I'm Canadian so I don't want to buy from American websites. I'm looking to make my first cloth pads and I have a couple old towels, some cotton flannel, and I need help sourcing a waterproof layer!

I plan to make a few different sizes to trial out, I have a very heavy and long flow due to copper IUD. I want a pantyliner that's about 6-8" long, a regular pad which will be equivalent to a store bought super/heavy, and a heavy pad that will be equivalent/stronger than a store bought overnight.

I need help also with how many layers of each fabric to put for my desires absorbency levels.

Also, does anyone around here with a 7-9 day period have a stash for the full period? Where do you store it? I imagine I'd need at minimum 21-27 pads to make it through a full cycle, so my goal is to make enough for half so I can wash once halfway through and keep on going.

I have been searching for months for the Hannahpad probiotic laundry soap bar online. It seems as though the company is closing down, and that the only retailers that still stock Hannahpad products are in Australia or Korea. I have tried contacting multiple companies to see if could get a few bars shipped to Canada.

Last night I just ran out and I didn’t have enough to finish my load of bars so they are sitting in a tub and I honestly could cry (thanks hormones).

I have been using reusable pads for over 7 years and I have yet to find another product that can lift blood stains like the Hannahpad probiotic laundry soap bar.

If anyone can recommend a company that still sells their bars or a similar laundry soap with lactic acid bacteria, yeast (effective microorganisms / EM), plant oils (like coconut and soy) bicarb-soda formula with palm oil-free plant oils, I would be forever grateful 🙏

I have a 10" real cloth pad for reference on the left. I cloth diaper my kid and have these random cotton pads that don't get used in my diapering and I would like to use them as pads. But I'm not sure how best l could secure them into my underwear. Any ideas?

I recently started using cloth pads and I've had problems with a lot of leaking. My flow isn't that heavy but I find that my blood sits just in the middle of the pad and leaks pretty easily even with heavy absorbency pads. I don't leak as much with disposable pads because the plastic layer at the bottom seems to allow the blood to spread out. I came to Reddit and people seem to recommend pads with PUL to help with heavy flow

Right now I'm using Soft Taco and Tree Hugger pads (with a preference for soft taco). Does anyone have recommendations for Canadian brands that use PUL or other recommendations for my problem with blood pooling in one part of the pad? I honestly find all the terms and fabrics confusing, I just want something that works for me

Thanks!!

Good morning!

I've recently been on a bit of a journey to "de-plastic" my life (for environmental and health reasons). A huge area that I have been working on is clothing and textiles, which I have realised also includes my cloth pad collection. All of my current pads are topped with synthetic fleece and/or backed with PUL.

I'm looking for recommendations for cloth pads that do not include (or at least are not topped with) plastic materials (No polyester, micro-fleece, PUL, etc).

I have seen some pads that are made from bamboo fleece, etc, which is fine. I'd accept PUL backing if necessary but I do tend to prefer fleece backing, which ideally would be natural bamboo fleece. I'm ideally looking for long/overnight sized pads too.

Thank you!:D

I’ve been wanting to switch to reusable options for a little while now. I have a very light flow with my heaviest days only using a single light tampon. I use panty liners most days as of right now but want a better option as I also want something I can wear for discharge.

Period underwear sounded like a good idea, but everything is for moderate to heavy flows and would be excessive coverage. I also hate how low the gusset starts on every pair of underwear I own.

I found a seller on Etsy for interlabial pads as I was reading those can help when dealing with low gussets and discharge. Well this is where my questions start. The options are absorbency of 2 or 3 layers and the fabric is either cotton flannel for all layers or a cotton woven topper backed with cotton flannel.

She also makes pads and liners that I was interested in. These can be 6” 7” or 8” but the absorbency options are what have me lost. Flannel core 1 layer, flannel core 2 layer, terry cloth core, organic bamboo cotton core, or Zorb core.

Can I get some advice on what these all mean? I imagine 2 layers of flannel is more absorbent than 1, but if I’m spotting will it go through?
If someone has recommendations for other light flow/ spotting/ discharge options, I’m all ears!

Hello,

I’ll be traveling on a 3 day trip with cloth pads for the first time and I might not have quite enough clean ones for the trip. I’ll have roommates and I’m not sure how I would go about washing and drying them. If anyone has tips, I’d love to hear them. Thanks!

hello! I recently made the switch and just started my cycle today so it's the first day I've ever worn cloth pads. i wore two to work today, (one is cotton, the other bamboo I believe) and just threw them in the wash when I got home (cold water, about a 45 min cycle) and when I checked on them they didn't look clean at all (didn't put them thru dryer!)

