my GladRags just came in the mail and my pad adhesive problems are now solved, thank you all so much! 🫶 🥰
(side note: the patterns are super cute, these pads are so soft, and I have found washing them by hand and letting them air-dry overnight much less of a chore than I expected)
Okay, I gotta ask because I try to reduce waste wherever I can and I have been tempted in the past by re-usable pads. The thing that’s held me off from actually switching is that I have a VERY heavy flow and when I imagine how much mess I would be scrubbing vs just throwing it away and not having to handle it… not to mention the cleanup for me would be a monthly hassle (I am unfortunately very regular). I’ve also wondered wtf to do with that massacre when I have to change somewhere other than home, since I often have to change at least once if not twice throughout the day, especially for the first few days of my cycle. I have wondered if I could do a combo of cup + reusable pad but cleaning the cup between uses when I am away from home is also not easy, plus there has been a few times where I struggled to remove the cup and that stressed me out so bad that I still have some anxiety about trying them again…
Anywho, what’s your take on the differences you’ve had to adopt to make this change? Any pointers or helpful products would be very appreciated!
I will be interested to hear what others have to say, but I can tell you the GladRags I bought have different sizes and some of them have inserts that allow you to increase how much the pad can absorb - e.g. this day pad has 2 inserts you can add or remove as needed, and they have the “night pad plus” for heavy flow with larger & thicker inserts.
In terms of how to handle while you’re out - the GladRags I bought come with a little bag that you can carry new pads in, and I bring a little ziplock to put my used pad(s) in, and I just keep all that in my purse.
And in terms of cleanup - I think a lot of women just keep a bucket of water and put their used pads in there to soak until laundry day, but you can also spot treat and hand wash them once you’ve used them. They have pads that are completely black if you don’t want to worry about stains, but if you don’t care about stains, it’s not too hard to get the pads clean - I just rub a little soap into mine and rub them with my hands in the sink, then I squeeze out the water and hang them to air dry (they are dry by the next morning when I need them again). The pads are fine to run in a normal laundry cycle and be dried in the dryer - though I think they recommend not using fabric softener.
I suspect a combo of cup + reusable pad would work well, but if the cup creates anxiety then maybe that’s not the best fit.
I would say these reusable pads are at least as good as or better than some of the more “natural” disposable pads I’ve used (like Natracare), but the real downside as far as I can tell is that the Kotex pads I used have a plastic liner in them that act as a barrier - on the one hand this is terrible because it traps moisture (which maybe could contribute to imbalances in your microflora down there compared to more breathable options) and can be uncomfortable esp. when sweating, but it does actually offer more security (as long as it is staying in place) and prevents situations where if I haven’t had a chance to change my pad that it won’t bleed through. So, that is a different dynamic - pads with plastic barriers might offer more security, whereas the reusable pads require you to pay more attention to when you need to replace them or how much they are absorbing, etc.
Still, seems like you could always buy a few reusable pads to experiment and incorporate them when they are convenient for you - then if you really like them you could buy more and incorporate them more. I still keep disposable pads on hand for when they might be more convenient or better suited to a context, though tbh I haven’t used them yet since I recently switched.