Quote:
Originally posted by
Petite Valentine
I've been looking into cloth menstrual pads as they're environment friendly and everyone says they are more comfortable than the disposable ones. There are quite a few on Etsy, but I don't want to buy them based just on looks.
So,
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I've been looking into cloth menstrual pads as they're environment friendly and everyone says they are more comfortable than the disposable ones. There are quite a few on Etsy, but I don't want to buy them based just on looks.
So, what type of material should I look for? Cotton? Bamboo? Flannel? Something else?
Does anyone have a seller to recommend?
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The top doesn't matter much, but bamboo is extremely plush and comfortable.
The backing is very important.
Types of backing:
Waterproof but unbreathable: Either PUL or another
washable waterproof fabric (most waterproof things like raincoat fabric will melt, warp, crack and/or catch fire, so be sure it is something made for the washer and dryer).
Breathable: water-resistant fleece, wool, or just have enough thickness to prevent bleed-through
If it is water-resistant fleece, you want Polartec Wind Pro fleece. Unfortunately, many sellers pretend to have this when they actually have ordinary water-resistant fleece. Ordinary water-resistant fleece is not very water-resistant (usually takes two layers of it to equal one layer of Wind Pro). The problem of dishonest sellers is exacerbated by Polartec's restrictive agreements with crafters, which forbid them to mention their products are made of Polartec Wind Pro. Ask among customers to see which sellers are actually selling the real stuff (it's pretty obvious, if I throw a pad with the real stuff and a pad with the fake stuff into a full bathtub, the fake will soak up water and sink in a matter of minutes, the real will bead up water on the backing and will take maybe an hour or two to sink).
If it is wool, keep in mind that you need to wash cold and dry flat rather than in the dryer, or the backing will get smaller and smaller (benefit: it also gets more water-resistant as it shrinks). Also, thick wool pads take a few days to dry flat.
If you're not a light bleeder and you want to use the sheer number of cloth layers in the pad to prevent bleed-through, try looking into the models of pad that fold up so that you can get 8 or so layers when the pad is folded, but it unfolds for easy washing.