Why Use Reusable Pads

Health Concerns

  • Save yourself from conventional disposable products containing dioxins, carcinogenic byproducts of the bleaching process.
  • Avoid skin irritation in sensitive areas, caused by super-absorbent synthetic materials.

Environmental Responsibility

  • Bamboo and Hemp are two of the most environmentally sound crops that can be produced, requiring no pesticides, and renewing themselves quickly without depleting soil. These popular materials for cloth pads are not used in any known disposable pads.
  • Save the trees by avoiding wood products like disposable pads, which lead to the unnecessary destruction of trees. While most of the dioxins produced in wood-pulp bleaching don't make it into the pads, they do end up polluting the environment.
  • Some say that the blood extracted from reusable pads can be used as a fertilizer for plants.
  • When you finally wear out your cloth menstrual pads, they can be completely biodegradable, and will decompose in 1-5 years.

Economic Impact

  • Consider a simple calculation: Multiply the cost of a package of disposables by the number you use in a year, and multiply that by the 35 or so years you will need them during your life. This number is doubtlessly greater than the one-time cost of about $100 to start a stash, but if you don't believe it, calculate it yourself. After the initial investment, a stash of cloth pads can be used for 5-10 years without replacement, so it's much cheaper in the long-run. Think your flow is too heavy for cloth? You will save the most money!
  • Buying cloth pads from woman-run companies or Work-at-Home Moms can change the feminine products industry to be less of a "boys club" of big, male-run, profit-driven corporations such as Procter and Gamble (Always) and Kimberley-Clark (Kotex). That's something to feel good about!

Comfort

  • Cloth pads lack that distinctive sweaty feeling and foul odor disposables have because they are breathable. You can still have a waterproof barrier that isn't air-tight!
  • Cloth pads use the fact that the fabric grips your underwear, so they don't require glue to stay put, so there is no chance of the sticky tape getting stuck in uncomfortable places. Never be surprised by an accidental bikini wax again!
  • There is no reason that one week out of every month should be any less fun than the other three; cloth pads come in many colors, prints, and lush fabrics to put a smile on your face and give your girly-bits a treat!

Need more reasons?

Convinced to give it a try?

If you're reasonably web-savvy, this site is all you need! This wiki provides you with a comprehensive list of sellers, patterns for sewers, and a system of tags on the panel on the left to help you figure out what you even want. When you're no longer limited to paper or plastic, the possibilities are endless! (If you find all these choices a bit overwhelming, there's a little bit of advice from some experienced cloth users that you may find helpful.)

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