I learned about homemade cloth menstrual pads on a Christian Ladies’ message board in 2002. I had just been diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. Some of my symptoms were heavy, irregular and painful menses which left me feeling very much like the Woman in the New Testament with the issue of blood who touched Jesus’s garment to be healed. I even joked that I had periods of biblical proportions. Financially, we were in a tough spot at the time. Making decisions between groceries or sanitary pads is not a pleasant place to be so I was tickled when another mom shared a link to homemade pads. I ran some simple ones up on my sewing machine that day and have pretty much been a convert ever since.
Before the 20th Century, most women used cloth pads or “rags” during their menstruation. Disposable pads didn’t become common in America until after WW II. Among rural and low-income women they didn’t catch on until the 1960′s. As with diapers, there have always been people who prefer cloth to disposable. Disposable pads do not biodegrade very quickly. Plastic diapers and sanitary napkins are likely to be two of the most common artifacts that future archaeologists will find when excavating landfills from the 20 and 21 Centuries. I wonder what kind of commentary this will be on our present lifestyles? Only time will tell.
Outer Pad with Wings
Cut 2 with flap extended & 1 on fold with flap closed
Inner Pad
Cut 2 of flannel and 1 or 2 of filling or more flannel
Printing Instructions: Set Margins to 0.25 or 1/4 inch each.
To make your own sanitary napkins you need the following supplies: 
- A sewing machine with a zigzag stitch.
- Flannel: Old flannel shirts & baby blankets work beautifully but new flannel works fine too. Be sure to wash it in hot water before using to prevent shrinkage.
- Thread
- Snaps or Safety Pins
- Scissors
The Outer Pad
Begin by printing both of the patterns and cutting them out. The Inner Pad is a large oval. The Outer Pad is actually 2 patterns in 1. With the long straight side extended, it is the topside. You will need to cut 2 of these. With the long straight side folded in, it is the bottom side. Place the straight edge on a fold of fabric and cut 1 of these. Look at the pictures for examples. 
Make 1/2-inch hem down the long straight side of each of the 2 top pieces. Straight stitch or zigzag stitch this hem, as you prefer. Now arrange the 2 upper layers of the outer pad over the lower layer. The front hems should overlap slightly, or by about 1/2-inch.
Zigzag stitch around the outside twice. If desired you may straight stitch down the dotted lines shown on the picture to the right. This allows the inner pad to fit more securely inside the outer pad and also makes folding the wings a bit handier.
Some women apply a snap or button to the wings at this time. Place them at points “A” in the illustration. Velcro is not advisable because it has a tendency to chafe. Personally, I don’t <
like
to go through all the work of applying snaps or buttons so I use a safety pin instead. Large diaper safety pins work beautifully for pinning the wings together. To the right you will see a picture of the pad pinned closed. The wings fit around your underwear just like disposable pads with wings. Some women wear the pad with the pocket seam facing down, next to their underwear. Other women prefer the pad placed with the seam-side next to their skin. Try it both ways to see which you prefer.
The Inner Pad
The inner pad is the absorbent part of the sanitary napkin. It slips inside the pocket of the pad. The beauty of this is that you can use as many inner pads as necessary for the rate of your flow. During heavy times, or overnight, use 3 or 4 Inner pads. For a lighter flow use only 1 Inner pad. For a panty liner, use the outer pad without an inner pad. The reason you use several layers instead of 1 very thick layer is because several thinner layers are easier to wash and have a shorter drying time. Additionally, the many exterior surfaces of the pad layers makes them more absorbent than a single thick pad would be. 
For the inner pad you want to cut at least 3 layers, maybe 4, depending on the thickness of your fabric. Use the same pattern for all of the layers. 
Use flannel for the 2 exterior layers of the inner pad. Use 1 or 2 layers of flannel or terry cloth, cotton quilt batting or another absorbent material for the interior layers of the inner pad. I used old flannel shirts, a flannel baby blanket and an old towel for my fabric. The towel was ripped and had a few holes. I used it as the interior layer of my inner pads. The flannel baby blanket was the exterior of the inner pads, and the flannel shirt was the outer pad, the part with wings.
After cutting out your layers for the inner pad stack them neatly. Zigzag stitch around the edges twice. Trim the edges if desired. I used dark thread in the picture so you could see it against the light flannel. Make 2 of these inner pads for each outer pad. They are very easy to cut and stitch, so you may want to make a few extras for heavy days.
After completing each part of the pad, slip the inner pad inside the pocket of the outer pad. Pin it in place and see how it feels. You will be surprised at how comfortable it is.
Washing and Maintenance
When you make your own pads you have to wash them instead of tossing them into the garbage. Keep a small bucket of water with a lid in the bathroom, preferably out of the reach of children and pets. Add a spoonful of vinegar if desired. Remove the inner pad from the outer pad. Soak the used pads in the bucket of water. Drain the water into the toilet before washing the pads. The water can also be used to water house plants because they like all the extra vitamins and minerals. Make sure you use cold water so that the stains will come out. I wash every morning. Some women stash all of the used pads in a pillowcase or plastic bag and wash them all at once when their period is over. I don’t do this because I have a washer in the house and I find it more sanitary to wash them every day. They can drip dry or machine dry.
If you do not have a washing machine, then they may be washed by hand. Run cold water over them in the bathtub to remove most of the blood. Place the pads in a medium bucket or tub. Add a little soap and cold water. Using a clean plunger, plunge the pads until they are as clean as you can get them. Plunge for a good 10 minutes for the best results. Rinse the pads well and squeeze them dry. Hang each pad by it’s own clothespin and they should dry pretty fast, even in the winter.
