Reducing waste often saves money too — and Lunapads have been a go-to solution for many women who want to keep their periods waste free — and low cost too. Instead of buying a new pack of disposable pads every month, eco-friendly women can opt for a reusable alternative from Lunapads, makers of washable cloth menstrual pads.
I’m a fan of The Keeper, but often use disposable organic cotton pantyliners too for extra protection. So when I got a Lunapads Organic Mini Pantyliner in my shwag bag while leaving a green party at BlogHer ’10, I decided to give reusable pads a try. My verdict: Lunapads are great to use — but not so great to clean.
Let me start with the great to use part. The cute pink pantyliner, made out of organic cotton, is super soft and gentle on your skin. I fastened it around my underwear with the simple metal snap on the pad’s wings — and the pantyliner stayed put without shifting or turning. In terms of performance as a pad, Lunapads work excellently.
The problem is, reusable pads require washing — which I discovered I really, really didn’t enjoy doing. Assuming you use Lunapads throughout a period — instead of just trying one pantyliner for a day of it as I did — you’ll need to employ a soaking pot to hold your dirty pads in water — which you’d need to change every day — until you’re ready to wash all the pads.
Letting bloody pads soak for a whole week in itself sounds kind of gross to me, but then comes the washing of the pads. According to Lunapads, the used pads can be machine washed — but the idea of letting dirty pads swirl around with my other clothes really grosses me out, while running a separate load just for dirty pads seems wasteful, especially in water-thirsty Southern California. Plus, neither option’s viable for apartment dwellers like me who don’t have their own washing machines — and don’t care to have neighbors in the apartment complex or strangers at the laundromat see their dirty pads.
That meant I needed to wash the pads by hand. Now, I don’t enjoy handwashing items in general and tend to avoid that task as long as possible — but obviously procrastination isn’t a good idea when it comes to dirty pads that have already been soaking for a week. Luckily, soaking made the pantyliner wash clean with relative ease. Unluckily, I wasn’t quite sure how I should dry the thing post-wash. Yes, they can be thrown in a dryer, but again, as an apartment dweller without a personal dryer, that wasn’t a viable option. Since the pantyliner is fairly thick, letting it dry slowly indoors seemed like a great way of inviting mold — which left drying it on my sunny balcony where my neighbors could gaze at its bright pink wings flap in the beach breeze.
So Lunapads aren’t for me. Though the reusable pads apparently last years, the thought of handwashing menstrual blood out of pads every month for years and years to come makes me want to slit my wrists a little. I’m held back by the fact that such slitting would only add to the bloody mess.
But if you, unlike me, enjoy handwashing and have a discreet sunny space to dry your pads — or have your own washer and dryer to wash pads as you please, Lunapads might work for you. Do any green LA girl readers use Lunapads? Share your experience in the comments –
Photo via Lunapads
I just fold them up on themselves and toss them in the hamper. they’re liners so they dont get too much on them.
Comment by molly — September 7, 2010 @ 9:29 am
I just throw them in with my load of towels/underwear. As far as soaking etc I just rinse them off (if necessary) when I take them off and throw them in the hamper. I think the idea that menstruation is dirty is contributing to your reaction, are you that worried about how you wash your underwear?
I understand if it isn’t right for you, but I hope you will keep trying.
Comment by Britt — September 7, 2010 @ 10:44 am
Funny, right after reading this post, I stumbled upon this one:
http://noteasytobegreen.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/getting-over-the-squeamishness/
She makes a good point that our inability to take responsibility for the messes we make as human beings is sort of at the root of our disposable culture.
I use cloth pads and live in an apartment too. Here’s how I wash my pads:
If they’re really soaked I give them a quick rinse to remove the majority of the flow then I let them dry out in my bathroom. Otherwise I just fold them in on themselves and toss them in the hamper. Right before doing a load of laundry I give everything a quick rinse and then toss them in a mesh laundry bag.
That way no one no one can see my “shameful lady products” while they’re in the washer and dryer and I don’t have die from embarrassment…..Is my sarcasm coming through yet?
