Menstrual Cup Stains – Everything You Need to Know

Stains in Menstrual cups can be annoying! You start out with a gorgeous new cup in your favorite color and months later it start to look dingy…

What causes the stains?

Two types occur in menstrual cups: 1. Temporary stains are simply deposits of blood and can be removed by cleaning the menstrual cup. 2. Permanent stains are a discoloration of the menstrual cup material itself and will be difficult to remove. The colorant in blood, hemoglobin, is what tints the menstrual cups permanently.

How can I get rid of menstrual cup stains?

Permanent discoloration in menstrual cups can be very difficult or impossible to reverse. You can give it a try by submerging the menstrual cup in hydrogen peroxide for up to 10 minutes. Another option to try is stain removal with Milton tabs. You can find them on our website here. Removing temporary stains is easy with a mild detergent, water and our little menstrual cup cleaning brushes. Have a look at our demonstration of how to use the air hole brushes
Cleaning the Menstrual Cup

How can I prevent stains on menstrual cups?

By far the best way to combat menstrual cup stains is to prevent them.
The stains set with heat. That means that you will want to be sure you clean the cup first using cold water before using any kind of heat treatment for disinfection.

For example boiling a dirty cup will likely just create stains rather than prevent them.