If you like, you can iron the pads, but do not use starch on them. Be careful not to use fabric softener either because it will make them less absorbent.
A No-Sew Alternative
If your sewing skills are lacking, or you simply do not want to go through the trouble of sewing your own pads you can try this instead. Purchase absorbent terry-cloth dishtowels. Wash them before using. Fold them into rectangles about 3 or 4-inches by 10 or 12 inches. Use safety pins to pin them into your underwear at both narrow ends (the front and the back). These are a bit bulkier than home-sewn pads. They are quite comfortable though, and are a legitimate alternative. They may be washed the same as home-sewn pads. I’ve also seen washcloths recommended. Fold them into thirds, or quarters (long ways) and fit them into your underwear. Apparently they stay in place without pinning because of the friction between the terry-cloth and underwear. For heavier flows fold together 2 or more wash cloths.
About Fabrics
When I made these, I used fabrics I already had in the house. You may purchase new fabric instead if you like. Use a sturdy double-napped flannel if you go this route. It will last the longest and give you the best results. Cotton quilt batting is very nice filler, but you can also use additional flannel, which is less expensive. Wash everything before cutting or sewing. Flannel will shrink. After sewing, wash the pads again before using. This helps them hold their shape better. Men’s flannel shirts and flannel baby blankets make excellent flannel for your own menstrual pads. They can sometimes be found for 25¢ or 50¢ a piece at yard sales, which makes pads very cheap to sew at home. Brightly colored fabric is less likely to show stains than solid colored or light fabric is. I prefer to use patterns and dark colors for this reason.
About the Pattern
I created this pattern free hand after measuring commercially available, disposable pads. My pattern is a little bit wider and longer than some patterns available on the Internet. This is to accommodate the average woman, who is a size 14 or larger. Standard pads and liners are created for a size-6 woman. Pads made from this pattern are less likely to leak because they are large enough to fit properly. If you are a smaller woman, or prefer slightly smaller pads, there are several other patterns available online. You will find them linked below.
Note: Some of the sites may refer to ideas you do not agree with. Please overlook anything you find offensive and focus on the useful information instead.
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Natural Choices |
Cloth Menstrual Pads |
Instructions for Cloth Menstrual Pads |
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Frugal Baby Pattern |
Museum of Menstruation or MUM |
Okay, But EEEwww . . .
I’ll admit, many people have this reaction the first time they consider homemade pads. It is weird. We never see anything about it on television so that’s the first sign that it’s NOT socially acceptable. Sewing and using homemade pads seems like something that only weird-os and freaks do, probably off in the woods somewhere, or maybe a nice cave in the wilderness where they can commune with nature and get in touch with the moon. Nice women would never use homemade pads. After all, your hands get wet and you have to touch your own body fluids which is kinda gross. Plus you have that icky bucket in the bathroom so everyone knows that you’re up to something sneaky. The whole idea is enough to make some women vomit and make some men run for cover in a sweaty, testosterone filled locker room.
Believe me, I sympathize. I had to get used to the idea before I became a convert. For some women the conversion process happens overnight. For others of us, it takes time. We have to go slow, talk it over with other women, learn a lot more about it, and try it secretly to see if it really does work (it does). If we have always hated pads, then homemade ones may seem like an even more uncomfortable way of dealing with a monthly necessity. Everyone may say cloth pads are more comfortable, but just because it works for them, doesn’t mean it will be the same for us. Besides, the bucket in the bathroom is just tooooo gross. And what if the husband sees them and laughs at them or thinks that we’ve lost our minds. What if the mother in law visits and sees the bucket and we have to explain it to her, or a visiting preacher’s wife, or worse yet, the Preacher?!!! Gee whiz, it all becomes such a statement, and honestly, this is not the type of statement that most of us want to make to the world.
Relax. Take a deep breath. It is less weird than it seems at first glance. Think about women from the past. Our hearty ancestors who pioneered this country; while they rode their covered wagons west, what did they use every month? What did Native American women use back when they owned the continent? What about Eve and her daughters? What did Sarah use? Well, Sarah was barren, so maybe she didn’t need them. But what about other women in the bible? Give it some deep thought. Queens and peasants, Pilgrims and Puritans, they all have one thing in common. They had to use something to catch their monthly flow. If you visit the Museum of Menstruation, you’ll discover all types of articles that inventive women have used over the years. Absorbent sea sponges and baby socks have been used as tampons. Animal fur, dried plant fibers, and various types of cloth have been used for pads.
The truth of the matter is that cloth pads are not weird. Disposable ones are. Disposable pads and tampons have been commonplace for less than 50 years. This means that pretty much all of the women who are currently menstruating have only been exposed to disposable choices for their monthlies. Pads or tampons seem to be the only option. This is very much a comment on our current society. We use everything once and then toss it away. Disposable feminine hygiene products are a big scam perpetrated by manufacturers who want to keep us on a leash so we have to keep buying their products. They are making as much as TEN to TWENTY Thousand dollars per woman over her lifetime. If you think of the millions of women in the USA alone, the profits are staggering!
At heart, I am a rebel. One of my goals in life is to be dependent upon as few manufactured products as possible. My life and my money are more valuable than that. My freedom is more valuable than that. I will not give myself over to disposable pads if there is a free or cheap alternative that gives ME control over my budget and my body. Modern consumerism is a crock. It is an illusion that makes us feel like we have a semblance of power over our lives, but really it’s just newspeak for letting commercialism and it’s attending obsessions consume us. Extricating ourselves from consumerism is frightfully difficult. The strings and layers it encompasses are sneaky little buggers that are hidden in all aspects of our lives. One of the ways that we can achieve more personal freedom and attain genuine control over our circumstances is to snip those strings every time we find a self-sufficient alternative. For me, this means turning to cloth pads exclusively.