There are lots of ways to get around washing issues, you may have to get a little creative but the benefits of using cloth pads over disposables are totally worth the effort.
Comment by Morgan — September 7, 2010 @ 10:52 am
As a fellow Californian apartment dweller with no personal washer/dryer, I feel your pain! I recommend washing the pads with underwear, socks, and pajamas, which tends to fill up one load, and aren’t as visible when you wear them. I don’t worry too much about washing or soaking right after use; your liners will get stained over time anyway.
If stains are a big deal, try this stain remover stick:
http://lunapads.com/buncha-farmers-stain-remover.html
which works very well.
There’s nothing wrong with washing your pads with other clothes, since it all gets clean in the end. And don’t mind anybody else at the laundromat; they probably feel exactly the same way about their own clothes, too.
Comment by Sandra — September 7, 2010 @ 11:04 am
Great article. Any attention to reusable products over disposable is great.
Here are some tips for you ladies who DO want to use cloth pads and aren’t embarrassed or squicked out by your own body:
I put my used pads & inserts in a teapot full of cold water until it’s time to wash them (daily) Then I just dump the whole thing in the regular load of whites, towels, sox, underwear. I figure it’s no worse than my BF and son’s stinky sox and skid-marked underwear and towels used as bathmats.
It’s only 1 week a month, and I only have two heavy days when I actually go through 6 pads and a bunch of inserts. 2 days a month. No big deal. The other three days I can get by with 1 pad and a couple inserts. They go right in with the rest of the whites.
My 10yr old boy doesn’t even notice them hanging on the clothesline, he’s to busy trying to get out of helping with the laundry :) I have a rack in the laundry room that I hang my “dainties” like underwear and pads, bras, etc. when it’s cold or raining. Everything dries fine, even without sun, never had a problem with mold.
One other thing. I worked in a laundromat back in the day and I can tell you, NO ONE is looking at your clothes when you wash at the laundromat. Trust me on this one. Just do them with the regular load and not one person will notice. I guarantee it :)
Thanks again for raising awareness of the problem of disposable feminine products. You ROCK!
Comment by judith — September 7, 2010 @ 11:06 am
I definitely agree with the mesh laundry bag solution. This is what I did when I was still using a public laundry, and it worked really well for me. I just threw that bag in with towels or sheets and sent it on its merry way.
As for concerns of bacteria while soaking them, you might try a cap full of vinegar in with the batch each day–natural disinfectant.
I’m glad you wrote about your experience…and I hope maybe you’ll give them a try again!
Comment by Kari — September 7, 2010 @ 11:20 am
@Kari That’s a great idea, the mesh bag.
I use a couple drops of tea tree oil in my soak pot, but the best way to avoid soaking odors is to be sure to change the water out EVERY day.
It’s been my experience that vinegar sets stains (it’s also an old tie-dying trick to make the dye stay longer) so I don’t use it in the laundry at all :)
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Comment by judith — September 7, 2010 @ 11:32 am
I soak mine, then when I’m in the shower I ‘hand wash’ them to get all the blood out…then throw em in with my regular laundry, and I do share a washer/dryer with other tennants. I put em in a mesh laundry bag if I am doing laundry at a public place.
Comment by Cat — September 7, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
I’m glad to see another blogger bring up cloth pads! I am also a big fan of The Keeper and use Lunapads for extra protection. Along with the suggestions above, I highly recommend soaking cloth pads with tough spots in hydrogen peroxide. The solution is a life saver for unexpected blood stains and helps lift the blood protein from the fabric. After 24-48 hours in hydrogen peroxide, I usually soak the pads in said water bath for two-three days. Then I toss them along with the rest of the wash-no problems.
Comment by Meghan — September 7, 2010 @ 12:21 pm
I’m a fan of cloth pads and I use a Lunette, the small size so when Im off my pill, I need to employ pads. I haven’t used Lunapads, I only use ones sewn by myself and my boyfriend but I have never and will never use a soaking pot. There are simple wet bags you can use to store soiled pantyliners while out and then you just come home and either throw the whole bag in the wash with your underpants or rinse them out in hot water in the sink or when you shower and use a good ecofriendly stain remover like Rocky Road… I find using a simple vegetable oil soap and scrubbing the pad under hot water works wonders. I figured it out when I still used disposables and couldn’t stop the leaking no matter how I tried or what I used and was forced to learn how to wash underpants I liked so they wouldn’t be ruined.
