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Having owned a business where I handmade and sold cloth pads for several years, I really wanted to make a mega compilation post of all of the information I loved to share back when everything was hosted on a separate website. When I closed down the House of Callaway website to focus my efforts here, I felt really worried that people would no longer be able to find the details I was sharing, hence putting together this article.
As a disclaimer, I want to make it clear that what I’ve said here is purely based on my own opinion and experience. You should always use your own common sense as well as the advice of the shop/maker you purchase your pads from in the first instance when it comes to using and caring for cloth pads.
In this post:
What Are Cloth Menstrual Pads?
Cloth pads are a reusable alternative to conventional, disposable sanitary pads. They feature a comfortable top fabric (worn against the skin), an absorbent core and a water-resistant backing. They can be found in a range of colours and designs. With correct care, cloth pads can be washed and reused for a long time, therefore saving on environmental waste. Many individuals also agree that they are generally more comfortable compared to disposables.
Benefits of Cloth Pads
Skin Health
Disposable sanitary pad options are often made from various kinds of plastic as well as a whole host of other chemicals. For those with skin sensitivities or people prone to irritation, cloth pads can be a good option as they are made from recognisable fabrics, similar to clothing.
Better for the Environment
The average pack of disposable menstrual pads contains 4 carrier bags worth of plastic. This means they can take up to 800 years to break down, in this time putting wildlife at risk, or ending up in our oceans. Cloth pads cut down on the volume of menstrual products being disposed of in a menstruating person’s lifetime.
Fewer Chemicals
In the UK, there is no requirement for manufacturers to list the ingredients inside sanitary products. However, some sources claim that dioxins and insecticides have been found in disposable products which is definitely something many people might be concerned about. Most cloth pad makers should be able to fully disclose to you the fabrics they use as well as any additional materials used to create their products.
Customisable
Reusable cloth pads come in a huge array of shapes, styles, colours and absorbency options. Not only do cloth pads come from larger companies but there is also an expansive market of home-makers, many of which are willing to completely customise pads to suit the user according to specifications.
No Need to Keep Repurchasing Disposable Products
I think everyone has had a moment where a period comes and you just don’t have enough (or any) disposable period products with you at that time. Something I love about cloth pads is that I’m always able to be self-sufficient. It no longer matters if I’m travelling somewhere where there isn’t a decent supermarket for miles as I’m able to simply wash and reuse cloth pads or switch between my pad stash and a menstrual cup.
Supporting Small Businesses
As I mentioned previously, there are many home-based business owners creating cloth pads for sale. These are work-at-home parents, students with a passion for the environment, entrepreneurs attempting to scale up in the sustainability space as well as so many more examples. When you buy from one of these individuals, you’re directly funding someone’s livelihood as opposed to just adding to the never-ending pot of a large corporation. Many small makers are also very conscious of the ethical background of not only their own business but the supplies they use to make the pads. Unfortunately, this is often not the case in mass-produced disposables.
Tips on How to Choose Your First Cloth Pads
- Try measuring your current disposable pads to find a length that’s right for you.
- Think about what fabrics you enjoy next to your skin. Do you like only cottons? Might plush (‘Minky’) be something you’d love?
- Think about the activities you’ll be doing while wearing your cloth pads. Will you need something that can grip tightly during a run (you may like to look for something with a larger wing surface area) or do you tend to do more low-impact activities where any pad shape will do?
- Think about the clothing you’ll be wearing. Might you need to specifically choose pads that are designed to be thin and undetectable? For example, this may apply to those wearing skin-tight sports gear like leotards or yoga tights.
- And finally, think about your flow. Do you tend to need super-heavy pads with lots of coverage at night? Is your flow more moderate so you wouldn’t need so many heavy pads?
My Cloth Pad Beginner Top Tips
Try Small Before Investing Big
This is something I always stress to those who are interested in cloth pads – buy a small amount first to see how you get on before investing big. Switching to cloth pads is a hugely personal journey so it only seems right to take things slow to make sure you’re happy with the pads in your stash as well as your routines for looking after them.
Buy From a Reputable Business
When buying from a cloth pad shop, do check that the business is HMRC registered, insured and ask what fabrics they use as well as where they come from. The seller should also be transparent about how long they expect to take making up your order as well as use a secure payment platform through a secure website.