I would rather get my hands wet than give Corporate America one more ounce of control over my budget or even more importantly, my body. There are so many things I have to buy that when I find something I can make for myself, it is reason for rejoicing.
Which brings us back to that bucket. An ice cream bucket with a lid works great. I keep mine under the bathroom sink so it’s not a topic of conversation. Most women keep their disposable products in the bathroom, and the bucket is the same thing. Stash it in a private place and don’t give it a second thought. When I drain the bucket in the mornings, I do it in the bathroom while I’m already in there and no one is the wiser. As I start the first load of laundry for the day, I dump the rinsed pads in there and they wash up with whatever else is in the laundry. The wet pads cannot contaminate the other clothes in the washer. Dirty clothes are dirty clothes. Mud, dust, grime, dishcloths that have been used on bloody noses, rags used to wipe up the floor, it all comes out in the wash. The clothes in the washer are getting clean and one type of dirt will not give cooties to another type of dirt. After the washer has run it’s cycle, all the laundry is clean and ready to start its life anew, sort of a fabric version of baptism.
I live in a house with boys. They are blissfully unconscious of what the bucket is for. They don’t even ask. When they help fold the laundry, they just put the clean pads in the “Mommy Pile” and assume it is part of the world of women that they don’t want to know about. When the boys were younger, and I had to wash my pads by hand with a clean plunger, I did it in the bathroom as part of normal, daily chores. They had no idea and no care what I was doing in there. I could have been cleaning the tub or the sink or the toilet as far as they were concerned. It was all the same thing to them. Now that they are older, and one is a teenager, they have chosen blissful ignorance about my pads. Sometimes I have dried them by hanging them individually on a string strung up in the shower. I close the shower curtain and the boys ignore them completely, the same way they ignore my bras and frillies when I hang them up to dry. Fred doesn’t even notice the pads anymore, or if he does, they are just a normal part of married life. He is married to a woman, and therefore there are feminine details he must get used to and accommodate.
When I must travel a lot during my period, I bring a few plastic zipper bags to store any used ones until I get a chance to wash them. In hotels they are easily washed by hand and dried by laying them over the tub, or for the more adventurous, by laying them over the heater in the room. Fresh pads can be stored in zipper bags and used as needed. Once we grow accustomed to the idea of using cloth pads, it seems like such a normal part of life, that the details become irrelevant. The details of brushing our teeth or washing our hair are mundane. No one is interested in them and we do them without a second thought. Cloth pads are the same way. Once we get into the cloth pad zone, it becomes abundantly clear that they are the best solution available. Our first thought may be “Ewww!” but our final thought is “Aaahhh!”
The Story Of The Woman With The Issue Of Blood
Mark 5:25-34
(25) And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
(26) And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
(27) When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
(28) For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
(29) And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
(30) And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
(31) And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
(32) And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
(33) But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
(34) And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
This article may be copied or linked to as desired. Please include a link back to hillbillyhousewife.com. The patterns I made are placed firmly in the public domain. They are not copyrighted and can be used however you see fit, even to sew and sell in your own home business.
Just some of my own thoughts after wearing cloth (minus 2 years for pregnancy and nursing) for 8 years now:
Style: I prefer the ones that DON’T snap or velcro or button around – I use either lace or felt as the bottom layer and it holds in place quite well.
Water-proof: I’ve not needed that, since I stack extra pads on top of one another. BUT if I did need it, I would insert a layer of something just before the bottom layer of each pad.
Soaking: As with my son’s cloth diapers, I ended up not soaking and really didn’t rinse that much either. During my son’s last few diapering months, after I started menstruating again, I just added my pads in with his cloth diapers and washed – but I never soaked them. I actually found that soaking my pads would stain the cloth (like a bleach stain). Ok, I don’t really care about stains on my own pads, but I did purposely make them with pretty designs, for that more feminine affect.
Washing: I use two nylon lingerie bags with zippers – one to store the clean ones and one to store the dirty ones (the bags are two different styles and sizes! One is just the size needed to hold all the clean pads – the other is HUGE to allow for free movement in the washing machine.
We use homemade or all-natural cleaners and I’ll add a bit extra washing or baking soda.
I need things really easy and this was it!
Thanks for your wonderful article. I have been using homemade pads for a few months now. I found a pattern on http://www.manymoonsalternatives.com , but I ended up making my own copying a disposable. I just made a few different layers all the same size with a waterproof layer and added snaps. After much trial and error I figured out that you can use an old table cloth (the plastic and felt kind usually with a pattern) as your waterproof layer. Plastic side out of course with another fabric layer on the outside. So far it washes and drys just fine. The liners were sewed into the pad, without the folded layer on top because that drove me nuts. I just soak mine with cold water and give them a spray of stain remover for the tough spots. I also have used recycled items in my pads(shirts, towels, etc.) flannel is the best so far.
I have noticed a reduction in the pain and the amount of flow. I still use disposables when necessary, but I like the breathability of homemade.
Reuse, Recycle, Renew!
I’ve also switched to using cloth sanitary pads lately because I am concerned about polluting the environment with my own disposable pads. I also find cotton cloth to be much more comfortable and non-irritating unlike disposables.
