Caring for cloth Menstrual Pads
Before use:
You need to wash your pads before use as this will make them more absorbant. Place your new pads in a mesh laundry bag and wash them on the gentle cycle in cold water, or you may wash them by hand. You may dry your pads by laying them flat to airdry, hanging them to dry, or tumble dry them on medium setting. (Do NOT use fabric softener or dryer sheets as they can interfere with the absorbancy.)
Your pads will become more absorbant after a few washings and will also become softer (if they are tumble dried.)
To use:
Secure your cloth pad to your undergarment. (Most cloth pads have wings and are secured with a snap.) When first learning to use cloth pads, check often to prevent leak-through, until you are comfortable in knowing that you are using the correct size pad for your flow and how often to change them.
After use:
Rinse your pads in cold water as soon as possible to prevent stains from setting and place them in a soaking container filled with cold water until they can be thoroughly washed. (Be sure to replace the water daily.) On wash day simply remove your pads from the soaking container and place them in a mesh laundry bag and wash them on the gentle cycle in cold water, or you may wash them by hand. You may dry your pads by laying them flat to airdry, hanging them to dry, or tumble dry them on medium setting. (Do NOT use fabric softener or dryer sheets as they can interfere with the absorbancy.)
Stains:
(The best advice I can give is to PREVENT staining by rinsing immediately, pretreating, soaking, then washing!) If pads are allowed to dry 'as is' after use, then they are likely to stain and will be VERY difficult to remove the staining...(although washing will clean the pad and it will be just as useful, most women prefer not to have a stained menstrual wardrobe)...... SO, that said.... here are some stain prevention/treating methods:
Hydrogen peroxide- A cap full of hydrogen peroxide poured on a stained area, then washing works great to get the stain out!
Oxyclean- (note: oxyclean comes either in a spray or powder)....Spraying oxyclean on a stain OR soaking your pads in (powder)oxyclean/water then washing is recommended for stains. (follow directions on the oxyclean container)
Baking Soda- rinse pads then sprinkle baking soda on a stained area, scrub in...sprinkle more baking soda on pad and leave on top of fabric (should almost be paste-like). 10 minutes later place baking soda covered pads in a soaking container filled with water for 1-6 hours. Remove pads from soaking container and scrub the pad together again to be sure the baking soda is worked into the pad. Place in mesh bag and machine wash.
Soaking Containers:
Women tend to keep their soaking containers in the bathroom for covenience and therefore generally prefer them to have a lid and NOT be see-through. Some good soaking containers are: decorative cookie jars, ice buckets, small hard coolers, small lidded trash cans, etc. Glass soaking containers are discouraged for those with children. Metal containers can rust. Soaking water needs to be changed every day until wash day, and then you should give your soaking container a good washing too!
Pad Storage:
The majority of women that I have talked to keep their 'Pad Stash' in a basket, in a bathroom cabinet or in plastic containers in a bathroom drawer.
When away from home: When away from home, what do you do? Most cloth pads fold up nicely and snap with the wings and can be discretely placed in a purse. For used pads, women use 'wet bags' . Wet bags can be as simple as a zip top plastic bag, but many women have special leak proof bags such as small cosmetics bags to stow their discretely folded used pads until they get home.
