My mom gets real defensive anytime I bring up cloth pads. I don't understand why people think this is so nasty. I wish people can have their brains turned around thinking disposable pads are nasty instead and could be open minded about cloth pads. :( She says disposable pads didn't hurt her. I hate the odor smell from the chemicals. Yes, I smell blood on my cloth pads, but it's not that intense odor from disposables. My apologies if this is "TMPI." Abbreviation for "too much personal info."
I completely agree, this is why I switched. The smell on disposable pads is absolutely awful! I hated it and that's one of the big reasons why I decided to swot
I have to agree with you, disposables stink because of the chemicals when they react with the blood. Im a newbie to cloth pads and cups. Why wasnt i doing this 10 years ago. Oh well better late then never 😁
thundersnowstorm good for you for taking up cloth pads! I’m just starting and v excited about it. Re: your moms comment that disposables never hurt her, perhaps let her know that they do hurt the environment, they take thousands of years to break down.
I was waffling with investing in cloth pads and on the cons list was cost and washing. After watching this I have decided to go ahead. Thank you so much
This actually cleared up a lot of the fear I had toward cloth alternatives to store bought pads. And the voice over was perfectly fine, I barely noticed it. Thanks for the help!
I'm so glad, Sarah! The first time I washed cloth pads, it was a little jarring simply because I had been trained all my life to think it was just too horrid to deal with. But…I very quickly realized that this was just no big deal at all, and the comfort is so, SO worth the extra effort.
One additional tip is to not use fabric softener it can effect the absorbancy of the pads. Also if leaving them in a sink is not an option you can use a bucket and keep it out of sight if you have family/friends visiting. Great video Amy! I shared it in my local cloth pad group!
Hope it was ok but I just shared this awesome video in the new tree hugger cloth pads tree house chat group. Lots of new to cloth users that are curious and this truly is the best video that I have seen that explains the grit of the process.
I bought a mini stainless steel trash bin with a pedal for $13 at Walmart, that has a plastic bin inside with handles, which is removable. I keep it across from the toilet and toss my mama cloth in there when I'm done with it. Every 4 days I take the plastic bin out, and rinse the pads out individually in cold water to remove the trapped fluid. If it looks like there will be a potential stain, I sprinkle oxi on it, and rub it in thoroughly. Then I fill the plastic bin with one inch of hot water and dissolve a half scoop of fragrance free oxygen cleaner. Once dissolved, I fill it halfway with cold, and layer them in face down one at a time. Then I fill it up until about an inch from the handles with cold water, and put the plastic bin back in the stainless shell. I let it sit for at least 4 hours, up til over night, and then pour out the water. Then I carry them to the laundry in the plastic bin, set the washer for a small, cold load, put in my homemade detergent and about a teaspoon of oxi and toss the pads in. Then I rinse the plastic bin and put it back. If I need them right away when they are done washing, I dry them in the dryer with a clean, dry towel, wool dryer balls, and patchouli EO. If not, I hang one from each end of a plastic pant hanger(thanks Old Navy!) and let them air dry. I just thought you might be interested in reading how one of your subscribers cleans their mama cloth in return(although by now I'm sure you're heard it all. I personally really like having somewhere discrete where I can soak mine out of plain sight, but that is conveniently located, and this stainless bin combo I found has been perfect for me! This month marks my first anniversary of using mama cloth. Convert for life!
I just want to say that I adore watching your videos. They're so clear and concise, and even when I think I know just about all there is to know, I always learn something new from you. Thanks so much for putting your knowledge out there and I know just how to perfect my wash routine now!
This was a great video, I use the same method but I use a bucket and the dollar tree version of oxy clean with a Bunche farmer stick. I will be looking for that soap bar to try out lol
Thanks for posting. We have a pretty similar routine. I use oxi clean and a little dr bronners soap in a bucket. I put all my pads in there at the end of my cycle overnight. The next day I drain and I am usually stain free! The only pads I usually have to spot treat with my fels naphtha are the blue pads. I love the soaking method, it's so much easier then scrubbing each pad one by one.
I just started using cloth pads after I sewed myself some. I pre wash them in the shower with Dr. Bronners and then later on place in the washer machine with the oxi-clean. I am going to take your advice and soak with Dr. Bronners and the Oxi-Clean.
So helpful!! Just started using cloth liners and didnt really think the process through until now, this video helped me complete the "process" if that makes sense
Hai, I'm from Holland and I'll lay my underwear and these selfmade pads directly in cold water in the morning/evening and take cheap salt for to do on top of the stain. After a while I rinse a little bit and put them in the washing machine with other things and have a programme with normal and prewash in one wash. In the prewash I use always Biotex Blue and in the normal wash the normal washingpowder. The salt is against the oxidation of the blood..so..the stains will be gone after the washingmachineprocedure. Biotex Blue works with enzimes so good.. all of the things are clean.😊 It's no work at all😊 Sorry if my englisch was not correct here and there.
Saskia Eradus - Lovely English, perfectly clear. Thank you for your effort in learning English. It isn't easy for most. I tried teaching myself Dutch online. If I could say anything meaningful I'd have said thank you in Dutch. 😊
I'm so glad that I watched your videos. I haven't had money for cloth pads yet but I had a bamboo velour pocket diaper with an atrocious green ebf poop stain and fels naptha was finally the thing to get the stain out. I love that it smells so clean.
Thanks. I have been storing them in water but after reading several comments on a cloth menstrual pad group, I wanted to know more. Your video was linked. Great job!
Thank you!!!!! Your steps have managed to save several of my cloth pads that had been stained. They were so gross, I thought I would have had to throw them away after only a few months use. I wish I would have seen this the first time I looked up on how to clean them. I still have some stains (they were set in) but they are faint and brighter than they have been in awhile. I am hoping that the next cycle the stains might be removed completly.
+Amy Matusik Also, if you find that nothing gets them totally out, set a timer and put them out in direct sunlight for about 2-4 hours. The sun is miraculous at bleaching out shadow stains. BUT...it will also fade the fabric colors and designs, so don't forget about them. :)
Thank you for this video! I've been putting a lot of thought into cloth diapering my first baby in a few months and until now I hadn't thought of cloth pads. I watched this video to get a better idea of what goes into it. Obviously, if I'm going to deal with my babies waste I can deal with my own blood when I start my cycle again. Again, thanks! I'm excited to make a few liners.
I was using Nature Clean Oxi (In Canada, also cruelty free) until my grocery store stopped selling it so now I’m trying to find another but want to be able to buy locally as opposed to ordering it online. It’s shouldn’t be so darn hard to find cruelty free! It’s infuriating!!!
Have you ever heard of using powdered meat tenderizer? They contain either bromelain or papain enzymes that breaks down protein specifically. Bromelain comes from pineapple and papain comes from papaya, so nothing scary there. I haven’t had to soak these sorts of stains for more than a half hour. I just wet the garment, sprinkle a little powder and come back to it a little later. It might work the same way your video explains by adding it to a volume of water and soaking. Just a thought for those who are reticent to use products like oxi-clean.
Oh great idea. I have papaya seeds that were suppose to be substituted for black pepper seeds. Now I can use them for stain fighting! And I don’t have to throw papaya seeds away anymore!
For those debating on switching to cloth pads, they are so easy! I rinse mine after using and they pretty much are clean right away! But of course I still wash in the washing machine but it’s so easy and feels much more healthy.
