All About Reusable Menstrual Products

In one of my last posts, Zero Wastes Swaps For You To Try: Bathroom Edition, I mentioned cloth pads, menstrual cups, and sea sponge tampons, all different types of RUMPs (Reusable menstrual products), but I didn't go into much detail on what they are and how to use them. In this post I will explain why you (if you menstruate) should use RUMPs over conventional disposables, types of reusable menstrual products, and how to use and care for your reusable menstrual products.

NOTE: if you do not menstruate, will never menstruate, or do not menstruate any more, you can skip this post if it doesn't apply to/interest you.

WHY SWITCH TO REUSABLES?

• Saves the environment-- One person (that menstruates) throws away 16,000 sanitary products in their life time that will never biodegrade since they are made with plastics and other synthetic materials. (see how much plastic is in a disposable menstrual product: Plastic in sanitary products)

• Not itchy or uncomfortable-- Menstrual cups are made with smooth silicone and won't be uncomfortable when inserting or removing, even on a dry run. Cloth pads and period underwear are made with many different fabrics and you can chose fabrics that you like the feel of.

• No chemicals to harm your body-- Conventional disposables contain tons of harmful chemical like dioxin and phthalates, two cancer-causing chemicals, that can seep into your body. Reusables don't have any such chemicals.

• Saves money-- Although they cost more up front, you can use them for a really long time-- up to 10 years in some cases, so they pay themselves off really quickly. Think of this-- if you use 20 pads/tampons a period, that's 240 products a year and 2,400 products in 10 years, which will cost a lot of money. With reusables, you would only need 20 pads (or less if you wash them more than once a cycle) or 1 menstrual cup to last you those 10 years.

• Easy to clean-- A cup just has to be rinsed before reinsertion and boiled once a cycle and cloth pads and period underwear just have to be rinsed and thrown in the washing machine.

• Don’t smell-- Disposables only smell because the fluids react with the chemicals in the products. 

Options

Menstrual cups

• Internal protection

• Can be used while swimming

• Collects blood rather than absorb it

• Available in several different sizes

Cloth pads

• Like a disposable pad but made of cloth and not uncomfortable 

• Has wings with snaps to hold it in place rather than a sticky back

• Available in tons of different absorbency, sizes, and materials 

Period underwear

• Underwear with a cloth pad built into it

• Some think it is more comfortable than a cloth pad

Videos Resources

Note: I did not make any of these videos, I found them on YouTube and thought they were useful. Also check out Precious Stars Pads YouTube Channel (also not mine) for even more information about reusable menstrual products.

• Asking to use cloth pads (help for teens)

• Rumps explained to your parents (or to you or someone else)

• Why I'll never use a disposable pad again... HANNAH PAD REVIEW

• My tips for starting out with cloth pads

• Using Cloth Pantyliners Everyday

• Top 5 Best Things About Cloth Menstrual Pads

• Do Cloth Menstrual Pads Smell

• Cloth Pad Basics

• Starting Out With Cloth Pads

• Are Periods Gross

• How To Keep Your Pads Stain Free

How to insert a menstrual cup

• Relax your muscles and get into a comfortable position (such as with one leg on the toilet)

• Fold the cup using one of these folds                      

• Insert it into your vagina as you would a tampon 

• Run your finger around the rim to make sure the cup is fully open

• It should be all the way inside you and you should not be able to feel it

How to remove a menstrual cup

• Push into one side of the cup to break the suction

• Pull the cup out

• Empty it into the toilet 

• Rinse it (optional) and reinsert it

How to care for a menstrual cup

• Sterilize it before the first use by boiling it

• When changing it simply empty it into the toilet and reinsert it

• Wash it with warm water and natural soap at the end of each day

• Sterilize it again at the end of your period

• Store it in a small, drawstring bag until you use it next

How to wash cloth pads

• Store soiled pads in a wet bag (a reusable bag that has a zipper and waterproof lining) until time to wash

• Before washing soak or rise out the pads to avoid staining

• Machine wash alone or with your other clothes or towels

• Hang dry

Cloth pad brands

• Tree Huggers

• Pink Lemonade Shop

• Cozy Cloth

• Precious Stars Pads

• Mimi's Dreams

• Essence of Eve

• Eco Rainbow 

• Party in my Pants

• GladRags

• County Cloth Creations

• Hannah Pads

• Luna Pads

• Imse Vimse

Period Underwear Brands

• Wuka 

• Thinx

• Ruby love

Cups

• Luna cup

• Intimina

• Lena cup

• Organicup

• Ruby Cup

Using RUMPs on the Go

• If you are using a menstrual cup, you can bring menstrual cup cleaning wipes or a small spray bottle with water so you can clean your cup while out and about.

• If you are using cloth pads or period underwear you can get a small wetbag to bring with you to store the used pads on the go.

Natural Disposables

If for some reason you cannot use reusables you may want to use natural disposables as opposed to conventional ones. They are still disposable products that can be itchy and uncomfortable but they don’t contain plastics or harmful chemicals. 

Natural disposable product brands

• Ohne 

• Natracare

• Cora

• TOTM

• Ellebox

• Sustain 

I hope you learned something about reusable menstrual products from this post and consider using RUMPs to reduce your environmental impact and help save the planet. Please subscribe so that you get notified whenever I publish a new post. You can leave a comment down below if you have any suggestions for what I should post next. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared this blog with your friends. Each additional person that this blog reaches is another step in the right direction towards a more sustainable future.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed,

-Margo