Keep it Clean | Period Talks
August 12, 2020
Wearing reusable period pads and pants is great, just read my First Time Using Reusable Period Pads & Pants post, but keeping them looking nice and fresh can be a struggle for those who have just started on this journey. Truth is, I wish someone had taught me how to do it when I first started using them a little over a year ago, so I'm gonna be your fairy godmother and teach you how to keep your reusable period products looking brand new, including your menstrual cup!
Good news is you'll only need three things: sodium percarbonate, Savon de Marseille (or your favourite laundry soap bar), and hydrogen peroxide, all eco-friendly and very easy to find. I buy all of these in local shops, but you can easily find them online too if you prefer. A word of advice before we start is to remember that even though all of these products are super safe to use on their own, you may want to do your research before mixing them with other chemicals. In this occasion the only red flag is regarding hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, these shouldn't mix, at least not in the same container, combining them creates peracetic acid, which is potentially toxic and can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
Now that that's out of the way, here's my super quick guide on how to keep everything looking brand new!
Menstrual Cup
Let's start with the fastest one, menstrual cups are incredibly easy to keep clean and looking fresh, all you need to do is follow the instructions. In between uses washing it with water will suffice, if you prefer to also use soap do make sure to use one with no perfumes and with a balanced pH. But before and after each cycle you need to sanitize it, to do so place it in boiling water for around 5 minutes, making sure not to let it touch the sides and the bottom of the pan as it might damage the cup. This is the most basic and best way to keep it clean and lasting for years.
If after a while your cup begins to yellow, which can easily happen especially if you choose the clear option (I have mine from OrganiCup), simply add equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water in a bowl and let the cup sit totally submerged in the solution overnight, once you remove it sanitize it again and your cup will look brand new!
Pads & Pants
Now for my favourite pieces, I prefer to wash everything by hand during my cycle, not only is it more gentle on the pieces making them last longer, but it's also easier to keep track of everything and I don't have to do unnecessary laundry loads just to wash a few pieces. One thing you have to remember is to do all of this in cold water, warm water will only make stains settle faster and more permanently so stay away from it.
The first step is to rinse your pad or pants to remove most of the blood, once all is left is the stain the second step comes in, cover the stain it with some hydrogen peroxide, let it sit for a bit, around an hour or so and then rinse again, washing it by hand with your laundry soap of choice.
If after that any stains remain rub a little more soap directly on the stain and let it sit overnight in a bowl, making sure it's completely submerged in cold water. More often than not, once you wash it out in the morning all stains will be gone.
Once my cycle is over everything goes through the first two steps again and then goes into a sodium percarbonate and water solution, around half a tablespoon well dissolved in around 1 liter of water should do the trick, especially as you only need 2 or 3 tablespoons for a whole load of laundry. What I like to do is dissolve it first in a bit of very hot water, and once that's done fill the recipient with cold water to make it at least tepid, you can think of sodium percarbonate as an eco-friendly bleach, which will gently remove all blood stains from your items, and also keep your other whites super white.
Once you've let it sit in the solution for at least 3 hours throw everything in the washing machine in the cold setting, in a gentle wash, and remember not to use fabric softener as it will diminish the life of your reusable period products.
And that is it, everything looks fresh and new and you didn't hurt the planet while doing it, how simple is that?
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