Think About Routines That Suit You
There are a huge range of choices to make when switching to reusables such as which method you’ll use to wash them, how you dry them and where you will store them before and after use. I’m a firm believer that it is always useful to consider how using and caring for cloth pads will fit into your daily routine.
Consider What Products Will Suit You Best
As mentioned previously, switching to cloth is a very personal journey. Before buying anything, it would be a good idea to have a think about the types of products you are currently using. What length are they? Does the advertised absorbency level fit your needs? Are there any features you especially like such as extra-long pads or narrower/wider ones? Also, if you swim or do other sports often, considering whether using a menstrual cup might be handy. People who work very busy jobs with minimal breaks also have said cups are useful in these cases too where changing pads often is less than ideal.
Top Cloth Pad FAQs We Received When We Were in Business
How Many Pads Do I Need?
This is a fairly difficult question to answer as every menstruating person is different but I’ll try my best to give an answer.
A fact to keep in mind is, when switching from disposable menstrual products to reusables, you do not need to rush the process. Building up a cloth pad stash can take time and cost more money than may be affordable in a one-time purchase. If cost is an issue or you’re simply not sure whether cloth will be for you, I’d recommend choosing a few cloth pads to begin and then coming back for more at a later date.
On the subject of cost, it’s important to remember that, with proper care, cloth pads can last a long time. This means that, in the long run, it is very likely that you will no longer need to pay the ongoing cost of disposable pads.
As for how many is required in a fully formed stash (to last say, a whole period without having to do a wash), this varies greatly. Some people only have around 10 pads of different absorbances as they choose to supplement their collection with the use of a menstrual cup during certain parts of the day. Others have a very large number of pads as they like to change often or perhaps experience heavy bleeding.
A good guide of how many pads may be required is to think about your current use of disposables. How many do you tend to use per day and of what absorbency level? Do you currently use tampons sometimes which you are considering swapping for a menstrual cup? These questions can be useful when working out the number of pads required.
How Do I Use Cloth Pads While Travelling?
Take off the used pad and place it into a small makeup pouch or wet bag with waterproof lining (I had lots of these sorts of pouches thanks to the endless Christmas body care sets that always seem to contain one). As long as used cloth pads are allowed to breathe (think zip-topped pouch or just leave a ziplock bag mostly open if you haven’t got a pouch), they tend not to produce any kind of odour. You can collect up used pads in this manner until it’s time to wash.
While travelling without access to a washing machine, I have tended to handwash and then thoroughly dry my pads to get them ‘mostly’ clean. While I don’t recommend handwashing normally (as I personally feel the machine does a better job at getting them fully clean before I’m going to use them again), this can work if you don’t want to pack soiled pads into your bag to travel home. On arriving home, I then throw them all into the washing machine.
If you’re slowly building up your stash and may not have enough pads to last your trip away from home, you may like to supplement your collection with some other sustainable period options.
How can I Store My Cloth Pads Before Wash Day?
I choose to dry store as opposed to adding used pads to a soaking bucket straight away (wet storing). I personally find this better when it comes to removing stains and also reduces the risk of pads being damaged from forgetting about them in the water.
Here is my method:
To dry store my pads, I add them all to a small pedal bin which sits next to my regular laundry hamper. I find that a pedal bin allows enough air to circulate, preventing any odours, but is lidded to prevent people from seeing the contents. If you’re someone who chooses not to stain treat pads and prefers to just throw them into the wash, you could also line the pedal bin with a mesh laundry bag to make grabbing them even quicker. Of course, if doing this, always ensure your washing program is long enough to clean pads effectively.
When I’m ready to wash the pads, I simply take them all downstairs to begin the washing process.
Do Cloth Pads Work for Heavy Flow?
The short answer is yes, they absolutely can work with heavy flow, however, having taken the time to think about this subject, I believe there are several things to consider on this topic.
Fabric type and absorbency level
The type of fabrics used to make up a pad definitely affects its absorbency. While it’s difficult to give a list of most to least absorbent fabrics (due to the endless combinations and versions/compositions of fabrics out there), cloth pads should generally have a comfortable topper against the skin, a core that is sufficient for the flow type advertised (i.e a ‘heavy’ pad should have more of a core compared with a ‘light’) and a backing that prevents leaks. Many experienced cloth pad users tend to find they have favourite fabrics they gravitate towards after figuring out what works best for them.