I did cloth diapers in the past with the wet pail method and it will work for pads too. I would prepare the bucket with oxi clean like she did in the video. When you have a pad to put in, you can rinse first in cold water if it has a lot of blood (if not, just put it right in). If you don't want to touch anything, you can keep a stick in the bucket to submerge them. You keep them in there until your next laundry load. With diapers, I would pour all out into the washing machine and put on a spin only cycle. Then start the regular laundry cycle. With the pads I've been using, I have been just throwing them in with my other laundry, using regular detergent and a small amount of liquid fabric softener and have not had any issues with absorbancy.
@Beth Wade: No, for those, I just toss them in with regular laundry. The process in this video is stain treatment rather than purely laundering. Because none of the products I use for stain treatment are detergents, I really encourage machine washing or a hand washing routine for cleaning the pads after stain removal. For regular pads that I use for incontinence or as liners in daily wear, they just go straight into the laundry with all my other clothes.
You can, but if you rinse pads as you go, they will naturally be damp when you put them in your wet bag or pail or wherever it is you store them until it's time to launder. If you rinse as you go, mold and mildew will become a factor. Many women use a wet pail/immediate rinse and launder method. So it works for some people for sure! Just make sure that you develop your washing schedule to keep them from sitting damp long enough to develop mildew or mold.
I love your videos. Yours are my favorite for making and taking care of cloth pads. I am planning getting some supplies rounded up and making some. A quick question for you if that's ok. My oldest daughter hasn't started her period yet, but I'm sure she will in the next year or so. How would I make pads for her? I know some for me would be much bigger than for her.
Great vids! I'm very excited to try using cloth pads for the first time instead of disposable pads. Do you recommend washing brand new pads before using them?
yasminia essabba YES!! I’m not her but please do always wash them first. Even new clothes. We don’t know what’s behind manufacturing and etc, like dirt, dusts, germs, or what not.
Thank you for giving me the confidence and encouragement to do this. I am so excited to make my stash and I can't wait for my next cycle. Keep up the great work! Lots of love!!
I was very happy with the results that I got with the Awesome Oxygen base cleaner powder and the pink ZOTE bar soap. My pads are now stain free =) I purchased both products at the 99¢ plus store for only $1.29 each.
Very helpful, thank you for this video. I’m a newbie for cloth pads, and I would like to know if we really have to put it in the washing machine? Unfortunately I use a public laundrymat so I would like to only hand wash my pads would it be the same process?
Yes, I handwashed my pads this way for a couple of years, and it worked very well. I now do them in my machine at home for convenience, and I just run them in a separate load on their own after stain treatment. I found it very easy to just do that once per month at the end of the cycle and clean everything all at once. Best wishes!
Amy, Goldilocks and I just watched this. I used cloth products for years until my hysterectomy but still use them for pantyliners. Goldilocks watched your videos and now wants cloth pads of her own. She also mentioned she still has some of the goodies you sent years ago from Japan. She is going to take a photo to show you. She mentioned how much it meant to her...all of it is on display in her room. :-)
That is so marvelous to hear. She has grown up so gorgeous!! I can't take it how grown she is. :) Cloth made my life so much more comfortable. If she has any questions at all, have her PM me and I'll talk her through it.
I am going to try this next cycle. I don't have any problem touching my own blood. I hope I can get some newerish stains out. I forgot I hadn't socked the stains out before I washed and dried my previous cycle pads.
JOXGIRL1 Best of luck. Oxy powder for soaking is a miracle, and Fels-Naptha soap, if you can get it, is amazing for getting stains out. Just be patient with any old staining. It might take an overnight soak and a good stain treater, but they will eventually give up and come out.
Thank you for this wonderful video! Do you have any recommendations for a person who's highly sensitive to chemicals & fragrances? Could baking soda work or something else that you know of? :)
Thank you so much!!!!! I m new to cloth and have been researching easy ways to clean them aside pay for laundry. Thank you!!! I think I finally found the way that will work best. May I ask what kind of skin problems you had that cleared up when you switched if you don't mind sharing if you don't want to I totally under. I'm just asking because skin sensitivity and or allergies I think that have developed for me recently are the reason I switched.
I have a small plunger, it looks like a baby toilet plunger that I use for my hand washing so I do not even have to get my hands soapy or dried out from the oxy clean. It works great and I do not have to soak so long. I use it to pre wash my gardening clothes, anything muddy or smelly or even greasy. It actually results in cleaner wash using less water in the end. The plunger is cheap and available from several places.
Hi, I used your method to clean my pads and it worked great. The only issue I had was some dye transfer from a red pad to my lighter pads making them pink! All of my pads are new but I did wash them all before use. Any ideas on how to get the dye transfer out?
This video was Extremely helpful. I just discovered this option for pads and wanted to know all about them. I was wondering though... Do they work well for a very heavy flow? I currently wear Stay free overnight with wings during the day and change it about every two hours. Then switch to Always biggest overnight pad with wings for night time. I love the idea and practicality of cloth pads, but will they work for my type of flow? How absorbent are they?
I have really heavy flow, as well. The absorbency of cloth pads depends on how they are made. I highly recommend that you start by getting a heavy flow or overnight cloth pad in the 11-12" range (shorter than overnight disposables, but they're just as effective). Start with one and try it out. Yurtcraft, Novel Red, and All Fluffed Up (available via Facebook) are all very high quality work. I had serious trouble with leaks, rashes, and constant sticky discomfort with disposables, and I was terrified that cloth just wouldn't be good enough for me. It has been. I haven't had to change sheets or stain treat pajamas at 3am even one time since switching. Everyone is different, but I really believe cloth is MORE absorbent and much nicer to the skin than disposables.
How long do you keep them in the wet bag? Especially like if you went on a trip during your period, would I need to take the supplies and do this every night or every other night or how many days?
Bunch of farmers is a great vegan alternative to fels naptha. Also the ecover stain stick works well with flat cottons when using the scrubbing brush attached, but it also works well with flannel if you just squish the liquid onto the pad.
khricket Thanks! I have a Buncha Farmers stick, now. I've wanted to try it forever. I have a gift sample stain stick that a woman made for me, but it's a lard-based stick. I will try it and see how it works, though. I have also ordered an Ecover stick/bottle, and I picked up one of the OxiClean brand stain sticks to try, as well. I hope to have them all here and do a good stain treater review video next month.
Do I store them in my wet bag dry or rinsed out? (and for how long) is it okay to let them soak in a bucket of water with oxy for a few days before I do my laundry?
I'm just curious, 1. Do you actually use these on the go or just at home? 2. Do they sustain on very heavy days....like for the 1st couple of days. 3. Have you had accidents away from home when sitting down?
+Tammy J No, I don't. Since dryers vary in temperature, you might want to try your first trip through the dryer on a medium heat or low heat setting, just to be on the safe side. If the clothes come out of your dryer too hot to touch, definitely use a lower setting. In my dryer, the high temp setting is perfect for my pads and has never melted a snap or caused the PUL to fail. Just figure out the best setting on your dryer. Hope that helps!!
