Are reusable sanitary pads going too far?

Question

I actually saw these in an organic grocery store. You use them, wash them, then use them again. Thoughts?

Answer 1

Sadly it may come to that...totally GROSS...but anything is possible. Thing is, it's not progress...it is regressing...what do you think they used before we had all these products we have now? Surely, with all the technology and materials available, you would think they could come up with something that will breakdown in a landfill.!

Answer 2

It does seem a little extreme but you would have to weight the savings in energy and our natural resources involved. Reusable diapers are a big help at saving our environment. Why wouldn't washable sanitary pads be as well? Because something is new and surprising to us, doesn't necessarily mean it isn't good. I think for those willing to go the extra mile with the washing it benefits our environment. It would reduce the resources it takes to produce disposable sanitary pads. It would also lower the amount sent to landfills.
How do you think women took care of their personal needs before the disposable pads?

Answer 3

You people forgot about the good old days.Women since the begining of time have had their periods.No one even knew what a sanitary pad was until somewhere around 1950,give or take a few yrs.What do you people think women used back in the good ole days.Where do you think the saying "im on the rag" came from.Back in those days cloth was hard to come by and women had no choice but to use the "RAG"and wash it and use it again next month.It seems like a perfectly logical and great idea to me.I"ve raised 4 kids and have changed more cloth diapers than just about anyone.And i dare you to dispute that.LoL.But seriously i think reuseable sanitary napkins are a great idea.Think of all the benfits to the environment.Suck it up ladies and do your duty

Answer 4

As has been stated previously ,washable sanitary pads are nothing new. But we did have disposable pads and tampons in the 50's. As a matter of fact , in Texas prisons, women were issued 12 pads per month, many of which were stretched by separating the layers and rolling them into tampons because the only way you could get more pads was to trade smokes or coffee with another inmate. Pads were not for sale in commisary.

Answer 5

Hi ya, well ive been using alternatives for a few years now, the moon cup i dont use so often now i have found an ethical source of sponges, and i just buy cotton dish cloths which i fold to size (as you said though, they are white and dont come up white ever again!) I know a woman who sells reuseable pads,moon cups and sponges, plus a community co-op and you can get more info and suppliers from WEN, Womens Environmental Network. I have seen various types of reusable pads and have seen dark purple ones!, they came in various styles and some were organic but they were the pale unbleached cotton ones. I think you may be able to get instructions how to make your own from WEN, so you could choose your own colour. To help remove stains - soak in cold water (im pretty sure salt is good to add but you might want to double check whether it works with blood), borax may be a good thing to wash them in after soaking, lemon juice and sunlight. Items that come in contact with proteins (body fluids) should be washed in cold water (that includes your knickers). Hope that helps.

Answer 6

I know that's what were used before pads and tampons were created, but honestly, it doesn't seem to be very practical for the typical woman these days. Think about it. If you're having a heavy period, and you're at work, normally, you'd either change your pad or tampon. What would you do with a reusable one? Wash it in the sink at work? The only other option would be to continue wearing it even though it's completely soaked. That doesn't seem very "sanitary" to me.

Answer 7

noooo...think about it...before pads and tampons were man made women had their own pads that they had to wash after every use...i was told this by several women who are now in their 80s

plus it could be cheaper...look at the cost of disposable sanitary items then the cost of reusable...you have to keep paying for the disposable over and over but reusable you wash and reuse...take a while to wear them out..have a friend who uses them and wont use nothing else...i would use them but have had a hysterectomy so have no use for them

it is only nasty if you think it is...i look at it as a fact of life and if you can't handle the facts of life i dont know what to tell you

Answer 8

No. Actually, women used cloth in times past for the menstruation cycle which would be washed and re-used. I'm not sure how this modern product would hold up but I don't see why it would not be a viable method. I know that some women will NOT want to do this for vain reasons. There is much to learn from the past.

Answer 9

It's interesting, but it is hard to overcome the "eeeewww" factor. I think women who use tampons, in particular, would find it very difficult to switch to reusable. But I think the problem of why they won't "widely" catch on now is because too many women don't sit at home all day - what on earth would you do with them at work? Maybe just use them at night and use disposables when you leave the house? Something to think about, but I don't think my desire to save the planet has taken me this far yet - maybe it will soon.

Answer 10

Sanitary Napkins appeared in Germany sometime in the 1880s but not in America due to the anti-obscenity act called the Comstock Law. The law prevented anything sexual in nature from being imported. It was aimed at literature as well as birth control devices.
Menarche was much later in life. Records show it was typically midteens or later. Often custom or law stated a woman could not marry until she had passed menarche. Second many women had very few periods, they were pregnant most of their fertile years or breast feeding, which usually stopped menstruation for those years the child was fed. Near starvation diets would keep them from having periods. Then they died in child birth or from disease often long before they could experience menopause.
Most women would have to few periods in their life to bother with anything special. Most were rural and cloth was valuable. Through most of time nothing was used.
A German pattern for a menstrual pad . http://www.mum.org/waesche.htm

Answer 11

I guess if you were stranded on a deserted island you would want the reuseable kind because you wouldn't have a supply of disposables.
But I think it's going too far. Washing them would use up water, and they would never get truly clean. Detergents would be left on and cause yeast infections. Yuck!