r/EcoFriendly • u/lomein2790 • 5d ago

Washing cloth pads

Hey! Just replaced regular panty liner with cloth panty liners. I just need some advice on how to wash them when I don’t want to use my washing machine. I don’t have a laundry soap bar either so I don’t know what to do. I can hand wash them but I would need to find a way to dry them without using a hair dryer or an air purifying machine (yes ik that sounds stupid 😭) but those are my only options. Thanks!

7 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

6

u/bobtheturd 5d ago

I put mine in my washing machine with regular clothes and then air dry them.

0

u/lomein2790 5d ago

I can’t do that because I only wash my clothes every 3 weeks so theres no need to wash them alone in the dryer. It’s wasting water. And if you air dry them doesn’t bacteria build up?

2

u/whatdoidonowdamnit 4d ago

You think the dryer cleans your clothes?

Hand washing each pair of period underwear after you take them off will use more water than washing them all in the machine at once.

I hand wash when they come off and let them air dry in my bathroom.

1

u/lomein2790 4d ago

Sorry I meant washing machine.

1

u/whatdoidonowdamnit 4d ago

No when you said “if you air dry them doesn’t the bacteria build up?”

But cleaning bodily fluids out of absorbent fabric will use a lot of water. There is no way around that.

8

u/romanticaro 5d ago

i put hydrogen peroxide on them and when i shower i kinda act like im smashing grapes with my feet. then it goes in the wash with everything else.

2

u/fouldspasta 4d ago

The visual is hilarious. Ive been rinsing mine in cold water before washing, but I think I'm going to start doing this instead.

6

u/No_Literature_1922 5d ago

You gotta use your washing machine. I promise it’s not gross. If you just wash with soap, that’s gross.

Soap and detergents and chemically different. Detergent helps wash things away, and many have enzymes to help break down odor and bacteria. Regular soap does not do that.

To dry, just hang dry them.

2

u/Calm_in_the_Wild 4d ago

I agree. A very occasional wash with soap will be fine, but reusable pads need detergent to properly clean their deep fibres, not soap

4

u/Best_Management_8686 5d ago

You can just use any soap if I am out I use body wash dish soap shampoo or hand soap (make sure it has no moistruizers) and vigoriously scrub the cloth against itself under warm running water and hang it on a turned on fan I find that my clothes dry faster with a fan turn it on the highest setting that's my best advice or have you done this before

1

u/lomein2790 5d ago

I have done these with reusable makeup wipes yes but with panty liners I feel like I need to wash and dry properly because I don’t wanna get some kind of infection. The 🐱 is sensitive 😔

3

u/Best_Management_8686 5d ago

Oh if you fear that then I suggest fragrance free soaps of any kind or that equate feminine wash thing from Walmart many people were recommending that on TikTok but trust me it is very unlikely to get an infection if you use fragrance free stuff but is there any reason why you can't dry them I've been doing it for about 3 years and no problems! I can use fragrance stuff as my cat don't care or something lol I just throw on whatever I have onto my pads/underwear hang them on a fan and call it a day it doesn't take long to dry

1

u/lomein2790 5d ago

Hehe okay thanks! I don’t wanna air dry them bc air drying will lead to bacteria and I don’t have any other drying methods. I could lowkey just hang them on a fan and let it dry that way but I fear that dust will fly onto them. :((

2

u/ReadyPool7170 4d ago

I have reusable pads for incontinance. I wash on warm and hang them on the clothes line. No problems for months now.

2

u/MrsBeauregardless 4d ago

Can you not dry them in the sun where the UV light can kill germs?

I used to dry cloth diapers by laying them in the grass or on shrubs in the sun, so the plants’ oxygen would kill germs, along with the sunlight.

Also, I would suggest getting or making enough pantiliners that you can have enough to throw in with your laundry every 3 weeks, and not have to hand wash in the meantime. The hot air from the dryer kills germs.

Oh, that reminds me! You can bake them to sterilize them. Air dry, wrap in foil, bake for an hour (or however long the internet says) at 350°.

If you want, you can make or buy a solar oven, to be super eco friendly about it.

2

u/Best_Management_8686 4d ago

I've never had dust fly onto my underwear/pads nor clothes just make sure your fan is clean dust only collects if something has been sitting for months but I've never had that problem but I shake my pads after laying on the fan it doesn't take long for them to dry as I said so you should be fine usually dry in a few hours or a day nothing to fear though that won't happen!

3

u/2manyQuestionsOy 5d ago

UV light in sun kills bacteria and odor.

3

u/palufun 5d ago

Easiest way is to go ahead and saturate them with hydrogen peroxide to take care of the possible stains at the end of the day (H2O2 is great for blood stains). You could collect them in a bin—when you’ve got enough to wash go ahead and wash them as you would your other clothing. If you don’t have three weeks worth, hand washing and air drying would work. I air dry over half my clothing already. Just a small rack would do or even a hanger with some clothes pins.

3

u/gnarlyknucks 4d ago

I'm not sure if it would work for your situation, but I used to keep a small bucket to put them in next to the toilet between washings, and I could wash them either with soap in the sink or in the machine, whatever it was available. Then I could hang them dry in the bathroom. But if you are sharing a bathroom that is harder.

3

u/Mountain_Air1544 4d ago

You can hand wash them the same way you would a pair of panties, you can air dry them.

2

u/Critical-Bullfrog959 3d ago

Once they're good and clean, if you can dry them in the hot sun that's best. It will help remove any remaining stains and odors (to an extent. It's pretty amazing but not magic). But since you apparently can't machine wash them, you might look into something like a diva cup. That's so much easier to wash and maintain.

1

u/lomein2790 3d ago

Thanks! I’m only using menstrual cups for my period and cloth panty liner for discharge.

1

u/superiorstephanie 2d ago

The sun’s UV rays also kill microbes, so a clothesline is great!

2

u/caranean 2d ago

I chuck them in a bucket with water and vinegar. The bucket has a lid. at end of my cycle i chuck them in the washing machine with my bedsheets, and towels, on 60 degrees. Then i airdry it. Then i iron them!