Mar 17, 2009

Ecofriendly alternatives for tampons and pads.

20 billions menstrual pads and tampons are discarded each year - just in the USA, according to Green Living Tips. The good news is that there ARE more ecofriendly alternatives for tampons and pads! Have you ever heard of the menstrual cups and cloth pads? Someone mentioned them in the comments of the previous posting and I realized I haven't posted anything about them.

One year ago I started using a menstrual cup (in my case Diva cup, a brand name, there are different ones) instead of tampons and I am extremely happy with it. It feels comfortable, clean and secure (after I learned to use it, I have a tip though: don't choose white summer dress to wear the first few times you try it). I love it that I can use it over and over again. For me, it feels so much more comfortable than tampons or pads. It is supposed to last for up to 10-15 years. They have two models - one for women under thirty and who haven't had a baby and the other one is for women over thirty / have had a baby). Read more here and google for more info.

I have also organic cotton cloth pads and find them comfortable and easy to use too. Mine have wings with snaps so they stay quite well in place. I bought mine in Finland, but you can order them online. They are easy to wash, I usually wash them with the cloth diapers in hot water.

Read more from Green Living Tips article too.

4 comments:

Leslie Richman said...

I love my Gladrags. I have an organic cotton set that had been going strong for 7 or 8 years now.

Mrs. Deering said...

I use a Diva cup too!

My mom seems to think that I should try another method though. We have unexplained infertility problems, and my mom's suggestion is to try another protection method just in case.

I hate the idea of using anything but a cup!

Unknown said...

If you use organic cotton or hemp, soak it in cold water and use it to water your plants. They love it, and the pre-soak helps with staining.

Sirpa Kaajakari said...

Thanks for the tip Bethany. I usually pre soak them too because I soak cloth diapers anyway so I can just throw them to the same pail.