How to Care for Cloth Pads and Period Panties

What counts as reusable Menstrual Wear?

While cloth pads have been around for a long while, period panties only started to pop up a few years ago. Those of us who have come to love cloth pads back in the day may have frowned upon the idea of having to peel off a bloody panty at first. After all the advantage of cloth pads is that you can just unsnap and replace and keep going.
New brands of period panties like Flux have become so stylish and comfortable though that it is hard to resists.

For the purpose of this post we will include reusables like cloth pads, labia pads and period panties.

Are all cloth pads and period panties the same?

There are certain things that the products have in common:

• an absorbent layer to contain fluid
• some kind of moisture barrier
• a comfortable top layer that feels good next to the skin.

Other aspects may vary and influcence care:

• is the moisture barrier breathable like WindPro (fleece) or solid like PUL (plastic film)
• Is the fabric natural or synthetic

Generally cloth menstrual care products can be washed on warm but not on hot. Exceptions may exists and we urge you to consult the manufacturer of your cloth pad or period panty

3 Secrets to maintaining your period panties and cloth pads like new

As cloth menstrual products have become more mainstream, so has their care.
Thirteen years ago, when I started using cloth pads, advise on the internet still included things like soaking the pads in buckets of water.

By now though we have figured out that it doesn’t have to be this complicated at all. Collecting them dry is perfectly fine. As long as you are not suffering from yeast infection or similar illness you can even wash them right along with our regular clothes!

The secret to not letting stains set is not necessarily soaking for days in water, but rather to rinse them in cold water right before you intent to wash them. Stains are set in heat so the cold water allows you to rinse off as much blood as possible before washing in warmer water.

If you do have faint staining despite all efforts, give laundry sticks a try! You can find chemical free, soap based ones like the one from Buncha Farmers, if you are concerned about additives.

Secret #2: Laundry Detergent is not to be used as a homeopathic remedy!

Seriously when it comes to laundry detergent the most common cause for clothes not coming clean is people not using the right ratio of detergent to water/clothes.

More is not always better but you do need to have a minimum amount to be effective. Your detergent of choice will have instructions on it. Any regular detergent of your choice will do!

Secret #3: You can kill odor causing bacteria with sunlight and fresh air rather than expensive essential oils. If you have stain or odor problems, it’s worth a try to simply hang them out in the sun for a bit.

Ready to take the plunge?

We have curated out favorite cloth pads and period panties for you! Come check out amazing brands like Domino Pads, Imse Vimse and Lunapads in Cloth pads, and DominoWear, Flux, Rael, Lola and Proof in Period Panties at MeLuna USA