My Experience Transitioning to Cloth Pads

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience and doesn't in any way reflect the experience you may have if you try reusable menstrual products. I want this post to give you a better idea of how to transition into reusables. I'm also putting myself out there to hopefully make people feel less awkward when the topic of periods is brought up. I hesitated to write this blog, but many of my friends wanted to learn about my own experience so if this post will help people then why not go for it. This article is long but I hope you can take something away from it.

Making the lifestyle change

Regardless of whether you prefer using tampons, menstrual cups, or pads, it's good to have pads on hand.

I prefer using pads as opposed to tampons or menstrual cups which I have on hand for the sole purpose of swimming. I never knew that cloth pads existed, and it wasn't until one of my friends mentioned she wanted to try that I learned about them.

I've always hated disposables because I found them uncomfortable and embarrassing. I'm sure we can all reflect back on an embarrassing period story when we were out in public or at school. It sucks and sticks with you. I look back at those moments and wish I had known about reusable pads and menstrual underwear. Hopefully if I ever have a daughter I'll be able to give her all these great options to choose from to make being on her period easier. I also hope I can teach her that periods shouldn't be a stigmatized topic.

I dreaded having to change my pad in public because it's like announcing to everyone that you're on your period. I got my period before all my other friends which in itself sucked and added an extra level of embarrassment since it didn't feel "normal" at that time. Periods were something you just talked about in health class, boys and girls joked about it, and when you left the classroom you didn't really discuss it. I remember pre-peeling the wrappers so that when I went into a restroom, I could flush the toilet and quickly rip the pad from the wrapper while the flushing water masked the sound. It was worse when I had to change my pad because the glue on the back would get stuck to my underwear making it so I couldn't get it off before the flushing ended. I would slowly peel it off so that it didn't make a loud sound and when it did I remember thinking to myself, sh*t. If the garbage can was outside of the stall, I would quietly lift the lid and close it so that it barely made any noise. I developed these habits which lasted up until I switched to reusables.

I only used the Always overnights which are 12 inches. I considered my period to be heavy because I would often leak over and through my pad. I know now that it primarily has to do with the materials used for the pad, not the heaviness of my period. Based on how some of my friends have described their heavy flows to me, I think it's safe to say I only have a moderate flow--- I just prefer to wear heavies and longer pads. When I wore the 12 inch disposables, I would sometimes use two to make it extra long. Oftentimes when I was at school or at a friend's house I would wear two pairs of underwear for extra protection. I've had times when I leaked onto a seat, hotel sheets, and friends' pants when I borrowed them. If I had known about menstrual underwear those embarrassing moments would have never happened. Sometimes when I leak over my reusables, it just goes onto my menstrual underwear and let me tell you, those things work wonders. What I'll also do is take a shower right before going to bed so that my period slows down and then I'm less likely to overflow my pad while I'm sleeping. Since using menstrual underwear, I've never had to wash my bedsheets because I bled through all three layers.

Another thing that's gross but true is "the period smell." It's an indescribable smell but it's distinct enough that I'm sure you've picked it up whether it was coming from yourself or another person. You don't even have to leave your pad on for very long and it can start to smell. I remember sitting in my professor's office and forgot to change my pad before going in. I started to smell the period smell and was so worried she could smell it that I couldn't focus on what she was saying. I left the room retaining half of what she said.

This smell is indescribable because it's unnatural.

It comes from a reaction between your blood and the chemicals inside the pad. With reusable pads you may smell iron but that's natural. The period smell we associate with periods should disappear.

The sound, absorbency, comfort, and smell of disposable pads were all reasons I thought it was a no-brainer to make the switch to reusables. It only took several videos with people talking about their experience with reusables to convince me. I've always been comfortable with the sight of blood, so the cleaning part wasn't something I was worried about. After all, it's my own blood.

I know there are people who are really against the thought of coming in contact with blood, but as you learn in Pysch 101, if you face something that makes you uncomfortable over and over again, over time you become less sensitive to it.