+Amy Nix Thank you Amy. I need this more for my daughter as she will be starting her first use this month. As for me I am on the downward slide to being finished for life. Only have a cycle sometimes now. But the infor is much needed and I pray you keep this up. I only wish we could have a company that could do a tv commerical about using these pads.
this is the best, most unintimidating video i've seen on how to wash cloth pads and you're like the wonderful mother i always wished i'd had! definitely going to go check out your other videos! :) one question: so, i bought a couple cloth pads a long time ago, but ended up giving up on them. my issue was that i don't do laundry frequently enough and i didn't want the wet pads to sit too long and get mildew-y or unsanitary. i usually do it once a week or even as long as every two weeks sometimes (as i have to trek to the laundry mat each time...). if you're only going 3-4 days before washing, that means you're doing laundry 2x a week, right? i guess that's just how you have to do it if you want them to stay nice and sanitary?
+Emma Wilson Since making this video, I've tested length of time. First, I never wet my pads until it's time to wash them. Mildew can get crazy bad in humid areas, which this one is. So, I store them dry in my wet bag. I have left pads up to a week and a half, and the process works just as well. So, basically...just wash them when you like, but don't leave them so long that the stains will never release. One wash at the end of the cycle, if your wet bag is big enough and you have enough pads, is perfectly fine.
Hi Amy just a quick question is it ok to dry cloth pads in the dryer just wandering cuz I been wanting to try that but just a little worried if the rip or something bad happens to them
+Mary Harrod It probably would, but depending on the type of plastic, it might not last very long. After repeated washing and drying, some types of plastic used in baby bibs can crack and disintegrate a bit. So, yes, it will definitely work if you're on a budget or just starting out and not wanting to invest in specialty fabrics. I used crib liners with a plastic layer in my first pads, and it worked just fine for quite some time.
+Savanna Gowen No, not at all. Once the stains are removed, you can wash the pads however you like. Whether or not water temperature affects absorbency will depend on what materials you used. Some fabrics come with specific washing instructions, and those should be followed. Some fabrics may have hot water restrictions, but I wash ALL of my pads in whatever load of laundry happens to be going, and I've never had trouble.
Fantastic video! My first video of yours, which I came across trying to learn about laundering 'family cloths'. While I am past the point tp physically (ok, I'm old!) Need cloth for periods, I am switching to family cloths soon.. You mentioned that you use these pades forstress jncontinence. Do you use the same process for laundering with just a bit of urine? Thanks for any tils you can ocfer!
Baking soda is used by many as a laundry additive because of its water softening properties, but it will not provide the same stain removal power as an oxygen cleaner. They simply don't work the same way chemically. Baking soda in the water will definitely help with keeping the pads soft and it often aids in stain removal. It is not, however the same as oxy cleaners because it does not release oxygen into the water as it breaks down.
when you take your pads off and put them in your wet bag do you have to rinse them before you put them in your wet bag or wipe them off with some toilet paper or just fold them up put them in doing nothing at all?
girltogirlinfo2498 No rinsing necessary if you do it like this. I just take them off, fold them up, and straight to the wet bag. If you will be unable to soak them in oxyclean water, it is advisable to thoroughly rinse the pads first, but if you're soaking the pads like in my video for stain treatment before laundering them…you don't need to do anything but take them off and put them in the wet bag until you're ready to soak.
will this method work for old stains? I have 2 pads that have old stains that I haven't been able to get out. I use oxyclean in with my laundry when I am washing pads and I have used that same bar soap but I haven't tried soaking them. All the other have come out clean. The 2 stained ones are both cotton.
Yesterday I got the Ecover stain remover in the mail and I immediately tried using it on a pad that I have that had a HUGE brown stain right in the middle of it (it was a white pad and I previously used the Buncha Farmers stain stick on it, but it didn't help with removing the stain). The Ecover stain remover completely got rid of the stain on the pad! I was amazed because I thought the pad would be stained for ever!!! When it comes to stain treating, try different methods (different oxycleans, different stain removers) to find the one that works for you!
Very nice "clean" video. I am seriously thinking about getting cloth pads. Women should be able to be comfortable and not worry about chemicals or leaks. I find that the top lining they apply to disposable pads can actually make you leak if you have a heavy flow, because it's not made of an absorbent material. Plus it causes irritation from time to time. I tried Always Infinity yesterday, and they have a chemical smell, and it made me feel weird. I usually use Regular Super Maxis from Kotex, but I have tried everything and nothing works for me. It either bunches up, or I leak...OR I have to change them too frequently which is expensive. I can see how well they get clean, and I don't think it's gross at all. Please tell me @Amy Nix, which pads are your favorite? I will need at least 3 kinds to completely cover my cycle: liners, regular length/heavy absorption, and overnights due to waking up in a puddle. :( Any suggestions? Thanks!
+Jacquiline Cardozo I think you should start with Novel Red novelred.com , and Yurtcraft www.etsy.com/shop/yurtcraft. I own multiple pads from these two shops, and both are reputable and reliable with excellent quality. Let me know if there's anything else I can recommend for you, and very best of luck. Cloth pads really changed a lot of things for the better for me. I hope you love them, too.
+Jacquiline Cardozo Oh! And I prefer flannel tops because I find they absorb faster than anything else available. Novel Red has crushed velvet pads that also absorb very quickly, but they are a bit pricy. Cotton top (regular quilter's cotton like sheets are made of) pads are perfectly wonderful, but at night, especially, I like fuzzy pads like flannel or velour or crushed velvet because nothing rolls off the pad without absorbing quickly enough in a prone or supine position.
+Amy Nix Have you ever used EcoHearted or Phoenix Rising Reusables, both on Etsy? They both look pretty good. They both use Zorb as an inner layer. Any thoughts?
+Jacquiline Cardozo ALSO!! What is the best length with the Novel Red and Yurtcraft? I am always having a back leak issue, so with Novel Red I'm looking at 13" length with velvet top.
12 and 13" are what I use when I'm wanting a longer pad. Yurtcraft has a 12.5" pad. Novel Red makes 13" pads. I have tried both and enjoy them very much.
+The Mexicutioner of Watermeloons I don't. I'm sorry, but I have no interest in opening a business for them. My favorite shops you can still purchase from are Yurtcraft and NovelRed, both on Etsy.
I just bought that stain bar and used it on a white cloth pad and noticed at first it left a yellow like stain from the soap but after wash it went away
Melissa Figueroa Yes, the soap bar is yellow, so when you apply it, you can see the yellow color on light fabrics, but it is simply part of the soap and will rinse out.
In the laundry detergent aisle, they have a section for stain sticks and additives. You'll find it around there. Look for the Arm & Hammer soda powder booster and the Borax. In my Wal-Mart, the Fels-Naptha is always near them.
So after this process, do you wash in cold or hot with your laundry? thanks :) Your videos are all awesome. I'm here listening as I sew myself some liners. :D
+lizzymier Honestly, that varies. I wash it with whatever load of laundry is going at the time. Sometimes on cold, sometimes on warm...doesn't really matter once you have the stains removed. :)
I have been using cloth menstrual pads for about 6 months now. I rinse with cold water, soak with peroxide, and then throw in the wash machine with my babies cloth diapers. It's been working for me but my question is, will the peroxide damage the piss over time and also is it okay to use fabric softener on them? I was never given wash inductions when I ordered the pads from FuzziBunz.
