Making the Switch to Cloth Menstrual Pads
This post is all for you ladies.
Here is a quick fact for anyone reading this:
On average, a person with a period throws away 250-300 lbs of period products in their lifetime.
Just to give a little perspective on that, out of 1,000 people about 496 are women. And there are roughly 7 billion people in the world.
That is a lot of waste.
Making the switch to cloth menstrual pads was one of the very first sustainable switches I ever made (right behind reusable bags, coffee cups, and water bottles). It had honestly never occurred to me before that I didn't have to use disposable pads, but once I found an alternative, I was SHOCKED to truly realize how much waste I was adding to American landfills every month. That is the beauty and horror of switching to a more sustainable lifestyle. You can never un-see the amount of unnecessary waste you used to generate, but at least you can find peace in knowing you are no longer contributing to the mountains of garbage in landfills.
Disclaimer: I am not a tampon person. I got my first period when I was 13 and didn't start using tampons until I was almost 16 because of how much they freaked me out, and then I stopped using them again around age 19.
If you identify as a woman and you hate pads, but love tampons, PLEASE look into getting a dot cup. This little cup will dramatically reduce the amount of waste you generate from tampons and I have heard they are very easy to use and super comfortable. I have several friends who use them, but I just can't get over the idea of sticking something in my vagina and then leaving it there for several hours. It just freaks me out. Even if you are a tampon person, I would stick around for this because it is still a good idea to use pads at night!
This is definitely a bigger investment than reusable bags or a to-go coffee cup. However, if you think about it, you probably end up saving money in the long run because cloth pads (if properly taken care of) can last up to 5 years! That is 5 years of not having to buy pads every other month or so. So, if you have the money to spend or a credit card you feel comfortable making payments on, I encourage this investment!
There are lots of brands out there that sell cloth pads, but I use Hannah Pad USA (https://hannahpadusa.com/). They have a shop for US citizens and Canadian citizens, so just make sure you are choosing the right country when searching for them. I have nothing but amazing things to say about my Hannah Pads. They are durable, soft, comfortable, have super cute designs on the them, and are made from sustainable products. Below are some quick facts taken straight from their website:
Here is a quick fact for anyone reading this:
On average, a person with a period throws away 250-300 lbs of period products in their lifetime.
Just to give a little perspective on that, out of 1,000 people about 496 are women. And there are roughly 7 billion people in the world.
That is a lot of waste.
Making the switch to cloth menstrual pads was one of the very first sustainable switches I ever made (right behind reusable bags, coffee cups, and water bottles). It had honestly never occurred to me before that I didn't have to use disposable pads, but once I found an alternative, I was SHOCKED to truly realize how much waste I was adding to American landfills every month. That is the beauty and horror of switching to a more sustainable lifestyle. You can never un-see the amount of unnecessary waste you used to generate, but at least you can find peace in knowing you are no longer contributing to the mountains of garbage in landfills.
Disclaimer: I am not a tampon person. I got my first period when I was 13 and didn't start using tampons until I was almost 16 because of how much they freaked me out, and then I stopped using them again around age 19.
If you identify as a woman and you hate pads, but love tampons, PLEASE look into getting a dot cup. This little cup will dramatically reduce the amount of waste you generate from tampons and I have heard they are very easy to use and super comfortable. I have several friends who use them, but I just can't get over the idea of sticking something in my vagina and then leaving it there for several hours. It just freaks me out. Even if you are a tampon person, I would stick around for this because it is still a good idea to use pads at night!
This is definitely a bigger investment than reusable bags or a to-go coffee cup. However, if you think about it, you probably end up saving money in the long run because cloth pads (if properly taken care of) can last up to 5 years! That is 5 years of not having to buy pads every other month or so. So, if you have the money to spend or a credit card you feel comfortable making payments on, I encourage this investment!