I made some pads this week and tried them out the last few days. All I can say is “WOW”. Why didn’t I know about these years ago. I use the instead soft cups and a pad as a back up in public places or on really heavy flow days. Yesterday at chruch was a really a heavy flow day for me and I wore a cloth pad. My cup leaked and I was in the middle of practice. I couldn’t leave. I thought great its going to be a total mess. It wasn’t. I use old towles as a insert and it was three layers. It didn’t even make it through the third at all. It was great. And I also noticed there is no smell like there is with regular pads. I thought I would try cloth pads out because I thought it was neat and would save me money in the long run. I am waiting on a cup that I ordered a few weeks ago to. The only downside to using cloth is when I told my mom about it she thought I was crazy. She thinks I am trying to live like they did in Bible times. That is not the case. I am just looking for ways to save money. And to also have a “happy period”. I plan on making many more. Thank you for this site and all the pattern ideas. The one on this page I really like. Cloth Rulz!
I think I read through all this fairly carefully and have not seen a reference to a problem I have had, and that is that the pads “walk” backwards quite a bit. Do folks pin them to the panties or apply velcro to a pair of panties and the pad? Or is there another way to prevent this? Thanks for your time.
Annie Major,
Maybe you could pick a few pairs of underware just for you period, and put snaps or hooks on the pad and onto your underware at the front?
I just hold mine on with large safety pins – one in front, one in back, one in middle if necessary.
I’ve heard a lot about cloth pads for menstrual flow, but I’m past that now. What I have instead, unfortunately, is rather severe “urge incontinence.” I have to buy the largest incontinence pads that I can find, and they are very expensive. They also don’t always work. They don’t absorb fast enough in a deluge. Does anyone know of any other non-disposable pad that would work for this? Thanks.
My grandmother didn’t like the “hospital chucks” that she received by the caseload every month. She was a rather large woman, so they were unable to supply the adult ‘diapers’ in her size. She would take her old dish towels that were too stained for the kitchen (which really wasn’t that stained at all) and sew them into pads by doubling them or tripling them over. She kept a stack of them in her room near her potty chair and would just drop the wet ones into a dishpan that she could empty into the washer in the morning. I never thought it was odd or strange for her to make homemade pads, it was just Granny. I was raised using the disposables, but after reading some of the comments on here about how they can cause longer/more intense periods, I am DEFINITELY switching to cloth! Thanks for making it a little easier to adjust to, Granny!
I told my co-worker about these pads after I saw them in your newsletter. She came up with the name “lady’s days” after I made a few sets for myself and her using my own design. So far it’s been great and saved her and I a lot of money. However one thing I included in my design was I cut out a few liners out of a clear plastic and stacked the cloth liners on top before I enclose them in the carrier part. Otherwise I would bleed right through.
Thank you so much for this posting. I was looking into purchasing reusable pads but was surprised at how expensive they are. Looking at this, I can make the same thing at a fraction by just using old flannel that I found at the thrift store. I am so excited.
i LOVE cloth pads. if you are worried about start up costs, and dont sew, you can get FANTASTIC pads from katie bubbles of 2 cute 2 resist on hyenacart. shes got a great product, at a great price. (i get 10″ heavy ones for 3.50 EA) my flow has gone from super heavy (super plus tampon AND a thick icky overnight pad, changed every 2 hours) and about 10 days (!!!) to a “normal” flow, and about 6 days on average. i also have less pms symptoms.
and is SO not gross.
i have a bucket right next to the toilet, and just toss them in there as is, no soaking, no nothing.
i also use cloth toilet paper. (family cloth) NO COST!! cut up an old t-shirt. you could also cut up a terry cloth towel or use baby washcloths for “tougher messes” i just wet those in the tub with some hot water, and i feel shower fresh, no matter what my body decides to throw at me.
i wash the family cloth and the cloth pads together. i do a pre rinse in the washer, add the kitchen rags and use the sanitize cycle on the washer. it all comes out smelling fantastic. i dont know if i would wash the kitchen rags with the bathroom rags if i didnt have the sanitize cycle on my washer though.
if you are debating, TRY IT!!
OH and no more rashes.
Don’t ask why I read this article to begin with, because I am not sure!
Anyway, a tip for getting blood stains out…
I used to work at a commercial laundry, and we did several hospital’s linen, so there was a lot of bloody stuff. They have fancy chemicals to remove blood, but our supplies salesman was a nice guy, so instead of making more money on us he told us this secret:
Salt!
Yup, plain ordinary salt.
We would put about 5 pounds into a 750 pound capacity washer as the first “wash”
Cold water, enough salt to make a medium brine, then let washer run through first 1 or 2 wash/drain cycles, then re-start washer with whatever cycle and soap you normally use.
You can also use it in hand washing.
I have used it when a friend cut themselves while cutting veggies, and got blood on a white shirt sleeve. I put cold water and salt on the spot, scrubbed the cloth against itself with the salt in between, then rinsed and repeated, final rinse, and the blood was almost all out, and came clean in the wash later.
Oh, and I put Cayenne Pepper powder on the cut to stop the bleeding…
It actually doesn’t burn, and works quite well. I have even used it for a bloody nose. Just snuff a tiny bit. (Note I said tiny! I had another friend that trusted me enough to try it, but went a little overmuch… It stopped the bleeding!)
HEY Ben – that’s a great tip. thanks.
Not sure if I’ll try the cloth pads or not, but for those of you who bleed alot, or have pcos you should read the info Dr. John Lee has on this. http://www.johnleemd.com It has great info on progesterone and I have been using it for 2 months now and feel so much better. My period went from 12 days to 7 days and has gotten much lighter, less painful, and I am not a *itch anymore! Hope this helps.
oh yeah, I forgot to put that Walmart sells a progesterone cream for like $13 and it has as much progesterone as Dr. Lee recommends.
