I am a HUGE fan of reusable period pads (obvs), so much so that I created my own brand! And, I’m also a HUGE fan of cleanliness, as I’m sure you are too. So, how do we manage to keep our reusable period pads throughly cleaned throughout their 3 years (+) life span?
A deep clean every couple of months will stop any kind of build up inside the pads, although a ‘normal’ clean is sufficient enough, it does feel good to give those pads a good soak and I want to share what I’ve learned in my 8 years of wearing (and washing) reusable pads
For regular cleaning I recommend the following;
When you’re ready to change your pad, and if you have access to a sink when you’re out (this part isn’t essential but a nice to have) give it a rinse in cold water, this will reduce any staining (our pads are stain resistant but staining can occur)l, remove all the excess blood and give it a good squeeze, from there you have 2 choices
- Hand wash them in the basin or in the shower with you (shower cleaning is by far the easiest option), using whatever shower gel or soap you have to hand. Give them a good soap up and a thorough rinse, then stretch the pad out to the original size and put aside to dry – If you choose this option I would still run them through the machine at the end of your cycle to give them a more intense clean
- Throw them in with your usual wash in the machine, DON’T add any fabric softener, this is just a waxy layer (that’ll be the animal fat found in softeners) and it’ll stop or reduce absorbency – if you wash your pads with softener by mistake, don’t sweat it, just put it through another cycle without it and it’ll be washed away – put it on a 40 and hit start. Make sure you reshape the pads when wet so they don’t all curl up (keep reading to find out what I’ve replaced softer with in all my washing)
Once your pads are washed, dry them by air drying only, although many of mine have found their way onto radiators and have been fine it’s best to avoid direct heat, and defo NO tumble dryers, not only are they bad for the environment, they’re also really pricey, not great with all the energy increases, and they could shrink the pads. In the colder months I peg mine onto those sock peg things and put it into the airing cupboard (they could be hung anywhere that is warm). They’re cheap as chips, I’ve linked to the one I have here
It’s good to bare in mind when you’re creating your stock that the larger pads – the Mega and the Mega-Mega – will need longer drying times, so if you’re a heavy bleeder and get through lots of those pads (as do I) then you may want to get a few extra to allow for drying times. Our Pick & Mix Pack will probs be your best friend if this is the case, you choose 12 pads and they’re all sold with 10% off as standard, plus you’ll get a free Storage bag, so quite the bargain
Once they are clean and dry you can store your full stock in one of our Storage Bags (your freed one if you grabbed the Pick & Mix pack) until next month (fyi, these bags are brilliant at multitasking, see also ‘swimming kit’, ‘make-up’ ‘hair stuff’, ‘overnight’, ’sex toy’s bag)
And now we’ve nailed the basic washing, let’s go deep. How to deep clean your pads using just 2 ingredients, white vinegar and water, what could be simpler and cheaper than that?
Add 1 part White Vinegar to 4 parts cold water in a basin, throw your pads in and leave them to soak for 30 mins then throw them into your machine with no softer. The vinegar will break down any build up.
White vinegar is a great replacement to fabric softener, it tackles limescale, cleans the machine and tackles stains and odour (it also doesn’t contain animal fats which is obvs a bonus). Just use it in your softener drawer and put your machine on a normal cycle
I buy it in bulk from Amazon here, you’ll notice it’s also so much cheaper than softener so win win right? If you miss the softener smell in your wash then you can add some essential oils to the vinegar, I don’t find it makes much difference but lots of people swear by it, maybe I’m not using enough?
If you’re on Instagram you can see a Reel (video) that I made showing you how I deep clean my pads, you can see it here (while you’re there feel free to hit follow if you’re not already)
If you’re into being more eco-curious with your cleaning products too white vinegar will be your best friend, it is so multipurpose, I highly recommend the book ‘Clean and Green’ by Nancy Birtwhistle
‘From everyday cleaning and laundry tips to zero-effort oven cleaner and guidance on removing tricky stains from clothing and furniture, these economical, practical methods are perfect for anyone looking to reduce their use of plastic and throwaway products. Nancy shares her tried-and-tested recipes for all-purpose cleaners, replacements for harmful chemicals that will keep both your home and the planet clean and green for future generations.’.
This book is a must have for any eco-curious’ who don’t have time and money to experiment and just want simple hacks on how to have a more sustainable home – HIGHLY RECOMMEND
And there ends another blog from me, I hope it helps and that you’re off to deep clean those pads, but of course if you haven’t come over to the Wear ‘em Out way of life yet, grab yourself 10% off your first shop by signing up here
Let me know how you get on with your deep clean, give me a tag over on Insta or leave your comment below, and as always, please share the link of this blog to anyone who you feel would appreciate whats in it, just hit the appropriate button below – cheers babes
All the love
Lauren x
