Amy’s Rag Bag (reusable pads)

Back when I was in undergrad, terms like “boundaries” and “personal space” were very foreign concepts to me/my roommate. We could literally be lying on top of each other and not feel the need for personal space. (This may be what happens when you’ve known each other for over half your life and share a room with each other all throughout college. Or maybe we’re just special.)

Going Green with Reusable Pads

If you squirm at the word, “menstrual” or “blood,” you may want to consider not reading this post. Consider that my warning. :O If not, forge on ahead!

My friend told me about the DivaCup, and although intrigued by the concept of saving money/the environment, at the time, I’d never even used a tampon so it felt like too much of a jump. (See my later review on the DivaCup!)

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post. I bought these with my own money and all opinions stated are mine and mine alone!

Menstrual cups are a great concept, last about 10 years and would be great for if you wanted to go swimming and the like. (This is really just a problem with me because I just really dislike dealing with reproductive organs. The repro unit was not a fun time for me and I dreaded OB/GYN rotations like no other since the birthing lab was already somewhat scarring to me. Let’s just also not talk about how I almost passed out the first time I watched a c-section).

But childbirth and birth canals are what I have issues with. Blood? I can totally deal with that.

I decided to look into reusable pads instead! I will admit that initially, I was a little grossed out. Washing something soaked with blood instead of just throwing it out and not having to think about it? I feel like that’s probably(?) the standard response/thought process for most, and I definitely get it, but…hear me out!

Back in July of 2011, I placed an order at Amy’s Rag Bag, and I have not looked back since. (Sadly, they don’t seem to be around anymore but I’d recommend looking on etsy!)

Money

Assuming you use 2 tampons/pads per day for 5 days, that’s 10 per cycle, 120 per year, and almost 5000 tampons/pads in your lifetime.

Under the very broad generalization that the average lifetime menstruation span is about 41 years, if you buy the super-cheap non-brand-name type, you might be able to keep it to ~$25/year, or about $1k in your lifetime, which may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but I can think about a billion other things I’d rather spend my money on. $1000 covers my grocery budget for an entire year, just sayin’.

Comfort

They are super comfortable, and are also really cute and/or pretty. None of these words are adjectives I’d normally use to describe a menstrual cycle, and this is coming from someone who’s been relatively blessed in that realm (no cramps, no PMS, no heavy bleeding–I just like eating a little more than usual, but that’s somewhat of an everyday thing).

I rinse/soak them in cold water before tossing them into the washing machine. If stains bother you, choose dark or busy fabrics. They have all sorts of different varieties (size, cloth type, thickness, absorbency, etc.) to choose from, depending on what you need.

More Eco-Friendly

If we go back to #1 and realize that each female uses a ballpark range of 5,000 pads/tampons (give or take a couple thousand) in their lifetime, that is a crap ton of waste that’s being dumped out there. DivaCup estimates that the average woman uses almost 10,000 pads/tampons in their lifetime. Landfills galore. :[

As a former science camp counselor and an individual with go-green tendencies (I walked/biked/public-transportation-ed everywhere for the first 24 years of my life), it made me really sad to think about this.

Truth be told, there are patterns online and I know how to sew, but let’s face it, thanks to my addiction to taking classes for the rest of my life, I had/still have no time to do such things.

~$26 (included shipping) got me 1 standard variety sampler set [2 regular pads + 2 liners, 1 large pad + 1 large liner, 1 tri-fold liner] + 1 mini laundry bag.

Since I can only speak for Amy’s Rag Bag and she’s not around anymore, I’ll leave you with a couple links:

• Reviews This is the most extensive list of cloth pad reviews I’ve found.
• Where to Find Them: Etsy has a ton of em’ for sale. (Google would probably also be helpful. There are patterns available online if you happen to be good at sewing, so you could make your own too!)

Update from 2022: I was previously interested in getting new ones, not because there were really cute prints, but I have since gotten an IUD and no longer even have periods. They’re still holding up well though for random spotting days!