I read ALL of your comments (I never do that). Thank you all for your honesty and for being willing to share with others. I have been irregular all of my life, until this year (I am 36). Last year I developed horrible hemorrhoids and I felt that the pads I was using were making them worse. I would improve, but then they would come back with my period. I was also using bathroom “wipes” and they started making things worse as well, bad reactions, itching and rashes. After changing my diet and loosing 30 pounds, my hemorrhoids have cleared up, but now I seem to have super heavy periods, worse than ever PMS, and I am developing rashes and itching during and after my period. I try tampons, but I feel that they stop my flow. I end up with worse cramps and a longer period. I have two pairs of flannel pj’s that barely fit me now, and are not going to be wearable much longer (I have another 30+ pounds to loose). I am going to try this! I think I still have the cloth diapers I used on my children, I can use for pads, and lap pads that will make great liners! Also, I am thinking about making myself some bathroom wipes as well. I loved having the wipes and that extra clean, but my body does not like them, and my budget can’t afford them either. This came just in time. I just added pads to my shopping list this morning! Thank you again!
I’ve never been a fan of pads and I started using tampons as soon as my mother would allow me too. I recently had a D&C after a missed miscarriage and I’ve come to find that pads aren’t so bad after all. I love homemade things. As a member of the LDS church we are tought to save where we can and with this economy I’m always looking for ways to save money. I don’t have a sewing mechine and it’s not exactly in our budget, but I am going home to visit and I’ll be borrowing my grandmother’s. I’m even trying to talk my mother into convering to cloth, as well. Who know’s maybe making colth pads together will be a nice, not to mention inexpensive, mother-daughter activity!
Hi! I made a few of these today out of some old clothes and wanted to share a little tip. I used an old tshirt and cut the two pieces for the top layer along the bottom hem of the shirt. This saved the step of hemming those pieces and it looks much nicer than if I would have hemmed it myself lol.
I am SO thrilled to have found this site! My sister is 15 yrs. younger than myself, and she is the one who told me about cloth pads and how they have reduced her cycle from 7 to 2 days, and made them quite lighter! I sew, so I am going to be making some cloth pads ASAP, I am also hoping that this could help fertility as 8 out of 10 of my pregnancies have ended in miscarriage. I never put much thought as to what is in the pads and tampons that I have been using for 24 yrs., who knows, they may have been a contributing factor.
As far as using Peroxide and buying it in bulk, another thought may be to buy the 40 Volume peroxide that you dye hair with and just dilute it down to 3%. (40 volume would be 40%) 1 oz. water to 1 oz. 40% peroxide makes 20% peroxide. I’m a hair dresser and do this all the time when I do my foils, so I know it works. You would just need to add say 10 oz. water to 1 oz. 40 volume peroxide to make 4% peroxide for your soakings! 1% higher than the store bought peroxide, but I don’t think it’ll hurt : ) I’m not sure what the bulk bottles of 3% peroxide cost, but the 40 volume peroxide usually costs around $4 a bottle, so this may be a more cost efficient way to go!
P.S. Just a little FYI, I saw my gyno the other day as I had a scare this cycle, and he told me that as a substitute for hysterectomies, there is a new(6 or so yrs. old) out patient type procedure called “Oblation”(sp?). What it does is uses electro type waves to remove the inner layer/liner of the uterus, rendering it non-functional. This has a 2 day recovery versus a 2 day hospital stay and 6 week recovery from a hysterectomy. 50% of women have no cycle afterwards, the other 50% have very light bleeding and shortened cycles, you will still have a normal menopause at the appropriate age, and it does’nt affect your ovaries at all. I am just mentioning this for the ladies who are done having babies, who may be having severe periods and do not want to go on the pill for health reasons.
Thank you for having and sharing this site!
God Bless! <
I have PCOS also and I didn’t want opne more thing interferring with my cycle so I made some today out of 3 of my husband’s old socks that had holes in them. I figured they were made to absorb foot sweet why not other liquids. I laid them together and folded them together. Then I covered it up with the cut off sleeve of one of my husban’s old red t-shirts and sewed on 2 snaps. Voila! Gotta love recycled clothing.
I love that you used a RED shirt! LOL I am going to have to remember that! I am sick of ruining all my panties because of this darn PCOS and unexpected spotting! Oh, to look at my husband and see him looking at ME, not my panties, going, “Wow, you should really buy some new ones, Babe.” LOL
margaret,.. first of all I would like to state; that Iam a missionary with the license to preach the gospel. IN reply to the christian, yuck that was toO judgemental she couldn’t give her name, you are considered a coward sometimes we miss and use the word out of of text. This is one reason most people do not want to be christians, because of christians sayingS,AND DOINGS. DON’Tjump the gun without really thinking things through. people are also saying theY cannot us the disposable. Have mercy on them until their change come don’tmake fun of them pray. that GOD BLESS
Hi ladies! First off I’m a guy who just happens to share the same ideals of slowly trying to untangle myself from the grips of mass consumerism. I’m constantly blown away at how we’ve let ourselves get so caught up in wastful spending in the name of instant gratification and convenience. I just wanted to say bravo. This is a great idea that I have informed my fiancee about. The title of the article was too intriguing to ignore and I had to satisfy my curiousity. I just happen to apply the same priniples to my life in regards to cooking. It has slowly made me more aware of the needless junk that constantly tempts the money from our wallets, and pollutes our land. So I praise anyone who finds ways to avoid the poison darts of commercialism that bombard us every where we turn. PS I’m not a hippy.
Hristo, I am a 62 year old lady who used cloth diapers on all 3 of my sons who are 41, 39 and 22; I used homemade pads for myself since I was about 21 when I found I was allergic to all the deodorizers in the ones on the market. I still use them (transitioned directly from menstral to incontence.) What’s wrong with being a hippy?
I am allergic to sanitary pads, too. I have read, also, that the chemicals in the pads make you bleed more. Anyway, when I didn’t have the time to make sanitary pads I have gotten cotton wash clothes. One heavy days I would fold two or more wash clothes together and use less as the days go one.
