cloth pads=happy period

[devilninny]

i have to get in on this conversation because i already stuck up for cloth pads in the sweat shoppe swap.

when i first joined craftster someone made me a bunch of pads, but she made small ones which are basically like panty liners.  and she used snaps and they kept coming unsewn.
then i got one from a sweat shoppe swap (the first one i think) that is thicker, longer, and velcro and i looooooooove it!

since i only have one i still use tampons for my work day but i always look forward to coming home and changing into my cloth pad.  i wear it to sleep in and have never had leaks, odor issues, or bulkiness (but like the noodle princess said, i dont wear skin tight pants, especially when im bloated!).

basically i love cloth pads and i would love to personal swap with someone for some more.  if you are thinking about it, at least try it.  the worst case scenerio, you end up throwing it out like the millions of other women do with their disposables!  worth a try!   

[Ninzip]

Ooh I like them! Especially the last three+the green ones you made for your friend!

This is such an interesting topic! Thanks a lot for the info. My grandma used to 'wear' cotton pieces of fabric during her period when she was young, but she only had two of them and they were badly shaped. She hated them, so I always thought disposables were much better, even though they feel like sticky plastic in your pants (well, at least that's how I experience them). I think I will make some of these one day, although I'm insecure about telling my mother. I just don't know how she will react. I could off course wash them in secret, but that would make me feel a bit weird... 

BTW, I went to http://www.seac.org/tampons/thekeeper.shtml and I find it really interesting, but this part just freaks me out:
"You can use your menstrual blood for plant fertilizer and art "
EXCUSE ME?!!!!! 

[violentjayne]

One of my exs used these and would wash them in the bathroom sink.

Her cat would lap at the ruddy water.

Which is why today, she is an ex, I hate cats, and I can't look at sinks in the same way.

Ladies: Men don't want to enjoy your period like that. We hate the environment *that much*.

 Thats very funny ! and gross .. cats are yucky .. but if any one has a dog and a period ... Im sure they have had the inevitable " come home and fine the dog has gotten into the trash and now there are torn up pads all over your house " ( a real imbarasement when you have guests intering the house the some time as you .)

 I think they are a good idea and the fabrics look great .. I would be to Afraid to use them ... Plus do they really wash out good ??... I'm afraid id use one one time and it would be a stained mess forever ... ( i have had "leaks" in cotton panties before and the stain was iremovable ...) those panties are in the trash ... more power to anyone who does use the cloth ones and I commend your love for the enviroment 

[KatAutumn]

I think they are a good idea and the fabrics look great .. I would be to Afraid to use them ... Plus do they really wash out good ??... I'm afraid id use one one time and it would be a stained mess forever ... ( i have had "leaks" in cotton panties before and the stain was iremovable ...) those panties are in the trash ... more power to anyone who does use the cloth ones and I commend your love for the enviroment 

If you don't mind the dyes in the fabrics, you can purchase darker colored material to make your pads from.  That way, any stains would not be visible.  I usually soak mine in tepid water for a few minutes with a little bit of liquid handsoap.  Then I either go back and hand wash them with peroxide or baking soda (either one works), wring them out and then toss them in the washing machine.  Some people bleach them, which I prefer not to since I have really sensitive skin. 

[cantafruit]

I sadly have to agree with the male part of this discussion. I hate my period as much as I hate to deal with feces [and having 2 small kids and a kitten, it's inevitable]. So looking at pads more than for a split second in the bathroom really grosses me out [but I get grossed really easy, like when watching CSI]. No, I wouldn't want to soak them, wash them, put them in the dryer, fold them and put them into my drawer. In fact, I don't really want to touch them at all. Just like I wouldn't want to use a cloth towel to wipe myself in the bathroom and then wash it. Yuck.

Plus, how do you keep the mess away from small kids? I don't need my kids to see a bloody pad/tampon at any time, and they are everywhere [kids, not bloody pads].

Congrats on being so non-gross, ladies. I... couldn't

[KatAutumn]

If you're squeemish about blood or bodily functions, then no, I wouldn't recommend cloth pads.  Honestly, they aren't for everybody and that's fine.  In fact, most people don't use them.  Most women of menstruating age use disposable products.  My mom and I both switched to cloth.  My sister (who finds periods, having babies, breast-feeding, pooping, etc repugnant) thinks they're nasty. 

My four-year-old son is intrigued by my pads.  He isn't old enough to understand, but every time I break out the sewing machine he asks me if I'm making pads. 

Funny story.  When I first started making them, my mother-in-law lived with us because she has Alzheimer's Disease.  She came in one night and asked me what I was sewing (her mother was a very talented seamstress and knitter).  I told her and she said, "wow, that's really neat.  I wish we'd had those before I went through menopause."   

[marleah]

I love them! The fabrics are awesome. I ordered some a couple of years ago from Lunapads, but if I ever take the plunge and get a sewing machine, I will make more!

I thought it would be weird too when I first started using them, and no, washing my pads is not my favorite part of the day. But the benefits are awesome. I don't do as much rinsing and cleaning them as some people do - basically, I toss them into the bucket of water under the sink and let them sit (maybe changing the water every so often) until I get around to washing them in the washing machine. But I also don't have a very heavy flow, so I guess maybe it's just because of that I can get away with this. So, if people find all the rinsing/hand-washing process disgusting, maybe they could use that method if they still wanted to use them.

[devilninny]

yes i just rinse mine and then immediately wash them by themselves or with a few pairs of my undies because we have such a small machine.  i dont wash them with my boyfriend's clothes.  its courtesy like that that makes them more bearable and its personal preference how you wash them. 

i figure if i have chosen my boyfriend as my life partner (and i have) then he will most likely see me through much more graphic things (giving birth, growing old) and if he cant handle seeing an occasional pad while im passing through to go wash them, then wow, do i want to know what this person will do when im in labor?!

its not like i make him wash them or say, "look honey!" when they are used!   

when i was telling him how some people think they are disgusting he said, "well, you care about the environment," and i remembered why i am with him...we are like minded people who arent easily grossed out by bodily functions.

[WitchCatXeen]

For the record: Some of us who are grossed out about cleaning all that bloody crap care about the enviromet, too.

[KatAutumn]

For the record: Some of us who are grossed out about cleaning all that bloody crap care about the enviromet, too.

True.  My biggest motivation for using cloth pads was more for the health benefits than anything else.  Plus they are a huge money saver.  The environmental benefits were more of an afterthought in my decision to switch, even though I too care about the environment.