Pad design and shape
Everyone is unique in their body type and experience of menstruation. In the cloth pad community, there are people who are ‘front bleeders’, ‘back bleeders’, those whose flow spreads out to the sides at a central point and everything in between. Some people prefer pads that are of more of a neutral shape, while others like hourglass or rounded shapes. In my opinion, a pad that will handle heavy flow the best is one that fits your body type as well as considers the type of flow you have.
Flow type
Following on from the previous point, the consistency of menstrual flow can vary between people. Someone with a thicker flow (maybe even including clots), might find it harder to leak compared with someone with a much thinner, faster flow. Those in the latter group may move towards using interlabial pads to help direct flow down into the pad or using a pad that has built-in ruffles.
Washing
It’s a common piece of advice in the cloth pad community – the more you wash a pad, the more absorbent it gets. Softeners should also be avoided as these can decrease absorbency. As a general rule of thumb, you should always follow the washing instructions provided by the maker or shop you purchase pads from as this will be the best way to care for them for absorbency and longevity.
Can Cloth Pads Come Without Wings?
Why do cloth pads have wings or snaps in the first place?
Cloth sanitary pads are often constructed with wings and snaps to help hold them in place. This makes things easier in terms of them staying put when walking around or doing sports. There are many different shapes of pads on the market and numerous different types of fastenings. Some popular fastening options include plastic pop fasteners (or snaps) as well their metal counterpart. Other options have been mentioned such as ties, buttons and Velcro. However, each of these options come with their own pros and cons so the most common tends to be plastic pop fasteners from what I have observed.
What options are there for those looking for wingless or snapless pads?
The first option would be to consider looking into a H pad. H pads are pads made from a H shape sewing pattern which means they are able to wrap around the underwear as opposed to using fasteners. Another option would be a wingless pad which is simply a pad with just the central, absorbent part. This means it wouldn’t have any of the sides that would normally lead out to the snaps and would look similar to a disposable wingless pad.
How do you Stop Reusable Cloth Pads Slipping and Sliding?
Underwear Sizing
One of the main things you can do when wearing cloth sanitary pads is to purchase tight-fitting underwear. Unfortunately, some of my favourite boy short style pants are not suitable for use during my period, simply because they are not tight-fitting enough to hold pads in place. My favourite underwear for use with cloth pads is currently M&S Bikini cut which come in a multipack with lots of different colour options available. I find these to be a good solution in terms of them holding pads in place but also still being a comfortable size overall under clothing (as I’ve never personally been a fan of overly high waisted pants).
Backing Choice
The backing of your cloth pads can make a difference as to how slippery they are on underwear. Unfortunately, not all PUL is created equally so if you have pads that use especially shiny PUL, this may mean they move around more. The PUL we used to use for our pads at House of Callaway tended not to slip as much as others in my experience, hence the warning that not all PUL backed options are the same!
If you are generally finding that PUL backing is not ideal for you, it may be a good idea to look into fleece-backed pads in the future instead (or explore other backing options out there such as corduroy or wool).
Pad Sizing
Some people find that certain pad sizes are just too wide for them. At House of Callaway, we used to make pads that had a snap setting of 2.5-3” as standard (this was a size we found generally worked well for our customer base) but there are definitely makers who are able to produce pads that are slimmer than this for those who need them. If the pads you have are twisting during use, it may be useful to measure the width to see if trying a narrower pad may help you.
Other options to stop cloth pads from slipping
There have been other options mentioned in the cloth pad community such as applying Sock Stop (the stuff that creates the sticky circles you find on slipper socks) to the backs of pads. I personally have no experience with this and would worry that it may harm some of the fabrics used to create cloth pads, given this, I generally wouldn’t recommend it.
How Do You Use Cloth Pads Without a Private Washing Machine Or Drying Space?
I wanted to share this as I feel it is a common misconception that you cannot switch to cloth pads unless you have your own washing machine and private drying space. I hope this will illustrate for you that is it not only possible but really easy to use and wash cloth pads when living in shared accommodation such as your family home or university halls of residence. The following outlines my personal routines while living in university.
