DIY Reusable Cloth Menstrual Pads : Make your own Sanitary pads

Who wants to cut the monthly garbage pile by more than half, save money, eliminate the chances of many possibly horrible infections, and save the earth all at the same time? I am talking about using reusable, washable cloth sanitary pads instead of the chemical-infused disposable, almost plastic menstrual pads we all use by the dozens every month.

Millions of sanitary pads are being used by women every day in the world. They all have plastic in them, which are noncompostable, and non-biodegradable. They are all dumped into landfill. They remain in the soil for years and years rotting the earth. If this goes on, after some time, the earth will have more plastic components on its ground than soil.

The huge environmental impact of disposing of used sanitary pads and its long term consequences is enough to make you read up this post and do what it says. Then there are the health concerns. The disposable sanitary pads are filled with many chemicals leading to many physical problems like allergies, hormone-related disorders, infection etc.

There are alternatives like biodegradable sanitary pads available in the market. Then there are silicon menstrual cups, period discs, period sponges, period panties etc. These are all good alternatives for disposable pads that you can buy.

But cloth sanitary pads are things you can make easily at home with simple things – fabric scraps. And they can be washed and used for many many uses. This means that, you can use these pads at a fraction of the cost that it would cost you to buy the store-bought ones.

How to make your own menstrual pads.

Sewing cloth sanitary pads are nothing complicated. You just need a topper layer, an absrobent core layer, and a base layer of waterproof fabric.

But it is not as simple as that. In the olden days, women did use fabric, and they had enough of it that sanitary pads were discovered. It is a great invention and absolved a lot of discomforts and bad feelings associated with monthly bleeding. Can you get the same feeling with a homemade pad? That is the million-dollar question.

To answer this, you have to take some extra precautions in preparing the fabric and sewing it. Ease of use, comfort, washability and protection from leakage are the most important concerns in using cloth pads. Changing more often and using really absorbent layers inside are the way to go.

Easily washable, comfort, and easily dryable are all criteria when choosing fabric for making the pads. So of course, cotton, bamboo, and such natural fabrics are best. Never even think of synthetic materials for layers in touch with the skin.

Related post : 14 Best absorbent fabric.

Topper fabric and backer fabric – Bedding weight cotton, flannel, bamboo, velour, cotton sherpa, athletic wicking jersey. Flannel is my preference. Use organic cotton if you want to go the eco-friendly fabric route.

Inside layer (Core) – 2-3 layers (medium flow) 4-6 layers (high flow) of cotton toweling (smooth, dense, and even toweling fabric) or flannel. Toweling fabric is my choice. But if you are using too many layers, it can get very heavy to sew and difficult to dry.

Waterproofing layer – You may want to add a waterproof fabric as an inner layer over the backer fabric to prevent leakage. You can use Rypstock nylon as a backer and as the waterproofing layer. Rip-stock nylon prevents leakage to an extent. You need good quality nylon. Or use microfleece bonded with PUL or flannel back with hidden PUL as backer.

Basically you can use cotton as a topper and backer and use flannel as core and have a layer of PUL as an inside layer to prevent leakage.

Step 1 Wash and dry your fabric

Collect all your fabric. Wash them to remove all sizing and make them soft.

Step 2 Make a Template from an old sanitary pad.

Trace the sanitary pad on the fabric. Extend the wings so that it will overlap so that you can fasten the snaps one on top of each other. Remember to add seam allowance as well.

You can make Size 10″ for a smaller pad and 12″ for a medium pad and 14-15″ for a bigger pad.

Step 3. Cut out your pattern pieces.

As already said, you need topper piece and backer piece and as many layers of core fabric as you want. I am using a flannel topper and backer and toweling fabric core. You may also want to join a piece of good quality nylon as a layer to the backer fabric for waterproofing the pad against leakage.