I went onto Amazon and bought myself a cheap set of reusable pads for around $20. It came with several 11 inch overnights and several 9 inch regulars.

This pack is what got me into reusable pads. It came just in time for my cycle and once I started using them I was sold. The 9 inch pads were too small so I rarely used them. The only time I would use them were as pantyliners when I didn't know when I was going to start my period even though the typical size for pantyliners are usually 5-7 inches. That's another great thing about reusable pads. Even though my period is usually on time, sometimes it comes several days early or a week late. When I go to college, return from college, or travel internationally, my period really gets messed up and sometimes comes 2 weeks late. I wouldn't ever use disposable pantyliners because they were too small and would start to come off since they were wingless which defeated the purpose of wearing them. With reusable pads, I can start wearing them before my period starts without worrying about wasting any pads since I'm able to wash them with my other laundry. Also, disposable pads are so uncomfortable and made me itchy that I didn't wear them until I started my period. That caused me to stain at least one pair of underwear since I wasn't wearing any protection.

Four overnight pads weren't enough, so I went back and bought another pack. I tried a different brand but the pads were essentially the exact same as the ones I already had. The only difference was that the second company offered single sizes so I was able to get a whole pack of 11 inch pads. In total I spent about $40 on something that will last me years, which is a pretty good deal considering the $70 per year I spent on Always pads.

These packs would usually last me two days during my six day period before I ran low and had to wash them. That means I went through almost 10 pads in two days (ie. 3-4 pads per day). That was about the same when I was using disposables.

I also want to note that I read many review comments complaining that the PUL-like waterproof backing on these pads slide around in peoples' underwear which made me a bit nervous to try. That's why people often switch to cloth pads with fleece backing. I've ran, hiked, rowed, and played squash in these and never experienced any problems. However, if you tend to wear pads that are 9 inches or smaller, I would highly recommend wearing pads with more traction. Also, I've never leaked through these pads even though they're pretty thin. That also brings me to my next point. Some people are worried about the pads showing through their pants because they're thicker than most disposables. Anyone who knows me knows that I always wear leggings. Don't worry, they don't show through.

We can quickly go through a rough estimate of how many pads I used throughout my period while using these Amazon brands.

Day 1: ~3 pads

Day 2: ~4 pads

After I got through about 7-8 pads, I would toss them into the washing machine and then into the dryer so that they'd be ready to wear quickly.

Day 3: ~4 pads

By this time I had 3 pads remaining and then the ones I just pulled out of the dryer.

Day 4:~3 pads

Day 5: ~3 pads

Day 6: ~2 pads

During the final days of my period, I would wear the 9 inches if I ran out of my 11 inch pads.

Once my period was done I tossed everything into the laundry again. Therefore, during my period I had to rinse my pads in the washing machine a total of two times.

I followed this routine for two years before I decided I wanted to start my own stash. I actually didn't know there was a whole community of cloth pad makers until I got into videos of people talking about all the different kinds of cloth pads that are out there.

There's a lot.

The thing that was nice about starting off with these cheap sets was that I already knew which sizes work for me and the minimum number of pads I need (ie. I needed at least 11 inches and at least 10 pads). I went onto Etsy and searched cloth pads and so many results came up. Before I started buying pads I did a lot of research on what fabrics are best for heavy bleeders and which sellers are popular. My experience with sewing also helped because I had a sense of how the materials feel and how they wear over time. My favorite part about buying individual pads to build up my stash is that I have the freedom to choose what prints I want and which fabrics. If I want something cooler during the summer, I can wear jerseys or cotton. If I have a really heavy day I can wear my bamboo pads with more pile. If I want something soft I can wear minky. Having that ability to choose what makes me comfortable at that moment especially without people judging is pretty great.

I'll admit I got a little carried away when buying my pads so I have quite a bit. My stash cost me around $260. This also doesn't include shipping. When I added everything up I was like, oh yikes. Going from $40 to $260 is quite a jump. However, I don't regret it and here's why.

