washing Cloth Pads difficult/complicated?
No, not at all. You will surprise how easy to wash and care for your cloth pads.
- Rinse the blood with clean water. (You can do this during shower)
- Soak with minimum use of detergent if there is any stain. You can soaked in overnight, just change the water daily.
- Rinse again before wash using washing machine with extra rinse cycle (recommended)
- Hang dry under the sun.
And that's it. It's simple. If you still have any stain on your pads, simply hang dry it under the sun and the stain will gone eventually. Sun is known as the natural bleach and bacteria killing agent.
How To Care For Your Cloth Pads?
To expand the life span of your cloth pads, please remember 1 simple rule.
- Do not use any softener/whitener to wash your cloth pads as it will caused damage to the fabrics and reduce the absorbency of the pad.
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