+Tashena Smith Straight peroxide (the 3% brown bottle) is generally safe for fabrics, but depending on the dyes, repeated use of it may lighten your fabrics a bit. It certainly won't hurt them, and most pads won't even experience the "bleaching" effect of repeated use. It's an excellent stain treater for protein (blood and poo) stains. Fabric softener, over time, coats fibers in the material, so it is recommended that you don't use fabric softener on cloth pads because it will lessen their absorbency. What happens is that the fluid will sort of roll around over the fibers rather than soaking in if you get excessive fabric softener buildup. What I have noticed over time is that dryer sheets are fine in moderation, but liquid softeners added to the rinse cycle are the true culprit. Many people use dryer balls or vinegar to soften their pads.
This is great for stains, however we just don't have time for this procedure. :/ I'm sure that says more about my life than this video, which was great, but I really need a time saving method that works. Thanks for the oxy and soap tip. Though, I think I can figure something out with that starting point. Appreciated.
+T. Morey Definitely, you can. Lots of people soak their pads with the wet pail method, which might work better for you. It involves a pail or swivel-lid bin that you fill with enough cold water to cover your pads, and then as you take them off during your cycle, you drop the pads into the pail to soak in regular water. Once per day, like right before bed, you empty the soiled water into the toilet and fill it with clean water. Literally about 30 seconds per day to do this. At the end of the cycle, the pads will be mostly stain free, and you can just stain treat and toss in the laundry. I'm sure there are other things you could come up with, as well. One other simple alternative would be to buy pads with dark toppers that won't show stains. Then you could just rinse them out once at the end of your cycle and toss in the laundry...no muss, no fuss.
I have cloth pads with dark toppers for when I'm really busy and have no time to stain treat pads ;) I just pop those in the wash and they come out great. Stir away of white and especially blue toppers to avoid having to stain treat - those stain a lot more easily. You can also get stain resistant fabrics like minky or Lycra :) It doesn't have to be a hassle or time consuming since you can pick what suits you best! :)
Hi! Great video! The cloth pads that were shown in the video.. What's the topping Fabric of them? Are they all minky? Bamboo velour, etc? Flannel? Cause I understand that some fabrics are very easy to clean, like minky.. But with flannel, these process is not enough - in my experience - to remove stains, I put them in the washing machine when they still have some stain, and when they come out, they usually are clean after that.
Mica M Most of the pads in this video are cotton woven/quilter's cotton topped, but there is an obv liner and a minky pad in the video, as well. I use the same process for all of my pads, and I have bamboo velour, cotton velour, flannel, and minky pads. Everything comes clean and stain-free.
+LadyHoozer You absolutely can, and many people do that. I found, however, that hydrogen peroxide alone was not enough to get my stains out. Especially in the flannel pads. I would apply it directly and then soak in plain water, and it just wasn't getting it done for me. The oxygen powder stuff, which uses hydrogen peroxide, seems to do a much better job, in my experience. When I have really tough stains, which has happened 2 or 3 times since I started this, I do a second soak by applying straight 3% hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain, waiting for it to bubble up, and then putting it back into a sink of oxygen cleaner water. That gets almost ANYTHING out without bleaching the fabrics or having to resort to a chlorine product.
I heard that using oxygen- based washing powders makes patterns on the pads fade. I prefer using a bar of organic stain-removing soap. It also exists in the form of a liquid. The colors and patterns do not fade after using this kind of a washing soap.
what worries me is the efficiency of a pad without some kind of plastic to prevent leakages...and the use of fleece...doesn't this warm up the area? I am this close to make them (but I do remember once, when I had run out of the commmercial pads, I tought " if my mother used cloth pads and cotton when she was a teenager, I can use cotton too as an emergency!"...well...as soon as I put it on let's say , I had to remove it because I had already stained my underwear!
I dont mind my cloth pads have stain because I am already tired to clean again and again just to make sure the stains come out. As long as I wash them in washing machine they are clean and reusable.
Is it fine if you don't care about the stains and just let them soak in some cold water to get whatever trapped in there out? I don't really see anyone else saying this but I'd probably won't care much since no one is going tl see it anyways
When you put them in with regular laundry, do you use a lingerie bag or simply toss them in? I wasn't sure if a lingerie bag protected them from twisting?
I just toss them in because I'm lazy. Many people use a hosiery bag or lingerie bag. Either will work. Twisting in the wash, from everything I've been able to gather over the years, is not a big issue. Twisting and wringing during the hand washing process, however, can damage the fibers over time and shorten the length of the pad's usefulness.
I've just never had that happen. If I ever had an odor, I would wash them right away for sure, too! I think the differences are all about body chemistry, and that has so many variables to it. There's no telling why it's different from person to person.
My mom gets real defensive anytime I bring up cloth pads. I don't understand why people think this is so nasty. I wish people can have their brains turned around thinking disposable pads are nasty instead and could be open minded about cloth pads. :( She says disposable pads didn't hurt her. I hate the odor smell from the chemicals. Yes, I smell blood on my cloth pads, but it's not that intense odor from disposables. My apologies if this is "TMPI." Abbreviation for "too much personal info."
I completely agree, this is why I switched. The smell on disposable pads is absolutely awful! I hated it and that's one of the big reasons why I decided to swot
thundersnowstorm same
I have to agree with you, disposables stink because of the chemicals when they react with the blood. Im a newbie to cloth pads and cups. Why wasnt i doing this 10 years ago. Oh well better late then never 😁
Your mother? Really? Lol I can understand that from men but woman, Jesus Christ....
thundersnowstorm good for you for taking up cloth pads! I’m just starting and v excited about it. Re: your moms comment that disposables never hurt her, perhaps let her know that they do hurt the environment, they take thousands of years to break down.
I was waffling with investing in cloth pads and on the cons list was cost and washing. After watching this I have decided to go ahead. Thank you so much
This actually cleared up a lot of the fear I had toward cloth alternatives to store bought pads. And the voice over was perfectly fine, I barely noticed it. Thanks for the help!
I'm so glad, Sarah! The first time I washed cloth pads, it was a little jarring simply because I had been trained all my life to think it was just too horrid to deal with. But…I very quickly realized that this was just no big deal at all, and the comfort is so, SO worth the extra effort.
Hey, I'm 88 and this goes back to my mother's and grandmothers generations....but oh so much better! Those poor ladies.
I'm 17 and I thought about that - like I was sure that the whole "disposable pads" thing was pretty new.
One additional tip is to not use fabric softener it can effect the absorbancy of the pads. Also if leaving them in a sink is not an option you can use a bucket and keep it out of sight if you have family/friends visiting. Great video Amy! I shared it in my local cloth pad group!
Hope it was ok but I just shared this awesome video in the new tree hugger cloth pads tree house chat group. Lots of new to cloth users that are curious and this truly is the best video that I have seen that explains the grit of the process.