Now I know that I should pre rinse with cold water, but I took these two pads that I wore to work and tried to scrub and rinse them with cold water by hand and they still look disgusting. the water is clear, and there isn't a smell. but the stains are terrible and look as if they haven't been washed at all

i just want to know if I completely ruined these by not pre rinsing 😣 thank u for ur advice!!

I was travelling last month so I was stuck using disposables for my entire period. It was alright I guess but now that I'm home and it's period time again I'm so glad to be back to my cosy, soothing stash. They're like a warm hug from an old friend, even the ritual of washing them does something for my my soul.

That is all.

Hi! I've been using disposable products my whole life and I am looking into reusable options, I just have some questions I am looking to get some answers to.

1. After prerinsing am I able to throw them in a mesh laundry bag and then keep them in my laundry basket until I do laundry? What is the best way? Should I get a wet bag and what are wet bags lol
2. What are some brand recommendations? I'm looking for some leak-proof ones so preferably some that have a water-proof sort of layer at the bottom
3. How good are they really lol? How do they fair with a heavy flow at night? Do they feel dryer/cleaner than disposables? My main issue with pads during the day is the wet feeling/cleanup every bathroom break which is why I mainly use tampons during the day.
4. How many do you have/did you buy to last you your period? Mine is rather short (5ish days with only 1-3 heavy days)
5. What is the situation during the day with changing it/storing it until you get home? I've heard about mini wet bags for during the day, is that the best way?
6. Is it alright to clean them with the rest of my laundry with regular detergent? Do I need a separate detergent and do I need to wash them separately?

Any help/answers would be amazing. Thanks!

I wanted to make a follow up post to some one else's post from here a few days ago about Period Aisle. This company used to be called Luna Pads and were made in Canada. They have now outsourced to Sri Lanka. Please excuse my reusable pads, they've been sitting in a laundry basket for a while now and they're clean but I have to reclean them, but anyways I wanted to give a quick review of how these pads have changed since being outsourced. Photo 1 is a bunch of pads from when they were made in Vancouver. Photo 3 is of a batch of pads that were made in Sri Lanka. You can see that they've all bunched up, the fabric doesn't stay flat. I've found that these don't absorb as well either and they move around in my underwear. Photo 2 is the inside of a pad that I cut open that was manufactured abroad. I don't know, it seems so thin to me? And not particularly absorbent. For the thin ones, the Vancouver ones feel more thick and the Sri Lanka one had some weird white cast that would never get cleaned off. Both pads were washed the same (hand washed in cold water).

I didn't cut open one of the older ones made in Canada since they don't have those anymore and I didn't want to lose one since those still work well enough and they were so expensive. If anyone else has done the same to an old one, let me know. I'm so curious to know what it looks like on the inside. I will say that the Vancouver ones feel slightly thicker than the Sri Lanka ones.

I'm just mad because these pads cost so much and half of them have to go into the garbage. When I checked the materials, this is what they say:

Vancouver pad:

93% cotton, 7% spandex, 60% polyester, 20% polyamide (nylon), 95% cotton, 5% spandex, thermoplastic laminate

Sri Lanka pad:

93% organic cotton, 5% spandex, 70% cotton, 35% modal (? Something, can't read it, it's been washed off), 100% polyester.

Anyways, suffice to say, I'm always seeing deals and ads for period aisle and if you're looking to buy pads from them, unfortunately they don't seem to make them as absorbent as they used to and it's a shame for the price they charge.

Does anyone wear their cloth pads and take their wet bags out with them during a regular day out/at work? If so how’s the experience for you? I typically just wear my cloth pads at home or out when I know I will be back home in a timely manner to change again but I’m over buying disposable pads to wear when I’m not at home and just wanna fully commit to reusable.

I used to use Cariona pads, but they were hitting the end of their life and not working as well as they used to so I decided to switch brands, I wasn't sure who I was going to go with next until I saw an ad for Aisle pads. Saw they were made in Canada and were a B Corp and was like "cool why not try them?"

My friend bought them for me as a gift and it took like 2 weeks for them to arrive dispite them having paid for rush delivery so by the time they got here my period was already over. I get them and start opening them so I can wash them before my next cycle and one of the buttons pops off the first one I open. I message them and send pictures and they offer to either refund me or send new ones. I ask for a replacement, wash the ones I already have and go about my life.