Just make sure what every you use, is cotton, it absorbs better and is kind to your skin.
In a very late response to KJN on November the 8th…
Maybe try cutting up, or just folding up, some of those “sham-wow” cloths? they really work for cleaning up messes from my children and used with a water barrier cloth might be just what you need. I buy a cloth from hancock fabrics called “baby-dry”. it is just a vinyl table cloth like material. kinda like flannel that has been covered with plastic on one side. if you wanted, you could just use an old flannel backed table cloth for hte water-barrier.
Also, as a “clothie” girl myself, I have a tip for using simple rectalgular pads. I made some from four layers of soft cotton cloth in a variety of lengths. To use them, I fold them half lengthwise and pinch the fold in the center of the cloth. Then I Tuck It between my “folds” just enough to hold it in place. It NEVER Slips! I also place a second rectangle directly in my panties, usually a longer one for the coverage, on my heavy days.
I have been sewing away, as I’m sure I will need these soon with baby girl over 9 months old. I also used a Diva cup for my few cycles between babies and am very pleased with that.
Here is another “no sew” idea I have heard about. You can use premie sized prefold cloth diapers folded into thirds and place them in your underwear, similar to using a wash cloth. I imagine these would be more absorbant and have less lint. Little-lions cloth diapers sells seconds of the premie size for $6 a dozen. This is more expensive than using found materials, but way cheaper than disposable.
http://www.little-lions.com/page50.html
I’m not a Christian, but a pagan, so perhaps this might not be the best answer, but I hope it will help someone! This pad’s design is awesome, even though I’m a petite woman, but with my heavy flow, it works quite well. I personally prefer wool to PUL. Wool felt can be bought cheaply if you know a person with sheep. Cheap old sweaters work well also. However, I wouldn’t suggest the craft wool out there, because it can itch and pill funny. Wool is really absorbent and only requires one or two layers on top of it for comfort. Fussybutt moonbows use wool,and the one I have is really amazing, but they’re quite expensive, so it won’t help you save money. They’re sturdier than anything I can personally sew though, but I’m horrid at sewing and don’t have a machine. They are gorgeous though!
With washcloths, you should safety pin them 3 times in my experiences for them to be the most effective. Once near the front, once near the back, and once to hold all the layers together lengthwise. I also suggest soaking them in a bucket with a dash of soap or cheap shampoo in it(VO5 works wonders and smells quite nice!)and suzding them up. Scrubbing the tops gently after letting them soak gets rid of any residue, and then all they require is a little rinse to get the soap out.
My only suggestion is that if you have a REALLY heavy flow, I’d suggest 5-6 layers for the inner pad. An easy way to cut down on bulk for this(at least it feels less bulky…) is to just stack the inner pad layers.
I find I have to change cloth pads far less often than I did with disposables, mostly because they don’t feel disgusting when wet. They leak in about the same amount of time, but with cloth pads, you can make them longer in the back where there’s often less blood while sleeping, and thus prevent leaks!
The idea of cloth wipes does disgust me personally, but it would be a huge savings with my family going thru about 3 rolls of TP per week! I’ll have to try that out with some old teeshirts.
In regards to YUCK-If you believe that your God created your body, wouldn’t you realize that your God gave you periods as well? Admittedly, one of the Goddesses I worship is the Goddess of menstruation(Hera) among other things, but still. If you’re skipping food for a few days to buy pads, of all things, I’m not sure where I should consider your priorities in laying. Personally, food and donations to charity fall far above pads. If I use cheap old clothes from goodwill or worn out clothing for my periods, I can donate more to charity, even if I have enough to eat and save with. I always thought that charity and donations were a big part of life for Christians…
I also don’t expect a God to give me money for periods. I expect my Gods to allow me to be able to make money, and give me the options for jobs, but only if I work hard given the best of the gifts they gave me. Perhaps it’s different between Christians and pagans/Jews(The religion that I was raised in.), but somehow, I don’t expect my Gods to suddenly give me $20 each month if I wasn’t careful with savings that month. That seems like a rather cheap trick for any God to play. Gods can’t just do a magical trick to make your life better. You have to make your life better yourself, by hard work and using the gifts the Gods give you in the womb…I guess I’ve always expected a higher power to work in a greater way, because they are great!
Yeah, cloth pads are a little gross, at first, but the weird smell that disposables get with the fragrance and rotting blood is arguable worse than the sight of blood in water, as I’ve found cloth doesn’t smell at all. If you use dark pads, you don’t even have to see the blood when you use the bathroom in between pad changes, and all you see is it on the toilet paper and in the soaking bucket’s water. If you use an opaque soaking bucket, you don’t even have to see any sort of blood except when you drain it! Really, 1 minute of disgust per day vs 5 minutes per 2 hours or so?
Someone had written about using a button to close the flaps instead of clothespins and I’m intersted in the idea. Does anyone have the link to how to do that? How do you keep them from moving around? I can’t see using pins to hold them, too afraid of poking myself. I’m not entirely sold on the use of cloth pads but I’m still thinking on it.
I have a Diva Cup (that I love), that came with 2 cloth pantyliners. They have plastic snaps, but you could just sew a button to one flap and a buttonhole in the other flap (in the same spot). Mine are flannel and they really don’t move around. I have never been big on pads, I switched to a Keeper in college (about 15 years ago) and switched to the Diva Cup after my kids were born and I found the small sized keeper had a tendency to leak (which I never had problems with before). I have always figured I would one day make myself some pads, because the cloth liners are so much better than disposable, and one day I will… I did a research project in college about the chemicals in disposable diapers and pads (they are the same) which made me never want to put those things anywhere near my crotch, or that of my kids!