There are lots of brands out there that sell cloth pads, but I use Hannah Pad USA (https://hannahpadusa.com/). They have a shop for US citizens and Canadian citizens, so just make sure you are choosing the right country when searching for them. I have nothing but amazing things to say about my Hannah Pads. They are durable, soft, comfortable, have super cute designs on the them, and are made from sustainable products. Below are some quick facts taken straight from their website:
Certified Organic Cotton All of hannahpad cloth pads have organic cotton layer on the inside where it touches your skin. No contact with residue of harmful chemicals or pesticides. The organic cotton is certified by Control Union(CU 834958).
High Quality Snaps
The snaps for hannahpads are high quality plastic. Unlike some metal snaps out in the market, these plastic snaps minimizes the chances of allergic reaction. The snaps are 100% Recyclable too!
Various Sizes & Patterns
hannahpad comes in 6 different sizes, from the lightest Pantyliner to the largest Super Ultra Overnight pads, which is over 16" long! And our patterns are not the ordinary color blocks or plain ivory. There are 12 beautiful patterns to choose to your taste! And the patterns are continuously updated, so more selections are available in the future.
Leak ProofAt hannahpad, we use a special waterproof coating on the inner side of the outer pattern layer instead of the conventional separate PUL layer that most brands use. This allows air to flow through more freely while doing its job to resist water going through. The inside coating is made of high quality TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethanes), which is known for its elasticity, responsive to temperatures and ability to resist oil, solvents, chemicals and abrasions making it ideal for hannahpad’s leak proof cloth pads. It is also degradable after 3-5 years in the soil.
Double Stitching
All hannahpads have a 100% cotton parameter that is double stitched. This allows our pads to have cleaner edges with reinforced durability. No more loosen threads! Also, all of our pads are carefully handmade one by one by professional seamstresses. That's why pad shapes and thread linings are never the same.
All hannahpads have a 100% cotton parameter that is double stitched. This allows our pads to have cleaner edges with reinforced durability. No more loosen threads! Also, all of our pads are carefully handmade one by one by professional seamstresses. That's why pad shapes and thread linings are never the same.
40 Count Cotton FabricThe fabric used for making hannahpads are 40 count interlock cotton weave fabric, just like any cotton underwear or t-shirt. It's not fleece, terry, nor flannel, so feels nothing different from your underwear.
Biodegradable
hannahpads only takes 12 months to biodegrade, which is substantially shorter than disposable pads. Our TPU coating is also degradable in 3-5 years, so just throw the snaps into the recycling bin and the rest goes into your compost bin! (Check with your municipality regarding where cotton materials are thrown away since it's different for every area.)
hannahpads only takes 12 months to biodegrade, which is substantially shorter than disposable pads. Our TPU coating is also degradable in 3-5 years, so just throw the snaps into the recycling bin and the rest goes into your compost bin! (Check with your municipality regarding where cotton materials are thrown away since it's different for every area.)
Storage Boxes
There are 4 different storage & packing boxes available, which are already included in your purchase with multiples or set items. These are great for your own hannahpad storage, or when giving them as gifts.
There are 4 different storage & packing boxes available, which are already included in your purchase with multiples or set items. These are great for your own hannahpad storage, or when giving them as gifts.
Quality Checks
hannahpads are made in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices under extremely strict quality control and process management and then approved by the Korea Food & Drug Administration. Monthly quality checks are performed to follow quality standards.
hannahpads are made in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices under extremely strict quality control and process management and then approved by the Korea Food & Drug Administration. Monthly quality checks are performed to follow quality standards.
(This might be a little TMI, but I used to get rashes from all brands of disposable pads, but since switching to Hannah Pads, I haven't had one since)
I think some people are scared to switch to cloth pads because they don't know how to properly care for them, but it's actually pretty simple! (Quick note: Hannah Pad tells you to "hand wash" your pads, meaning soak them in a tub or bin of some kind for 6-12 hours in cold water and scrubbing them with a certain kind of soap. While that is probably the BEST way of caring for them, I don't do that. Keep reading to see my take on how to care for them)
How to care for your cloth pads:
- I do rinse each one in the sink when I am going to change it to get as much of the blood out as possible (this helps with stains). I normally wait until that night or the next morning before starting a load of them in the washer or else you would just be CONSTANTLY washing them
- I put my cloth pads in the washing machine on the absolute lightest setting my machine is able to do with cold water and my Dropps Newborn detergent
- I would highly suggest switching to Dropps to cut down on your laundry waste, but if you don't use them, just make sure you are using a plant based detergent that is non-scented
- Then I wash them on a rinse only cycle with cold water and no detergent
- I hang dry them on a hanger that has hooks
- I have read reviews and some people put their pads in the dryer because they say it makes them feel "cleaner" but I don't do this because I think it might ruin them since they are 100% cotton
That's it! Really not that scary.