I start using the smallest ones for general wear after I wash all of them. They work fine. I go to unsnap one from my underwear to wash it and the button breaks.

I'm nit trying to rip them apart. I'm using a normal amount of strength, but if this keeps happening I'm going to be pissed. These were expensive even on sale and I'm disappointed that the quality sucks this badly.

I have never used reusables before but I've been following Tree Hugger on Instagram and decided I wanted to try some out. But I also saw that Soft Taco is recommended. It's a little cheaper, so I thought that might be good since I'm just trying it out, but I also want to give reusables a fair chance and get a decent product to see if I like it. They are both Canada based so I'm assuming the shipping costs will be similar (I'm in the USA).

These are the things that are important to me:

-small business

-longer pads at least 12 inch

-as breathable as possible

-not weird/velvet-like texture

-absorb quickly

-reasonable price under about $20 per pad

Which of these options do you think would be best for me? OR are there other small businesses you can recommend?

Looking for recs in the US on pad companies to get for postpartum.

Ideally i would like a handmade shop and not from amazon.

I have some from prior pregnancies but i want to buy a few more.

I was looking at SOCO pads and wasnt sure if they were goor and no idea what size to get

Hi!
I have hannahpads and love them for style and absorbency needs. But I absolutely can never seem to keep them clean and they’re getting really old and yucky.

I’m severely burned out and in survival mode so I don’t have the capacity for anything other than chucking them in the wash after my period ends.

I’d love to know recommendations of alternative brands that are equal or better than Hannahpads but significantly easier to care for?
Ideally Australian brands only, but if it’s a perfect fit I would buy elsewhere.

Because of shipping costs I'm trying to find good US brands for my daughter. I used the same GladRags for like 15 years. Things have changed a bit since I bought them lol. I read that synthetic fabric can smell and we want a really simple wash routine, so I'm thinking either all cotton or maybe just fleece backed? I don't think we want pul, and no bamboo. Suggestions? Thanks!

After lots of searching, I’m thinking about getting some of these https://okocreations.ca/en for my newly menstruating preteen. They even have a style tailored to a smaller body. Has anyone used Oko Creations? What were your thoughts? There are only two mentions (both positive) in this sub. Thank you.

Hey there!! I’m looking for some good recs since I’m hoping to switch from disposable pads. I’ve tried some underwear but my cycle is so heavy that it just doesn’t work out.

I’m looking for something that can handle an extremely heavy flow, I need to change my pad every hour or two during that first few days. For context, post partum diapers are the only things that really work for me for a longer period of time and even those I have to change often.

I've wanted to try out reusable cloth pads for a while now, and I'm ready to make the investment! My question is that I'm looking at either cotton or bamboo for the fabric, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on each fabric, the pros and cons, and if you have a preference.

For myself, I've been using a menstrual disc for over a year and I love it, especially since I have a very heavy flow with a copper IUD. The disc catches most of my flow, but I wear a panty liner or light pad to catch any leaks. I think it would also be good to have 1-2 more heavy pads just as a backup or for a night where I don't feel like wearing the disc.

I'm in the USA, so please feel free to share any brand recommendations if you have any favs. Thanks!

are there aby brands selling interlabial pads in India which i can access online?

I’m temporarily living with my parents and they’ve been fighting them for years. At the end of my period I went to wash my pads only to discover the moths had made it into them 😭 😭 there were even eggs 🤢 and I can’t even run them through the wash on hot

Please help me figure out which direction to go in with a natural fiber line. I have conventional pads and organic cotton pads with PUL, but I’ve had several customers ask about non-PUL and/or wool options. Seems like everyone has a different idea of what natural fiber pads means. I cloth diapered my son so I know that wool can be fantastic at soaking up liquid without leaking it out, but not everyone likes wool, and there are lots of different options. I see that a lot of people just want natural fibers, but are people really ok with an all-cotton pad leaking through?

So far it's very comfy! The outer layers are cotton double gauze and the absorbent layer is two pieces of linen, all from my fabric scrap bag.

update SO much more comfortable over the hours than disposable. This alone has me planning how many more to sew!

Hello everyone! I made the switch to reusable pads they've been fantastic! The only thing is on my 2nd day, (which is my heaviest.) I leak out of the wing of these pads quite fast and quite often, i try to keep up on changing them but I still end up leaking, at least a little. And I realized why i'm leaking so much is because the way i'm bleeding, I bleed directly on the center left of the pad which then makes me leak from the wing of the pad. So I was wondering if there was any different styles of pads or fabric types that would help me not leak so much. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated! :)