Washing cloth pads while I was in university:
I made the initial switch to reusable menstrual products back in 2015/16. At the time, Mike and I were living and studying together in university. We lived in a shared hall of residence flat. The flat was made up of 6 ensuite rooms and a communal kitchen. The laundry room was separate but only a short walk away. I followed these steps each cycle to care for my pads as discreetly as possible:
- Use products as normal, storing used pads in a wet bag at the top of my laundry hamper in my own room.
- At the end of my period, sanitise my menstrual cup with a sterilising tablet (found cheaply in the baby aisle of most supermarkets – I used the supermarket own-brand version). I used a pint glass in my bathroom to do this, following the directions on the sterilising tablet packaging for correct dilution. Alternatively, you could use a microwave steriliser as these are easily available from sites carrying menstrual cups or on Amazon. They’re also fairly discreet if you buy an opaque coloured one.
- Soak all used pads in a washing up bowl in my room. A washing up bowl is one of my most recommended items to have in university – it has so many uses. Mine was black which meant it has never looked ‘dirty’ with age. I always add an oxi cleaner to my soaking water to remove as many stains first time as possible. I would leave my pads to soak for a few hours.
- Next, I would stand at the sink to stain treat all the pads that had been soaking. To stain treat, I usually use a Vanish bar. If I had a shared bathroom, I would likely still do this by carrying the bowl there. Personally, I’ve never had my soaking water turn an ‘obvious’ colour so I could have easily have passed off what was in the bowl as any other item of clothing that I needed to soak or handwash. When moving back to my parents’ house, I would cover my soaking bowl with a tea towel anyway since I soaked them in the family bathroom rather than my bedroom.
- After stain treating, I would squeeze the excess water out of the pads, transfer them to a mesh washing bag and add this to the rest of my laundry to carry to the laundry room. I personally chose to use a large mesh bag to ensure the pads had enough room to agitate while washing. If it was really busy while I was there, I would scoop up lots of items at the same time, hiding the bag of pads amongst other clothes so nobody would notice what they were. I wouldn’t say I was ever ’embarrassed’ by washing my pads at university but it was often easier to avoid questions or conversations about it all when I was really busy.
- I always had things that couldn’t go into the drier when doing my laundry like delicate jumpers and also my pads. For these items, I would remove them from the load after they had been washed before transferring the rest to the drier. The mesh bag containing the pads also comes in handy here since you can be sure you’ve grabbed them all and there’s a lot less risk of dropping them onto the dirty floor!
- When arriving back at my room, I would throw them all over an airer (another must-have item for university!). I also really liked using the candyfloss hangers as I call them to peg the pads and/or socks on (the hangers with lots of pegs coming off them, like this). I would usually put my airer near the radiator or hang the candyfloss hanger up in the window on the blinds/curtain pole/window handle.
I Keep Seeing Fleece and PUL Mentioned, What Are the Differences?
When shopping for cloth pads, you will often be able to choose between fleece and PUL-backed pads. A common question we had was, what is the difference between these two backers and what are the pros and cons of each? The following will explore the answers to these questions.
What is fleece?
Fleece is a very soft, polyester fabric. It is usually used for sports jackets, hats, blankets and other items used to insulate the body. It is fairly breathable and has hydrophobic properties meaning that it repels water but is not waterproof. We used polar fleece at House of Callaway so this is what will be addressed below, but there are many types of fleece out there.
Pros
- Some say it is more breathable than PUL
- helps thinner pads to hold their shape more
- Does not have the issue of ‘delaminating’ over time like PUL does
- Due to the texture of fleece, it tends to stay in place easier than PUL
Cons
- Tends to be thicker than PUL (although some people feel more secure with a little more thickness!)
- Can be warmer in summer
- Is not totally waterproof so can be unsuitable for extremely heavy bleeders or those with sensitive bladder issues
What is PUL?
PUL stands for polyurethane laminate. It is a fabric where one side is knitted polyester while the other side has a thin film of polyurethane which has been fused onto the fabric. It is breathable, very thin, lightweight and waterproof.
Pros
- Very thin and keeps the general bulk of a pad down
- Waterproof
Cons
- Can be more slippery on the underwear as PUL is less textured than fleece
- Some say it is less breathable than fleece
- Can delaminate over time or with improper care, which decreases its waterproof properties
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