The cost might be keeping some people from making the switch as well, which I completely understand. I have only bought from them when they have sales. That actually happens quite a bit. I have spent probably a little over $200 on pads (and wet bag) to make sure I have enough and don't need to use a disposable. I could probably have a few more in every size, but with the amount I have right now I haven't needed to use a disposable pad in almost a year! It just occurred to me that I should probably have counted all of them to give you an idea of how many you will need, but I would say I have close to 20 (if not more).
I have also heard great things about Thinx underwear. It takes the name "period underwear" to a whole new meaning! It is underwear with built in absorbency and they come in all different styles that will match your flow! These are also a little more on the expensive side, which is one reason I haven't bought any yet, and with all of my cloth pads I don't really have a need for them right now. But they seem like a major game changer, so I would love to try them in the near future. If you are on Instagram their handle is @shethinx. Go check them out!
One last thing I want to talk about is how to travel with your cloth pads. Traveling with them is actually super easy and convenient. I bought a small wet bag from their website to have on the go with me. The wet bag actually has two sides to it, one side to keep your new pads, and the other to store used ones. So going on errands, school, or to work, you can still keep using your cloth pads all day long! As for longer trips, I would only recommend continuing to use them if you have access to a washing machine. If you really felt up to it, you could always bring a plastic tub to let them soak, but I will leave that decision up to you!
My cloth pads have probably been one of my all time favorite switches and now I can't imagine going back. Sometimes it may feel slightly inconvenient to not use a disposable one, but as I have said in previous posts, we are past the time of ultimate "convenience" in our daily lives. It feels good knowing I'm doing my part to help the planet, even if it's something as simple as period products. If all women who were able to use cloth pads or a dot cup did, think of all the waste we could save from going into landfills.
If you have more questions on sustainable period products or want to give a short testimony on why you love your cloth pads/dot cup, I would love for you to comment so we can keep this conversation going (:
~Sadie~
I have also heard great things about Thinx underwear. It takes the name "period underwear" to a whole new meaning! It is underwear with built in absorbency and they come in all different styles that will match your flow! These are also a little more on the expensive side, which is one reason I haven't bought any yet, and with all of my cloth pads I don't really have a need for them right now. But they seem like a major game changer, so I would love to try them in the near future. If you are on Instagram their handle is @shethinx. Go check them out!
One last thing I want to talk about is how to travel with your cloth pads. Traveling with them is actually super easy and convenient. I bought a small wet bag from their website to have on the go with me. The wet bag actually has two sides to it, one side to keep your new pads, and the other to store used ones. So going on errands, school, or to work, you can still keep using your cloth pads all day long! As for longer trips, I would only recommend continuing to use them if you have access to a washing machine. If you really felt up to it, you could always bring a plastic tub to let them soak, but I will leave that decision up to you!
My cloth pads have probably been one of my all time favorite switches and now I can't imagine going back. Sometimes it may feel slightly inconvenient to not use a disposable one, but as I have said in previous posts, we are past the time of ultimate "convenience" in our daily lives. It feels good knowing I'm doing my part to help the planet, even if it's something as simple as period products. If all women who were able to use cloth pads or a dot cup did, think of all the waste we could save from going into landfills.
If you have more questions on sustainable period products or want to give a short testimony on why you love your cloth pads/dot cup, I would love for you to comment so we can keep this conversation going (:
~Sadie~
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