a year of using cloth sanitary pads

This is sorta a follow up on my post from a year back. You can read about my first impressions of cloth sanitary pads here. I have been using cloth pads and loving them! In fact, recently I got gal pal on board and she too have good things to say.

Here are how they looked like after a year _the fabric looks much washed but that's normal since I don't iron them.

The minky is not as soft after the number of washes, but they're still comfortable to the skin.

The Pros

1. The pads don't smell as bad as the usual disposable ones. Of course, there are some metallic blood smell but with proper wash, they don't stay.

2. It is super easy to get blood off the minky layer just by scrubbing the fabric together.

3. The pads still look good after so many cycles but this could be because I use each pads once in each cycle until the lock down where I use it for the entire week.

4. They can absorb a lot of blood without leaving a wet feeling or looking totally soaked up.

The Cons

1. Leaks are starting to show at the other side of the pad. I am unsure if the inner waterproof layer has tore but this doesn't happen often. My other guess is that it only happened when I have heavy flow which is infrequent.

2. Yes, design and color matters! Wish there were more prettier options so I'll be looking forward to use these pads more every month LOL

3. Using dryer to dry these may be a no-no because it may damage the PUL aka waterproof layer. So definitely need to dry it out in the hot sun to kill off bacteria. On moodier days, I have to rewash and redry if they still smell. Usually I will let the pads soak for a few hours right after rinsing and again before I dumped them into the washing machine, this helps to get rid of bad odors.

~♡~

I have read reviews saying the cloth pads are still good to use after 4-5 years. However, my friends told me that panties are to be change every year for sanitary reasons so the same should apply to pads. Sure you don't wear these pads as often as you'd change your panties but these are used to absorb menstrual blood. IMO they should be changed every 2-3 years since they are quite affordable.

Totally advocating for the use of these cloth pads because they're much more environmental friendly and better for your health _ it's more breathable and you don't get exposed to harmful chemicals, albeit only small amount. Do give this or a menstrual cup a try before you judge them! You can get them from ByWiWin on Instagram, Minus Zero Waste Store or The Hive BulkFoods.