Yes, most of us go 'yuk'at first, but when you think about it it's only the next logical step when you use cloth nappies on your baby, to use reusable menstrual products for yourself! We supply washable pads and the Mooncup®.

One woman in her lifetime will use an average of 10,000 disposable sanitary products!
Most of these fill up valuable space in our lanfill sites, or are flushed down the toilet. Just as with disposable nappies, the plastics in disposable sanitary wear are not biodegradable and could take hundreds of years to decompose. Flushing them down the toilet is not much better - many of the 'disposable' products flushed down the toilet end up in our waterways and on our beaches, posing a danger to aquatic wildlife. See the Women's Enviromental Network for more details.

How to use washable cloth pads
Just like nappies, everyone has their own routine, depending on what works best for them. Menstrual pads do need to be rinsed after use in cold water. They can then go either in the nappy bucket to be washed with your nappies, or if you prefer to wash separatly or don't have a little one in nappies, in a lidded container such as an empty ice cream tub. Then just stash it away and chuck them all in the next available wash! I find just a good rinse will suffice but you can soak in cold water if you prefer. A dash of salt will help remove any stains in this case.

Cloth pads can be washed at 40 - 60 degrees, and care is simalar to nappies - try not to use too much powder, and no conditioner.

How to use a Mooncup
As with anything new, a little practice is needed when you first start using the mooncup, but you should soon find it very easy.
First wash your hands. Rinse the mooncup under water, then fold it once, and fold it again, making it an appropriate size for insertion. It sits down low in the vagina, and once in it will open out, (some rotation may be needed) so that it forms a seal with the vaginal wall. To remove the mooncup, pinch the base - this will break the seal, then you can angle it downwards and out. Empty in the toilet, rinse and re - insert.

The mooncup has a stem at the bottom - this needs to be trimmed to a required lenth, a bit at a time until you can no longer feel it.

It's important to keep your mooncup clean - rinse it thoroughly between emptying, and between periods it should be cleaned with hot soapy water, rinsed and sterilised. It comes with an organic cloth bag to keep it in and full instructions.