I bought a mini stainless steel trash bin with a pedal for $13 at Walmart, that has a plastic bin inside with handles, which is removable. I keep it across from the toilet and toss my mama cloth in there when I'm done with it. Every 4 days I take the plastic bin out, and rinse the pads out individually in cold water to remove the trapped fluid. If it looks like there will be a potential stain, I sprinkle oxi on it, and rub it in thoroughly. Then I fill the plastic bin with one inch of hot water and dissolve a half scoop of fragrance free oxygen cleaner. Once dissolved, I fill it halfway with cold, and layer them in face down one at a time. Then I fill it up until about an inch from the handles with cold water, and put the plastic bin back in the stainless shell. I let it sit for at least 4 hours, up til over night, and then pour out the water. Then I carry them to the laundry in the plastic bin, set the washer for a small, cold load, put in my homemade detergent and about a teaspoon of oxi and toss the pads in. Then I rinse the plastic bin and put it back. If I need them right away when they are done washing, I dry them in the dryer with a clean, dry towel, wool dryer balls, and patchouli EO. If not, I hang one from each end of a plastic pant hanger(thanks Old Navy!) and let them air dry. I just thought you might be interested in reading how one of your subscribers cleans their mama cloth in return(although by now I'm sure you're heard it all. I personally really like having somewhere discrete where I can soak mine out of plain sight, but that is conveniently located, and this stainless bin combo I found has been perfect for me! This month marks my first anniversary of using mama cloth. Convert for life!
Susannah Stout this is an awesome idea! Was trying to find a sink alternative and I like this one :) thanks!
Thank you , I was just using a bucket but now I will be getting a trash can so it’s hidden.
Thanks for the tip on the garbage can. Its a better homes and garden brand if anyone wants to know.
another bar is the ZOTE bar, also about $1 at walmart and its amazing!
devilwithwings Thanks! I had another person mention that to me just last week, and I'm going to buy one and give it a try, as well.
I just want to say that I adore watching your videos. They're so clear and concise, and even when I think I know just about all there is to know, I always learn something new from you. Thanks so much for putting your knowledge out there and I know just how to perfect my wash routine now!
Samantha Collins Thank you! I'm so glad it was helpful.
Well presented. The term “body fluids” covers the stains from a-z! I picked up the term from many years working in large hospitals.
This was a great video, I use the same method but I use a bucket and the dollar tree version of oxy clean with a Bunche farmer stick. I will be looking for that soap bar to try out lol
Thanks for posting. We have a pretty similar routine. I use oxi clean and a little dr bronners soap in a bucket. I put all my pads in there at the end of my cycle overnight. The next day I drain and I am usually stain free! The only pads I usually have to spot treat with my fels naphtha are the blue pads. I love the soaking method, it's so much easier then scrubbing each pad one by one.
I just started using cloth pads after I sewed myself some. I pre wash them in the shower with Dr. Bronners and then later on place in the washer machine with the oxi-clean. I am going to take your advice and soak with Dr. Bronners and the Oxi-Clean.
Thanks for your addition.
So helpful!! Just started using cloth liners and didnt really think the process through until now, this video helped me complete the "process" if that makes sense
Hai, I'm from Holland and I'll lay my underwear and these selfmade pads directly in cold water in the morning/evening and take cheap salt for to do on top of the stain.
After a while I rinse a little bit and put them in the washing machine with other things and have a programme with normal and prewash in one wash. In the prewash I use always Biotex Blue and in the normal wash the normal washingpowder.
The salt is against the oxidation of the blood..so..the stains will be gone after the washingmachineprocedure.
Biotex Blue works with enzimes so good.. all of the things are clean.😊
It's no work at all😊
Sorry if my englisch was not correct here and there.
Saskia Eradus - Lovely English, perfectly clear. Thank you for your effort in learning English. It isn't easy for most. I tried teaching myself Dutch online. If I could say anything meaningful I'd have said thank you in Dutch. 😊
Saskia Eradus Excellent! I will give the salt tip a try.
Amaris Lee same never thought of it
Great tip about the salt. I like using natural products as much as possible.
I use this method and I never have stains, this really works!!!
I'm so glad that I watched your videos. I haven't had money for cloth pads yet but I had a bamboo velour pocket diaper with an atrocious green ebf poop stain and fels naptha was finally the thing to get the stain out. I love that it smells so clean.
I just started using cloth pads this cycle and this helped me out a lot thank you!
Thanks. I have been storing them in water but after reading several comments on a cloth menstrual pad group, I wanted to know more. Your video was linked. Great job!
Thank you!!!!! Your steps have managed to save several of my cloth pads that had been stained. They were so gross, I thought I would have had to throw them away after only a few months use. I wish I would have seen this the first time I looked up on how to clean them. I still have some stains (they were set in) but they are faint and brighter than they have been in awhile. I am hoping that the next cycle the stains might be removed completly.
+Amy Matusik Also, if you find that nothing gets them totally out, set a timer and put them out in direct sunlight for about 2-4 hours. The sun is miraculous at bleaching out shadow stains. BUT...it will also fade the fabric colors and designs, so don't forget about them. :)
Thank you for this video! I've been putting a lot of thought into cloth diapering my first baby in a few months and until now I hadn't thought of cloth pads. I watched this video to get a better idea of what goes into it. Obviously, if I'm going to deal with my babies waste I can deal with my own blood when I start my cycle again. Again, thanks! I'm excited to make a few liners.
For those interested, Astonish Oxi Active Plus is cruelty free while Oxi Clean is not. Astonish also has a stain bar and stain remover:0)
I was using Nature Clean Oxi (In Canada, also cruelty free) until my grocery store stopped selling it so now I’m trying to find another but want to be able to buy locally as opposed to ordering it online. It’s shouldn’t be so darn hard to find cruelty free! It’s infuriating!!!
I know this video is older but this is very helpful. I'm a newbie to cloth.
Have you ever heard of using powdered meat tenderizer? They contain either bromelain or papain enzymes that breaks down protein specifically. Bromelain comes from pineapple and papain comes from papaya, so nothing scary there. I haven’t had to soak these sorts of stains for more than a half hour. I just wet the garment, sprinkle a little powder and come back to it a little later. It might work the same way your video explains by adding it to a volume of water and soaking. Just a thought for those who are reticent to use products like oxi-clean.
Ohhhhh. Great idea!
Oh great idea. I have papaya seeds that were suppose to be substituted for black pepper seeds. Now I can use them for stain fighting! And I don’t have to throw papaya seeds away anymore!
For those debating on switching to cloth pads, they are so easy! I rinse mine after using and they pretty much are clean right away! But of course I still wash in the washing machine but it’s so easy and feels much more healthy.
True..!!
Can you explain your cleaning routine? Stains really bug me.
Is it hygienic to wash the pads in washing machine? Does it effect the pads quality?
thank you. I am just starting out in my cloth pad journey. Your videos are so amazing.
I did cloth diapers in the past with the wet pail method and it will work for pads too. I would prepare the bucket with oxi clean like she did in the video. When you have a pad to put in, you can rinse first in cold water if it has a lot of blood (if not, just put it right in). If you don't want to touch anything, you can keep a stick in the bucket to submerge them. You keep them in there until your next laundry load. With diapers, I would pour all out into the washing machine and put on a spin only cycle. Then start the regular laundry cycle. With the pads I've been using, I have been just throwing them in with my other laundry, using regular detergent and a small amount of liquid fabric softener and have not had any issues with absorbancy.
@Beth Wade: No, for those, I just toss them in with regular laundry. The process in this video is stain treatment rather than purely laundering.
Because none of the products I use for stain treatment are detergents, I really encourage machine washing or a hand washing routine for cleaning the pads after stain removal.
For regular pads that I use for incontinence or as liners in daily wear, they just go straight into the laundry with all my other clothes.
+Amy Nix can you rinse the padd off right after use when you take a new one.