Great post. I use family cloths now and am going to try using menstrual cloths. I found one article about folding up washcloths and that would be a perfect simple way of doing it – just use the washcloths for everything and not have to worry about sewing and such!
Thanks for such a great article, and forget about the naysayers like the one who wrote the “yuck” post – this is a really wonderful idea!
~Annie
I have been using washable menstrual cloths for a few years now and I’ve really enjoyed this topic. The flannel pads are warmer to wear than paper products and somehow that is soothing especially in colder weather.
I wanted to add another Biblical reference from Isaiah 64:6 “Our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” before Holy GOD. One source I read said the filthy rags are menstrual cloths since the Jews had very strict rules regarding the “unclean” nature of a menstruating woman. It made me curious that the Bible would refer to a menstrual cloth as the filthiest thing when you consider that other items could have been listed (dirty diapers, vomit). All that I can come to is this; menstrual flow means that the conception of a new life has not occurred for that month. It means our wombs were not fertile at that time. GOD’s righteous acts are life giving, our righteous acts serve only to boost our own egos. Like the menstrual cloth they show that we haven’t produced fruit. Interesting.
I did not start using cloth pads until I only had 4 years of menstruation left. When I first started using them, I admit was squeamish about washing out the blood. I knew in my head that I was somewhat brainwashed to have this feeling that menstrual blood was somehow germy or something, so I just reminded myself that it is actually quite clean and that dealing with it is what women before me have done for eons. Well, in about three months, I was totally comfortable with it. Totally. Imagine my surprise.
I am a very overweight woman and I think that might be part of why I always had trouble with leakage at night back when I used disposable products. I was thinking the configuration of my body was not ideal with the configuration of the disposables. So I had a lot of accidents. But with the flannel pads, they conform so well, that I never had another night time accident. To me, that is a great benefit.
The flannel pads do conform so nicely to the body, that I found I needed much less bulk than with the disposables. That was great–so much more comfortable to not have such thickness. And my gosh they stay in place so well!
In the day time, too, I got _no_ leakage. None of that weird creeping around of blood that the “wings” on some disposables are designed to help prevent.
All in all, I wish I had thought to try flannel cloths many years earlier. I came into menopause with a lot of life left in my flannels. I initially bought a few premade, then copied the fold up ones in some new unbleached flannel, then made yet a few more from an some old flannel pajamas.
A few tips:
–Buy old towels and flannel shirts from the thrift stores and use them.
–Put the wings/flaps a little lower down, rather than in the center. That seems to keep the pads from drifting out of place for me.
–Soak them overnight in cold water and some Oxy Clean detergent with enzymes. The next day, rinse well and throw them into the wash.
–I make mine all in one piece, with several layers of towel in between flannel, sewn together. The center piece is the long, skinny pad. I use double layers of flannel and cut small D-shaped tabs and sew those on the sides.
–Use a denim/jeans needle on your sewing machine in order to get through all the layers.
–Be sure to let them dry completely before storing them.
–Make different sizes and lengths, for lighter days, overnights, and panty liners (just two layers of flannel, no towel inside.
I’ve been using them for something like 20 years now, and they last a really long time, save money, and are more comfortable than the disposables.
When I was living in the Indonesian jungle, the villagers put on all their clothes when they had their periods…in that heat and humidity!
It’s amazing what we take for granted in our cushy, rich lives.
I just found out about this charity that is helping women in Africa make their own pads with banana fibers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKmt7PwYPCY
Glad to see this being discussed.
Aloha,
Alina
Award-winning vegetarian recipes:
http://almostveganinparadise.wordpress.com
Whimsical words and pictures, gifts for woodturners, musicians, dancers and more:
http://zazzle.com/alinaspencil*
I had to laugh when I read what “Yuck, July 4th, 2009 at 8:29 pm” said about how gross it is to water the plants with the leftover water. I’m sure s/he would be shocked to realize that the food s/he eats has been fertilized with ANIMAL POO!
Although this isn’t something I think I will do, I don’t think it’s much different than washing your underwear in the bathroom sink (especially if you have a leak onto your undies). And no different than washing cloth diapers, which my mom did in the 1980s.
I remember reading in a magazine, a woman who’d recalled her grandfather making her grandmother a cheese grater by punching nail holes through a piece of tin – the tin was gotten by flattening out a metal coffee can. He then had punched down the ends so you wouldn’t get cut while using the grater. Can you imagine how long that must’ve taken and how we, today, don’t think twice of picking up a cheese grater at Wal-Mart if something happens to our old one?
Whether you do it to be “green” or to cut down on your consumerism, I like the frugality of the ideas.
I was always one of those women who felt like I was dying during my period. Birth control pills didn’t help me one bit with that, but recently I switched to the NuvaRing. It is worth every penny! Much much shorter, lighter, and less painful periods since I switched. If you can, I really suggest looking into it.
I also am a fan of the Diva Cup and cloth pads. Been using both for 3 years now. My sister thought I was a nut at first, but I think she’s secretly jealous that I don’t spend money contributing to landfills.
I’m wondering how long the 2 pad patterns are. When I printed them they needed to be adjusted size-wise. I know they are meant to be custom-fitted, but I’d like an idea of what size to start with.
Did anyone have ideas about incontinence pads? My mom is needing these and thought I would make her some, but wanted to save the trouble of figuring out a pattern myself. Probably could just use this same idea, but wondered if anyone else had improved on it for this purpose?
Hello! I pray that you are having a bless day in The Lord. I admire what God have given to you for homemade sanitary napkins. I am an ordained minister in Cincinnati, Ohio at Life Center Church in West Chester.
