zerowaste

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Discussing ways to reduce waste and build community!

Celebrate thrift as a virtue, talk about creative ways to make do, or show off how you reused something!

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DIY Menstrual Pads - cut down on waste and save money (lemmynsfw.com)

submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Not my website! Just a cool thing I encountered. I no longer have periods, but when I did, my flow was incredibly heavy and I spent a lot of money on pads (and of course threw away hundreds of them). I know reusable pads aren't an option for everybody, but they're definitely a great way to reduce waste! Of course, another good option would be buying menstrual underwear etc, but as someone who sews I thought I'd share this for other people who sew <3

(Also you can do cute patterns!)

A few fun facts:

Cotton cloth pads smell better because they allow moisture to evaporate (rather than it being trapped in by plastic)
You can wash them by hand or just rinse them to throw in with the rest of your clothes
Research estimates that people who menstruate use about 11,400 pads in their lifetime

Hope this is helpful for someone!

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[–] And009 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

They are meant for light flow, and washing + drying in the sun is what keeps them safe and sterile for repeated use.

Not a complete replacement, it's meant to reduce waste.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Yes!! It is recommended that you wash them in hot water to sanitize them. And of course we love line-drying to save on energy costs. You can adjust the absorbency for heavier flows as well, though the guide I link doesn't explain how to do that.