EN | £ Reusable sanitary pads…are they really sanitary?
Looking after you and your reusable sanitary pads
Did you know that the fabric in reusable sanitary pads helps increases airflow and will keep you fresher, reduce sweating, irritation and chaffing too? And if you’ve ever suffered from a little extra itchiness around the time that Aunt Flo visits that’s reason enough to give reusable sanitary pads a try, after all, no-one wants to wear plastic pants, so why put on a plastic pad when fluffy cotton or bamboo is an option. However despite the comfort and health benefits, when we introduce people to the concept of reusable sanitary pads it often goes like this:
- Eyebrows raised “Reusable sanitary pads, really?”
- Quickly followed by “What…you mean you actually wash them?”
- “Yes, you wash your knickers don't you? It’s not that different to washing your period knickers when you have a leak.”
At that point for some you see the light going on, often signalled with a sideways nod and a ”Hmm you’ve got a point” but for others, they eyebrows stay high in shock, the head shakes and we hear the words “Oh no, not for me, no way, that’s disgusting, how do you get them clean? ”. Now we can get into period shaming here and talk about why is it that we are so conditioned to feel disgusted by our period flow, but that’s a whole other blog post. Instead we are going to talk about how easy it is to keep sanitary pads, sanitary!
Washing them is a breeze
It is important to follow some basics to ensure your pads are hygienically clean and ready for your next period. Higher wash temperatures are more effective at killing germs but we all know that reducing the wash temp is better for the environment, so for washing at 30 or 40 we advise that you take these steps to make sure your pads are squeaky clean, ready for your next period.
- Immediately after use rinse pad under cold water
- Store in your waterproof bag and wash within 48hrs
- Don't use fabric softener, it will reduce the absorbency of your pads
- Line Dry - Did you know that the UV radiation in sunlight kills germs so line dry if you have a garden… but if you don’t have a garden or are not up for having your pads on the line, leaving them on a window ledge will work too as UVA radiation still gets through the glass and will do the job nicely
- Ensure your pads are dried thoroughly
- Store in a warm dry place, a linen cupboard is ideal if you have one
Get in some extra help
There are some great in wash products on the market that will also get your pads super clean:
- For naturally antibacterial cleaning we recommend you use Potion, it’s originally designed for cloth nappies and can be used at 30 degrees. It comes in the most amazing scents, bubblegum, parma violet, mint and also unscented. It’s Vegan approved too. A couple of tablespoons per wash will do the trick and have your pads beautifully clean in no time.
- For more widely available products we’d suggest you try Dettol Laundry cleanser, it kills germs without the harshness of bleach and two capfuls per wash will do the job. You can use it with the rest of your laundry as an in wash additive too.
So, if that has got you thinking you might just give them a go, come over to Bloom & Nora and check out our range of reusable sanitary pads in our beautiful bold prints and matching accessories. If you have any questions on using or washing reusable sanitary pads, drop us a line hello@blooomandnora.com or message us on FB or IG.
Check out the range here www.bloomandnora.com