For some background info, read my previous post here.
Another month, another period done. But experience had taught her how to deal with it the right way. She added a scoop of oxygen cleaner to the glass bowl along with two tablespoons of her favorite soap before adding warm water. The warmth of the soapy water relaxed her fingers as she hand-stirred the solution before bringing it back into the bedroom with her. It was time to soak her used pads again.
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So my monthly period just ended three days ago and I figured it was time to give you my own thoughts about using cloth pads for my monthly periods. This was after all of the multiple trials and errors that I made throughout my journey (of sorts) and what works for me.
For starters, I’ve added four more pads that are super absorbent and have really cute designs. Two of them are way bigger due to me wanting more overnight protection, but I found that pads that are around 12.5 inches provide me with plenty of coverage.
Secondly, if I had to choose between cloth pads from Party In My Pants or Yurtcraft, I would definitely choose Yurtcraft due to the pads being made with comfortable fabrics (organic cotton, mink fabric, etc.) and being functional enough for heavy periods and leakage due to the blood from my periods soaking into them more quickly and drying quickly. Plus, the designs the owner has in her Etsy shop are so pretty!
The pads from Party In My Pants were easy to clean, but they bunched up together easily when I snapped them on and they felt like a wet diaper because it took a minute for the blood to fully absorb into the pads. For those who don’t know, I do NOT like the feeling of wearing a soiled diaper when I’m on my periods.
Which leads me to cloth pad maintenance. At first I tried the Shower Method: taking my pads in with me into the shower, laying them in the bathtub and stomping the contents out of them while the water from the shower head sprayed them. This turned out to be a problem since I was taking a shower at the same time and warm water tends to set in blood stains.
So now I use the Sink/Rinse Method. After using a pad, I rinse them off immediately in the sink with cold water until the water runs somewhat clear. I them squeeze out excess water, press them between layers of a towel, and them line dry them under my bedroom’s fan. When laundry day arrives, I tend to let them soak in an oxygen cleaner solution for 20 minutes before gently hand-washing them with castile soap and air drying them. It’s much easier due to them not having so much period blood in them and they won’t have a musty odor afterwards.
In terms of reducing the pain of period cramps, the cloth pads don’t seem to have that effect on me and that really sucks. But I have Advil Liquid Gels to counter them and at least I don’t have to rely on disposable pads anymore. So, silver lining of a storm cloud I guess?
All in all, I love using cloth pads and will continue to use them in the future! But I’m thinking about adding period underwear to help out with spotting and leakage.
How do you ladies manage your periods?
le fleur artsy 