You can, but if you rinse pads as you go, they will naturally be damp when you put them in your wet bag or pail or wherever it is you store them until it's time to launder. If you rinse as you go, mold and mildew will become a factor. Many women use a wet pail/immediate rinse and launder method. So it works for some people for sure! Just make sure that you develop your washing schedule to keep them from sitting damp long enough to develop mildew or mold.
@@amazonqueen5694 This is old, but I handwash mine by the days worth; and I've enever had an issue. Rinse, wash, and hang to dry.
@@amynix2632 000ⁿuuu9u0u9u9uuuuuuuuuuu8o7o
@@amynix2632 to 9899999
I love your videos. Yours are my favorite for making and taking care of cloth pads. I am planning getting some supplies rounded up and making some. A quick question for you if that's ok. My oldest daughter hasn't started her period yet, but I'm sure she will in the next year or so. How would I make pads for her? I know some for me would be much bigger than for her.
Great vids! I'm very excited to try using cloth pads for the first time instead of disposable pads. Do you recommend washing brand new pads before using them?
yasminia essabba YES!! I’m not her but please do always wash them first. Even new clothes. We don’t know what’s behind manufacturing and etc, like dirt, dusts, germs, or what not.
Thank you for giving me the confidence and encouragement to do this. I am so excited to make my stash and I can't wait for my next cycle. Keep up the great work! Lots of love!!
Thank you for making this video, it has been immensely helpful!!!
I was very happy with the results that I got with the Awesome Oxygen base cleaner powder and the pink ZOTE bar soap. My pads are now stain free =) I purchased both products at the 99¢ plus store for only $1.29 each.
I think these will be amazing. I issue washcloths for toilet paper quite often, but I always forget about buying Oxy Clean.
Very helpful, thank you for this video. I’m a newbie for cloth pads, and I would like to know if we really have to put it in the washing machine? Unfortunately I use a public laundrymat so I would like to only hand wash my pads would it be the same process?
Yes, I handwashed my pads this way for a couple of years, and it worked very well. I now do them in my machine at home for convenience, and I just run them in a separate load on their own after stain treatment. I found it very easy to just do that once per month at the end of the cycle and clean everything all at once. Best wishes!
It’s goood to know these things. Thank you Amy.
You are wonderful and your videos are perfectly awesomely informative. Thank you!
Thank you, Megan! Thanks for watching. I truly appreciate all of you coming here and listening and watching and encouraging me in this.
Amy, Goldilocks and I just watched this. I used cloth products for years until my hysterectomy but still use them for pantyliners. Goldilocks watched your videos and now wants cloth pads of her own. She also mentioned she still has some of the goodies you sent years ago from Japan. She is going to take a photo to show you. She mentioned how much it meant to her...all of it is on display in her room. :-)
That is so marvelous to hear. She has grown up so gorgeous!! I can't take it how grown she is. :)
Cloth made my life so much more comfortable. If she has any questions at all, have her PM me and I'll talk her through it.
I am going to try this next cycle. I don't have any problem touching my own blood. I hope I can get some newerish stains out. I forgot I hadn't socked the stains out before I washed and dried my previous cycle pads.
JOXGIRL1 Best of luck. Oxy powder for soaking is a miracle, and Fels-Naptha soap, if you can get it, is amazing for getting stains out. Just be patient with any old staining. It might take an overnight soak and a good stain treater, but they will eventually give up and come out.
Thank you. I used oxy spray on one and it really helped. You have helped me take better care of my wonderful pads.
Saralee
Thank you for this wonderful video! Do you have any recommendations for a person who's highly sensitive to chemicals & fragrances? Could baking soda work or something else that you know of? :)
Thank you so much for sharing your process!
Excellent tutorial, I found this so helpful. Thanks 😄
Thank you so much!!!!! I m new to cloth and have been researching easy ways to clean them aside pay for laundry. Thank you!!! I think I finally found the way that will work best. May I ask what kind of skin problems you had that cleared up when you switched if you don't mind sharing if you don't want to I totally under. I'm just asking because skin sensitivity and or allergies I think that have developed for me recently are the reason I switched.
I have a small plunger, it looks like a baby toilet plunger that I use for my hand washing so I do not even have to get my hands soapy or dried out from the oxy clean. It works great and I do not have to soak so long. I use it to pre wash my gardening clothes, anything muddy or smelly or even greasy. It actually results in cleaner wash using less water in the end. The plunger is cheap and available from several places.
Hi, I used your method to clean my pads and it worked great. The only issue I had was some dye transfer from a red pad to my lighter pads making them pink! All of my pads are new but I did wash them all before use. Any ideas on how to get the dye transfer out?
Thanks so much for sharing, such a helpful video for a newbie like me ☺❤
Love your hand soap dispenser.
Hey Amy. Have you ever made your pads with cotton velour topper ? If so how does it preform ?
Do you use hot, warm or cold water in the washing machine? Do you regular detergent or something like Woolite or Dreft?
Do you have environment friendy options? For clean product?
Do you have to rinse the oxi clean out after soaking or can you just throw them in the wash after soaking
so do you put water in the wetbag to keep the stain from drying?
Can I use matress protector as a barrier in the cloth pads? I dont have PUL.
Amy, am untreated in cloth pads but am curious as to how leakage is prevented. ive never seen one upfront.
This video was Extremely helpful. I just discovered this option for pads and wanted to know all about them. I was wondering though... Do they work well for a very heavy flow? I currently wear Stay free overnight with wings during the day and change it about every two hours. Then switch to Always biggest overnight pad with wings for night time. I love the idea and practicality of cloth pads, but will they work for my type of flow? How absorbent are they?
I have really heavy flow, as well. The absorbency of cloth pads depends on how they are made. I highly recommend that you start by getting a heavy flow or overnight cloth pad in the 11-12" range (shorter than overnight disposables, but they're just as effective). Start with one and try it out. Yurtcraft, Novel Red, and All Fluffed Up (available via Facebook) are all very high quality work.
I had serious trouble with leaks, rashes, and constant sticky discomfort with disposables, and I was terrified that cloth just wouldn't be good enough for me. It has been. I haven't had to change sheets or stain treat pajamas at 3am even one time since switching.
Everyone is different, but I really believe cloth is MORE absorbent and much nicer to the skin than disposables.
How long do you keep them in the wet bag? Especially like if you went on a trip during your period, would I need to take the supplies and do this every night or every other night or how many days?
I can suggest that in the mexican store or Walmart in mexican products area, you cant the same soap the brand is Zote.
I love zote soap. I always take it with me when I travel so I can wash clothes in the sink and save suitcase room.
Gaby Menibar
Jabon Zote is awesome! I am a Mexican and my mom always used it
Bunch of farmers is a great vegan alternative to fels naptha. Also the ecover stain stick works well with flat cottons when using the scrubbing brush attached, but it also works well with flannel if you just squish the liquid onto the pad.
khricket Thanks! I have a Buncha Farmers stick, now. I've wanted to try it forever. I have a gift sample stain stick that a woman made for me, but it's a lard-based stick. I will try it and see how it works, though. I have also ordered an Ecover stick/bottle, and I picked up one of the OxiClean brand stain sticks to try, as well. I hope to have them all here and do a good stain treater review video next month.
Do I store them in my wet bag dry or rinsed out? (and for how long) is it okay to let them soak in a bucket of water with oxy for a few days before I do my laundry?