1) For my period, in five years I would be spending about $290 and in 10 years $575. Obviously, I'm not saving as much if I compare it to the cheaper kinds I was using but I'll still be paying off the cost with better quality material. Also, these cost values are going to go up now that I'm able to change my pad more frequently and don't feel restricted to hold back. This is when you have to decide how much money you want to save.

2) I have shapes and sizes that offer me more protection and coverage than the Amazon pads I have.

3) I know they're going to last me years because I know how to take care of them.

4) They've made being on my period less dreadful. This sounds cheesy, but having pads you like whether they're cute or pretty does make a difference.

5) I have enough pads that I can change more frequently and do less laundry. One thing I didn't like before is that I felt a little pressured to keep my pad on for longer.

• When I'm at college, I may not have a lot of other laundry to wash but I'll still have to put my pads in the washing machine and pay for that load. Now that I have more pads I don't have to worry about doing laundry until my period is over.

• Even though the pads were absorbing well, it sometimes started to feel a little wet. I didn't like that feeling. Now I can change more frequently without worrying about running low on pads.

• I prefer to hang-dry my pads, so that's another reason why it made me a little nervous when I ran low because it takes longer to dry compared to machine drying them. Sometimes I'll be in such a rush to get them dry that I would stick them in the dryer. If I didn't do a good job pre-rinsing, I used weak detergent, or the washing machine didn't do a very good job washing them, then the pads could sometimes smell. However, that unclean smell does go away after several washes and hang-drying. That's not to say I don't stick them in the dryer though.

Being in public with reusables are also so much easier. It may seem like you could have more to think about, but in reality there's not that much to worry about.

1) I don't have to worry about not having a garbage can nearby.

You could be in a place where there's no liner in the garbage can or there's just no garbage can! In that case you can simply put your pad in your wet bag and leave.

2) I'm in and out of the restroom.

Typically, I like to rinse out my pad in the sink of a private restroom. Yes, I make sure the entire place is clean for the next person. However, if I'm in a rush or there's no private restroom, I can keep my pad in the wet bag all wrapped up until I take a shower or find the next available private restroom. Also, I don't have to get frustrated with the wings getting stuck to my underwear and needing to use rubbing alcohol to scrub off the residue. All I have to do is a quick snap and I'm done.

I never thought about how much of a difference using reusable menstrual products would make in my life. I definitely never thought I would be writing this post or taking months to create a whole website to promote them. Alongside other things, I've become much more passionate learning about the products I'm using---specifically menstrual products. Attending a gender-inclusive women's college along with COVID-19 has shaped a new perspective for me.

I spent a year working on the Executive Board for my school's Student Government Association. Student members from a free menstrual product initiative came to one of our meetings to push for free menstrual products on our campus. I thought it was a great idea but the entire time it also got me thinking about a related topic that I already cared about.

What if reusable menstrual products were a norm on campus? What if no one had to spend 30 minutes traveling to the nearest convenient store to grab a box of pads because they ran out? What if this basic necessity that costs thousands of dollars over time is one less thing students have to worry about?

About a month later, COVID-19 hit. That was a chaotic time and I remember my friends talking over dinner about how pads and tampons were being wiped from the shelves. I sat there thinking to myself, thank god I don't have to worry about that. There were people asking for pads and tampons. I had nothing to worry about, so I gave away a garbage bag full of disposable pads because I wouldn't need them anymore.

Fortunately, people still have access to menstrual products in the stores, but it got me thinking on another point.

What if those shelves couldn't be re-stocked?

As I began asking myself more and more questions about a topic that originally seemed so simple and basic, reusable menstrual products kept bringing up answers. Of course there will always be compromises such as higher maintenance, but they're ones I'm willing to make.

Periods don't have to be cramps, plastic, and over-charged junk. The world of reusable menstrual products is large, so take the time to navigate it and find something that works for you.