by Jackie Bolen

Menstrual cups like the Diva Cup, Mooncup, Lena Cup or Ruby Cup are all the rage these days. Period Panties, due to their huge advertising budgets are similar (have you heard of Thinx?). However, reusable cloth pads are another eco-friendly period product that aren’t getting a lot of attention.

I’ll compare these reusable menstrual pads to disposables in a few different categories: Cost, the Environment, Health Factors, Effectiveness, and Ease of Use to help you decide which option is right for you.

Of all the period products, disposable pads are probably the worst. This is because they’re made in large part from plastic which isn’t biodegradable. These products will still be hanging around the landfill in hundreds of years from now. Compare this to reusable cloth pads which last for years. One cloth pad might potentially replace hundreds of disposable ones. There’s more good news! Reusable pads are made from mostly natural materials (bamboo, cotton, charcoal, etc.) that biodegrade easily once thrown away. Once again, it’s reusable pads for the win in this category. A quick note: organic disposable pads are much better than non-organic ones. They are plastic-free and will biodegrade more easily. However, they still create waste that goes to the landfill.

Some brands of disposable pads contain trace amounts of toxic chemicals in them. They mostly come from the bleaching process, as well as the pesticides used to grow the cotton. Organic disposables pads are a nice option because they’re better for our bodies, but they are also more expensive.

Cloth pads can help reduce your exposure to toxins. Be sure to wash them first before use, but then you’re in the clear and well on your way to a healthier period experience.

It’s a clear win for reusable menstrual pads in this category!

Like disposables, cloth pads come in a wide range of absorbency levels and sizes and you should be able to find some that work for you, even if you have a very heavy period. In terms of effectiveness, most people find that cloth pads work just as well as disposables at preventing leaks because they have wings and a leak-proof layer in them. The only time you might consider going with disposables is during exercise. Cloth pads can sometimes slide around a little bit because they don’t have a sticky backing on them. Instead, they stay in place with snaps on the wings. Something to look for are the pads that have the waterproof layer inside the pad, instead of on the back because these ones are not so slippery. Effectiveness? It’s a tie, except if you’re exercising and then it’s disposables for the win.

The final category to consider is ease of use. Disposable pads are certainly easy to use, and once you’re done with them, you just throw them into the trash.

Cloth pads are not so simple. The first thing to consider is what to do with them when you’re not at home. Where do you put the soiled pads? Some people use a Ziplock bag, but I prefer a wet bag because they’re more discreet.

You also have to wash them. If you don’t care about staining, just throw them in with your regular laundry. To extend the life of them, hang dry instead of using the dryer.

If you do care about staining, then get dark coloured pads. Or, you can soak the lighter coloured ones in cold water after using them. Commercial stain removers also work well for this.

For ease of use, it’s disposable pads for the win.