Greetings! Do you use pads and cups together?
I really enjoy your videos, you are thoroughly detailed!😊😊😊
Do you need to wash the wet bag?
Would this method still work if I had washed my pads in the washing machine first at 40°C and then treated for strains?
No
Dear Amy how many do colth pads do you have I have 7 and 35 liners
I'm just curious, 1. Do you actually use these on the go or just at home? 2. Do they sustain on very heavy days....like for the 1st couple of days. 3. Have you had accidents away from home when sitting down?
Amy do you have any problems with the heat from the dryer on the plastic snaps and the pul melting. Thanks
+Tammy J No, I don't. Since dryers vary in temperature, you might want to try your first trip through the dryer on a medium heat or low heat setting, just to be on the safe side. If the clothes come out of your dryer too hot to touch, definitely use a lower setting. In my dryer, the high temp setting is perfect for my pads and has never melted a snap or caused the PUL to fail. Just figure out the best setting on your dryer. Hope that helps!!
+Amy Nix Thank you Amy. I need this more for my daughter as she will be starting her first use this month. As for me I am on the downward slide to being finished for life. Only have a cycle sometimes now. But the infor is much needed and I pray you keep this up. I only wish we could have a company that could do a tv commerical about using these pads.
this is the best, most unintimidating video i've seen on how to wash cloth pads and you're like the wonderful mother i always wished i'd had! definitely going to go check out your other videos! :) one question: so, i bought a couple cloth pads a long time ago, but ended up giving up on them. my issue was that i don't do laundry frequently enough and i didn't want the wet pads to sit too long and get mildew-y or unsanitary. i usually do it once a week or even as long as every two weeks sometimes (as i have to trek to the laundry mat each time...). if you're only going 3-4 days before washing, that means you're doing laundry 2x a week, right? i guess that's just how you have to do it if you want them to stay nice and sanitary?
+Emma Wilson Since making this video, I've tested length of time. First, I never wet my pads until it's time to wash them. Mildew can get crazy bad in humid areas, which this one is. So, I store them dry in my wet bag.
I have left pads up to a week and a half, and the process works just as well. So, basically...just wash them when you like, but don't leave them so long that the stains will never release. One wash at the end of the cycle, if your wet bag is big enough and you have enough pads, is perfectly fine.
Hi Amy just a quick question is it ok to dry cloth pads in the dryer just wandering cuz I been wanting to try that but just a little worried if the rip or something bad happens to them
Would it work to use a baby's bib with plastic inside for the bottom layer to be leak proof?
+Mary Harrod It probably would, but depending on the type of plastic, it might not last very long. After repeated washing and drying, some types of plastic used in baby bibs can crack and disintegrate a bit. So, yes, it will definitely work if you're on a budget or just starting out and not wanting to invest in specialty fabrics. I used crib liners with a plastic layer in my first pads, and it worked just fine for quite some time.
What is that bar of soap called that you are using for stain treatment?
+Jackie Owens Fels-Naptha laundry bar soap.
Hydrogen peroxide takes blood out also.
After you treat for stains does it matter if you wash in the laundry with hot or cold water? Does either negatively affect absorbency?
+Savanna Gowen No, not at all. Once the stains are removed, you can wash the pads however you like. Whether or not water temperature affects absorbency will depend on what materials you used. Some fabrics come with specific washing instructions, and those should be followed. Some fabrics may have hot water restrictions, but I wash ALL of my pads in whatever load of laundry happens to be going, and I've never had trouble.
+Amy Nix very cool thank you :-)
Fantastic video! My first video of yours, which I came across trying to learn about laundering 'family cloths'. While I am past the point tp physically (ok, I'm old!) Need cloth for periods, I am switching to family cloths soon.. You mentioned that you use these pades forstress jncontinence. Do you use the same process for laundering with just a bit of urine? Thanks for any tils you can ocfer!
Can you also use backingsoda as oxy?
Baking soda is used by many as a laundry additive because of its water softening properties, but it will not provide the same stain removal power as an oxygen cleaner. They simply don't work the same way chemically. Baking soda in the water will definitely help with keeping the pads soft and it often aids in stain removal. It is not, however the same as oxy cleaners because it does not release oxygen into the water as it breaks down.
when you take your pads off and put them in your wet bag do you have to rinse them before you put them in your wet bag or wipe them off with some toilet paper or just fold them up put them in doing nothing at all?
girltogirlinfo2498 No rinsing necessary if you do it like this. I just take them off, fold them up, and straight to the wet bag. If you will be unable to soak them in oxyclean water, it is advisable to thoroughly rinse the pads first, but if you're soaking the pads like in my video for stain treatment before laundering them…you don't need to do anything but take them off and put them in the wet bag until you're ready to soak.
will this method work for old stains? I have 2 pads that have old stains that I haven't been able to get out. I use oxyclean in with my laundry when I am washing pads and I have used that same bar soap but I haven't tried soaking them. All the other have come out clean. The 2 stained ones are both cotton.
Yesterday I got the Ecover stain remover in the mail and I immediately tried using it on a pad that I have that had a HUGE brown stain right in the middle of it (it was a white pad and I previously used the Buncha Farmers stain stick on it, but it didn't help with removing the stain). The Ecover stain remover completely got rid of the stain on the pad! I was amazed because I thought the pad would be stained for ever!!!
When it comes to stain treating, try different methods (different oxycleans, different stain removers) to find the one that works for you!
Very nice "clean" video. I am seriously thinking about getting cloth pads. Women should be able to be comfortable and not worry about chemicals or leaks. I find that the top lining they apply to disposable pads can actually make you leak if you have a heavy flow, because it's not made of an absorbent material. Plus it causes irritation from time to time. I tried Always Infinity yesterday, and they have a chemical smell, and it made me feel weird. I usually use Regular Super Maxis from Kotex, but I have tried everything and nothing works for me. It either bunches up, or I leak...OR I have to change them too frequently which is expensive. I can see how well they get clean, and I don't think it's gross at all. Please tell me @Amy Nix, which pads are your favorite? I will need at least 3 kinds to completely cover my cycle: liners, regular length/heavy absorption, and overnights due to waking up in a puddle. :( Any suggestions? Thanks!
+Jacquiline Cardozo I think you should start with Novel Red novelred.com , and Yurtcraft www.etsy.com/shop/yurtcraft.
I own multiple pads from these two shops, and both are reputable and reliable with excellent quality.
Let me know if there's anything else I can recommend for you, and very best of luck. Cloth pads really changed a lot of things for the better for me. I hope you love them, too.
+Jacquiline Cardozo Oh! And I prefer flannel tops because I find they absorb faster than anything else available. Novel Red has crushed velvet pads that also absorb very quickly, but they are a bit pricy.
Cotton top (regular quilter's cotton like sheets are made of) pads are perfectly wonderful, but at night, especially, I like fuzzy pads like flannel or velour or crushed velvet because nothing rolls off the pad without absorbing quickly enough in a prone or supine position.
+Amy Nix Have you ever used EcoHearted or Phoenix Rising Reusables, both on Etsy? They both look pretty good. They both use Zorb as an inner layer. Any thoughts?
+Jacquiline Cardozo ALSO!! What is the best length with the Novel Red and Yurtcraft? I am always having a back leak issue, so with Novel Red I'm looking at 13" length with velvet top.