I kind of think the soaking is gross and will never do it so if I were you I would always keep some stain remover and a wetbag on hand. If Lunapads are as hard to wash as you say, keep stain remover in your purse and apply it directly to the stain in the stall(bring a water bottle) if you’re out and wash right away when you’re at home.
It’s just like any other stain people, and I spilled PLENTY of melted fudgecicle on my good dress pants to know this works.
Comment by K. — September 7, 2010 @ 12:41 pm
Oops I meant Rocky Mountain XD
Comment by K. — September 7, 2010 @ 12:42 pm
Oh and you’re not going to invite any mould, Im worried about how long you leave wet laundry hanging around because it certainly will dry out before it gets a chance to mould and if I were you I’d be concerned about what mould is around in your house then if it’s that damp that drying laundry is a threat.
That’s not normal.
Comment by K. — September 7, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
I live in an apartment with shared laundry facilities too. I’ve tried a combination of luna panties and the diva cup for 2 months now and love them both. What I do is rinse the pads in cold water and throw them in my laundry basket if I’m going to be doing laundry within the next couple of days or I hand wash them (only takes a few minutes!) and hang them to try on a laundry rack in my apartment.
I’m still experimenting with the best way to make this work for me because I really want a more eco-friendly period with reduced chemical exposure and waste!
Crystal – Prenatal Coach´s last blog ..Fertility Food Friday- Organic- Grass-Fed Liver
Comment by Crystal - Prenatal Coach — September 7, 2010 @ 1:05 pm
Found this post via the Lunapads ladies.
I have been using cloth pads for years and I’ve been an apartment dweller the whole time. There are several ways to handle soaking.
- You can rinse each pad first, which gets a lot of the gunk off, so there’s not much hanging around in the soaking pot.
- You can have a soaking pot of plain water going for your whole period, which I swear to you is not gross/smelly as long as you change the water out every day.
- You can also just let the pads pile up (dry) and only soak them at the end.
But the most important thing, if you don’t like the idea of the blood mingling with your other clothes, is do a soak in hot water + oxygen bleach (I use oxyboost, but there’s also Oxiclean, etc.). That will get the stains pretty effectively (by which I mean, a lot of the time they don’t look dirty at all at this point), and it also deodorizes.
You’re lucky you have machines in your building! When I had that I just threw the pads in with the rest of my clothes (after the oxygen bleach soak of course!), sometimes in a mesh bag if I didn’t want any of them to get lost. I assure you, no one’s paying attention! You can machine dry them this way too, or you can hang them to dry… I’ve hung mine to dry all summer in the disgusting heat and humidity of NYC, and there’s never been a problem with mold. Especially if you machine wash them, because they won’t be that wet from the machine.
That said, since I moved to NYC I don’t have machines in my building, and have switched to dropping my laundry off at the laundromat and having them do it. Which means I’m now hand washing all my pads. I too am REALLY lazy when it comes to hand washing, so sometimes I don’t get around to it until the day before my period when it’s imminent. But I do it, and it’s never as big a deal as I’m making it out to be every time I procrastinate. As for air drying, like I said I’ve never had a problem. Especially if you roll them up in a towel to get most of the extra moisture up before you hang them (mine get hung in my bedroom where the roommate can’t see them!)
Don’t give up yet, it’s really not so bad!
Comment by Becky — September 7, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
Ha — Just to be clear, there’s a difference between not wanting to publicize to the world I just had my period and believing that “menstruation is dirty” or Lunapads are “shameful lady products.” I’m not ASHAMED when I get a cold, but if I’m out to dinner with friends I wouldn’t keep my snotty handkerchief displayed on the communal table — tho that might be more convenient for nose wiping!