I hope that maybe you can give me some information on how I can help the females in Haiti with sanitary napkins and panties. I have a way for them to get their. You can call me at 513-244-7154 or email me. God has put this on my heart and I am searching.
God Bless
Minister Patricia
This is such a wonderful idea! I wasn’t even looking for this type of article, but it something I want to start doing. I have a Mirena IUD, so I haven’t gotten a period for about 5 months now. But I will for sure try the pantyliners, and the pads for when I get my period back! Thanks for the advice! It may be a good reason to finally get a sewing machine…
I’ve been using a pack of 18 washclothes from walmart ($4) for 6 months now. Some of the things I’ve noticed is that I don’t feel “wet” during my period, I don’t have the period “smell”, my cycles are more regular, flow has decreased, and duration has decreased. I just made my first pad today using this pattern. It sews up really quickly. I’m just waiting on my snaps to arrive to finish them up. Love cloth!
I would like to chime in here and say that my Mother told me that they used rags each month for their flow. They just washed them out each night. These women didn’t have a choice.
Think about all the chemicals that are used in the processing of the white materials used to make sanitary napkins and tampons. No wonder women have so many female health issues. All those chemicals are absorbed into the female parts of the body as the pads lay against your skin all day. Imagine the absorbsion that takes place when a tampon is inserted. All those chemicals directly into the vagina. I stopped using tampons many years ago. Home made pads sound like a healthy idea to me.
Thank you for sharing.
To Minister Patricia A. Davis:
Do you have an E-mail address or website to reach you? I’m in Butler Co. and would love to help make some of these to help those in Haiti (or anywhere they are needed)! Hope maybe you have found something?!?! I have about 10 sitting here ready to sew up and would have no problem donating them if you have an outlet for them. God is so good!
I’ve really enjoyed reading right through this page, including all the comments. If we want to make the world a greener, healthier and more user-friendly place, then we need to leave gentler footprints, and this is a really practical, inexpensive step.
Like Rev. (Pastor?) Patricia and Katie Jean, I’d like to help send some of these re-usable pads to women in third-world countries. I was involved in sewing pads like those pictured and explained at the beginning of this page, and still have the ‘makings’ (fabric, much of it already cut into shapes) – but the little charity group that originally wanted them for Africa, seems to be stuck in a rut (doesn’t know whether the boxes I’ve already sent have arrived, let alone contents distributed – and we’re talking about six months ago!)
Any suggestions, ladies?
Use a tube sock. Cut off the “foot” part and just use the “tube.” Shake it vigorously to release any severed yarns. Turn the tube inside out. That is it!
When I was a teenager (now 27) I was so poor I had no money to buy sanitry products and had to use tissues and cotton wool. LOL I’ve decided to try and make my own now, I’m pleased to say I am not poor anymore, but will like to make mny own for the convience.
I started with clothpad when I realized that almost all brands of pads made me itch (some more than others though). I used them for about 1 ½ years before finding the menstrual cup (I use Lady Cup) which I have used for about 2 years. The cup wins the match easily, but it is good to have pads if you think that you might get your period during the night then you can wear a pad just in case. I love the cup, I have never been able to use tampons so being able to use the cup is just great. I have hours sometimes when there is no blood and then a tampon becomes too uncomfortable but the cup works even if I have a ‘dry’ couple of hours. I love that I can go to the beach no matter what time it is of the month nowadays. Long live the cup!
If any of you ladies are sewing challenged like me, you can buy these on http://www.etsy.com. Love etsy!
I just started using cloth pads – went all cloth with my most recent period. Amazing difference!! My periods have always been horrendously painful – I could literally compare my cramps with labor – and heavy, akin to hemorrhaging. But not this last time. I had a light period that was really no big deal and, most importantly, no pain!!! I’ve never had a period like it except when I was on birth control in the past.
I bought a Lunette cup about 8 months ago – I had never heard about them before – i am a total convert! I always hated the idea of all the landfill I was creating with pads & tampons over the years (I’m 36). When I got the Lunette cup I bought the ‘pack’ which included 2 cloth pads which I love. I copied the shape and made a couple more from some scraps of flannel and quilt batting out of my fabric stash, and I used a piece of lightweight plastic (cut from a $2 garment bag from the discount store, which I had already chopped up for another project) to make it leakproof.
I use a few drops of eucalyptus or tea-tree oil in the soaking water. (I often use these oils in laundry as well when washing sweaty sports clothes!) I hadn’t heard of using vinegar so I might give that a try.
I used to have very painful periods but since I started using the cup and cloth pads it has reduced substantially. (I always find exercise helps with cramps, even though it’s the last thing you feel like doing!)
Keep up the thrifty enviro-friendly practices ladies! We’re saving the planet one month at a time!
Elsie (and anyone else inclined to “give”) – I read your post(Post #93) and I work for an organization called Pure Water for All Foundation. I, too, thought these would be something great for the women here in the states to make to help women in 3rd world countries! I travel to places that are poor and do not have safe drinking water. we teach them how to make chlorine from saltwater and treat the water for bacteria and parasites. I would love to get some church womens’ groups, or anyone else for that matter, to make up a bunch of these for me to take to distribute in the areas I go to teach water purification. I have a trip planned to Tanzania, Africa in Feb 2011. I have ways to get the items shipped ahead with other mission items so that I don’t have to cart them on a plane. I was also in Haiti and plan to go back, but do not have any dates on that yet. If anyone is interested in making these, I will get them to needed locations. I live in eastern Iowa. You can contact me at gtfrahm@yahoo.com I would take on making them myself, but I need to keep my focus on the water. Thanks! Tracy