12 and 13" are what I use when I'm wanting a longer pad. Yurtcraft has a 12.5" pad. Novel Red makes 13" pads. I have tried both and enjoy them very much.
do you sale the ones you make? if so where could I buy some?
+The Mexicutioner of Watermeloons I don't. I'm sorry, but I have no interest in opening a business for them. My favorite shops you can still purchase from are Yurtcraft and NovelRed, both on Etsy.
+Beth Wade - No, I don't go through this process for pads that aren't stained. Those would just go straight into a load of regular laundry.
I just bought that stain bar and used it on a white cloth pad and noticed at first it left a yellow like stain from the soap but after wash it went away
Melissa Figueroa Yes, the soap bar is yellow, so when you apply it, you can see the yellow color on light fabrics, but it is simply part of the soap and will rinse out.
Where is this soap located in Walmart ?
In the laundry detergent aisle, they have a section for stain sticks and additives. You'll find it around there. Look for the Arm & Hammer soda powder booster and the Borax. In my Wal-Mart, the Fels-Naptha is always near them.
So after this process, do you wash in cold or hot with your laundry? thanks :) Your videos are all awesome. I'm here listening as I sew myself some liners. :D
+lizzymier Honestly, that varies. I wash it with whatever load of laundry is going at the time. Sometimes on cold, sometimes on warm...doesn't really matter once you have the stains removed. :)
I have been using cloth menstrual pads for about 6 months now. I rinse with cold water, soak with peroxide, and then throw in the wash machine with my babies cloth diapers. It's been working for me but my question is, will the peroxide damage the piss over time and also is it okay to use fabric softener on them? I was never given wash inductions when I ordered the pads from FuzziBunz.
+Tashena Smith Straight peroxide (the 3% brown bottle) is generally safe for fabrics, but depending on the dyes, repeated use of it may lighten your fabrics a bit. It certainly won't hurt them, and most pads won't even experience the "bleaching" effect of repeated use.
It's an excellent stain treater for protein (blood and poo) stains.
Fabric softener, over time, coats fibers in the material, so it is recommended that you don't use fabric softener on cloth pads because it will lessen their absorbency. What happens is that the fluid will sort of roll around over the fibers rather than soaking in if you get excessive fabric softener buildup.
What I have noticed over time is that dryer sheets are fine in moderation, but liquid softeners added to the rinse cycle are the true culprit. Many people use dryer balls or vinegar to soften their pads.
Yes, helpful and not any worse than washing undergarments.
Can someone clear this up for me? I’ve seen contradicting comments in different videos. Does the fleece go down facing your underwear or upwards?
I know this is an old comment but Im sure the pattern goes up while the back is against the underwear
really cool idea when finish my implant will soo use! thanks for demo x
This is great for stains, however we just don't have time for this procedure. :/ I'm sure that says more about my life than this video, which was great, but I really need a time saving method that works. Thanks for the oxy and soap tip. Though, I think I can figure something out with that starting point. Appreciated.
+T. Morey Definitely, you can. Lots of people soak their pads with the wet pail method, which might work better for you. It involves a pail or swivel-lid bin that you fill with enough cold water to cover your pads, and then as you take them off during your cycle, you drop the pads into the pail to soak in regular water. Once per day, like right before bed, you empty the soiled water into the toilet and fill it with clean water. Literally about 30 seconds per day to do this. At the end of the cycle, the pads will be mostly stain free, and you can just stain treat and toss in the laundry.
I'm sure there are other things you could come up with, as well. One other simple alternative would be to buy pads with dark toppers that won't show stains. Then you could just rinse them out once at the end of your cycle and toss in the laundry...no muss, no fuss.
I have cloth pads with dark toppers for when I'm really busy and have no time to stain treat pads ;) I just pop those in the wash and they come out great.
Stir away of white and especially blue toppers to avoid having to stain treat - those stain a lot more easily. You can also get stain resistant fabrics like minky or Lycra :) It doesn't have to be a hassle or time consuming since you can pick what suits you best! :)
Very helpful
Hi! Great video! The cloth pads that were shown in the video.. What's the topping Fabric of them? Are they all minky? Bamboo velour, etc? Flannel? Cause I understand that some fabrics are very easy to clean, like minky.. But with flannel, these process is not enough - in my experience - to remove stains, I put them in the washing machine when they still have some stain, and when they come out, they usually are clean after that.
Mica M Most of the pads in this video are cotton woven/quilter's cotton topped, but there is an obv liner and a minky pad in the video, as well. I use the same process for all of my pads, and I have bamboo velour, cotton velour, flannel, and minky pads. Everything comes clean and stain-free.
Could you also use hydrogen peroxide to take the stains out?
+LadyHoozer You absolutely can, and many people do that. I found, however, that hydrogen peroxide alone was not enough to get my stains out. Especially in the flannel pads. I would apply it directly and then soak in plain water, and it just wasn't getting it done for me.
The oxygen powder stuff, which uses hydrogen peroxide, seems to do a much better job, in my experience. When I have really tough stains, which has happened 2 or 3 times since I started this, I do a second soak by applying straight 3% hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain, waiting for it to bubble up, and then putting it back into a sink of oxygen cleaner water. That gets almost ANYTHING out without bleaching the fabrics or having to resort to a chlorine product.
I love the colors, but I never use the flaps on disposable pads, so I think my cloth pads would be devoid of snaps.
I heard that using oxygen- based washing powders makes patterns on the pads fade. I prefer using a bar of organic stain-removing soap. It also exists in the form of a liquid. The colors and patterns do not fade after using this kind of a washing soap.
Thank you!
+Ashley Grant You are so welcome. I hope it works for you.
I soak my pads in peroxide and cold water, a little scrubbing, and then wash.
what worries me is the efficiency of a pad without some kind of plastic to prevent leakages...and the use of fleece...doesn't this warm up the area? I am this close to make them (but I do remember once, when I had run out of the commmercial pads, I tought " if my mother used cloth pads and cotton when she was a teenager, I can use cotton too as an emergency!"...well...as soon as I put it on let's say , I had to remove it because I had already stained my underwear!
I dont mind my cloth pads have stain because I am already tired to clean again and again just to make sure the stains come out. As long as I wash them in washing machine they are clean and reusable.
love it sooo you help me
A little tiny cheap plunger allows agitation and squeezing without ever touching the water. :-)
Is it fine if you don't care about the stains and just let them soak in some cold water to get whatever trapped in there out? I don't really see anyone else saying this but I'd probably won't care much since no one is going tl see it anyways
When you put them in with regular laundry, do you use a lingerie bag or simply toss them in? I wasn't sure if a lingerie bag protected them from twisting?
I just toss them in because I'm lazy. Many people use a hosiery bag or lingerie bag. Either will work. Twisting in the wash, from everything I've been able to gather over the years, is not a big issue. Twisting and wringing during the hand washing process, however, can damage the fibers over time and shorten the length of the pad's usefulness.
How can you wait a few days before washing them? If I didn't wash them immediately, they would smell like ammonia.
I've just never had that happen. If I ever had an odor, I would wash them right away for sure, too! I think the differences are all about body chemistry, and that has so many variables to it. There's no telling why it's different from person to person.
urine usually causes a ammonia smell not blood...or that i eve had experience with! my sons diapers get that ammonia smell hes in cloth
Right. I have bladder leakages.