That aside, thanks for the tips! It sounds like just throwing the pads in with the wash has worked as a viable option for a lot of people, as has drying indoors, even under rather humid conditions. I had sort of imagined all my workout clothes (that makes up most of my weekly laundry) just marinating in half-bloody water for a half hour in the washing machine — I am not sure if other women simply have lighter periods than I do or if my imagination’s rather overactive –
Comment by Siel — September 7, 2010 @ 9:21 pm
You could always get a Wonder Wash. I think they’re reasonably priced, but they’re also good for washing handwash only items. The only caveat I have seen is that you should get a centrifuge-style countertop spin dryer for it, or you will have dripping items.
My grandparents had something similar to handle small loads that NEEDED to be done before it was bigtime laundry day. They lived through the Depression and tried to save electricity whenever possible.
Comment by Maria — September 8, 2010 @ 6:21 am
I use them to replace regular day-to-day liners. They work well for that, and then hit the wash with everything else. Remember, your wash water is a flood of suds that gets thoroughly rinsed out. Your other clothing won’t even be tickled by those little pads.
And simply rinsing the pads and giving them a light scrub under the faucet before machine washing will get off any potentially staining materials you want to remove.
Comment by Jamie — September 8, 2010 @ 8:33 am
Thanks for the review! I’ve been considering LunaPads, but all the same drawbacks have been holding me back and I haven’t made the switch. More to think about!
Comment by Anne — September 9, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
I’ve been transitioning into cloth pads the past 3 months. The first month, I used “traditional” pads for the heavy days, and the cloth ones for the rest.
I do have an issue too with “soaking pots” so I don’t do them.
What I’ve been doing though is hand washing (more like rinsing) them at the end of the day in the shower! I don’t dry them then, but just throw them in the hamper with my underwear. When I washed them after wards, I found no stains! This has worked for me the past three months!
JUST A SUGGESTION!
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Comment by Antoanet — September 9, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
I’ve been using only Lunapads for over two years. I soak them with a bit of oxi-clean (I fill up one laundry scoop, and put a bit in each day as I change the water) and at the end of the week, throw them in with the next load of underwear/towels/socks. The oxi-clean takes away most or all of the smell and staining, so that after two years some of my liners look hardly used, even though I’m a very heavy bleeder for a few days a month.
I always kept disposables on hand during my transition, but once I figured out how many pads and liners I used in a period (I ended up with the Deluxe kit, and one more long pad, and a few extra liner inserts for each. I double the liners on heavy days and just change what soaks through in 6-8 hours), and got my cleaning routine down, it’s so much more comfortable, there’s no awkward smell during the day, and it’s hardly any more work than stained underwear from using disposables. ;)
And as for other people noticing your laundry in public, do you notice what everyone else does in their laundry loads? Everyone’s got something to hide in their laundry, so they tend to keep to themselves anyway and not notice. Besides, from a distance, it could just as well be a sock or a slipper.
Comment by Nique — September 11, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
If you’re worried about line-drying them in public, pick up a cheap, dark-colored sports mesh football jersey. Clip the Lunapads to a wire clothes hanger with clothespins, cover with the mesh football shirt, and allow the whole thing to flap merrily in the breeze.
Comment by Kate — October 17, 2010 @ 11:14 am
I put them in a mesh bag and then tuck the bag inside an old black tshirt. When I’m at the laundromat, I put the bundle in the washer and nobody knows, and if it comes out of the tshirt before dryer time, they’re clean. It’s having other people see dirty pads that bothers me.
Comment by rypoff — December 1, 2010 @ 5:25 pm
I’ve had 2 babies that were cloth diaper kids. The first house I lived in had no washer and dryer and was in the bush in a rainy area. I kept a bucket in the bathroom and would add borax into the water to help deodorize and help with stains. Rubbing the really brown bits with a bar of regular ivory soap works really well, too. Then I would boil them in a big pot on the stove, like my grandmothers did before me. I did the same with my cotton menses pads. It works great. You can get these great little hangers from the dollar store with clothespins attached, hang it on the shower rack, or over a heat vent. If you are creative, you can overcome!
Comment by Jess — December 10, 2010 @ 10:29 pm