Do Cloth Pads Work?.

Mense Sense Cloth Pads are well designed and constructed after heaps (and heaps) of research into what makes a cloth pad successful. I personally trailed 34 different cloth pad brands, half of which I threw away. The other half, I pulled apart, and worked out what could be improved apon.  And I believe that my pads are better than all 34 of which I tried. 

For the highly absorbent core, I use Australian grown  bamboo, which has many praiseworthy qualities. Bamboo is highly absorbent, sustainable, breathable, antimicrobial, and naturally deodorising, so they don't smell, and are as discreet as any pad, in fact they are more discreet, as there are no over-the-top perfumes. 

(Smelly periods are caused by your blood mixing with dioxins in bleached pads and its this chemical reaction that causes an unpleasant odour.)They are waterproofed with polyurethane laminate (PUL), which is the same stuff you will find in modern cloth nappies. 
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Currently Mense Sense offers 12 different pad styles to suit your needs through your cycle - which vary in absorbency and in length. These are not unlike disposables, for instance, a cloth medium flow pad is similar in size to a commercial regular pad, a heavy flow is similar to a super pad. Overnights are overnights (but much better) and liners are based on panty liners. The main difference is that you will find them much more comfortable, and more absorbent, so you may need to change less frequently.  

They are the "all-in-one" variety, meaning you don't have to insert a separate core - such as a folded piece of terry toweling, so there is no chance they will come unfolded when worn. 
In the absence of the adhesive strip you would normally find on a disposable pad, my cloth pads are made with wings which fold around your gusset, protecting your knickers, and close securely with snaps, (which you don't feel). The fleece backing also provides a bit of extra grip, so they don't slip and slide about. You wear the pretty side next to you (wearing them fleece up will get you nowhere.)

Cloth Pads Vs Period Undies

Comfort: Cloth pads are reportedly warmer to wear. 
Convenience: Cloth Pads are more convenient than period undies as you don't need to remove your shoes, leggings, jeans, whatever to change them. 
Durabilty: Mense Sense Cloth Pads are very durable, giving you many years use, compared with 6-12 months for period undies. Also you cant outgrow a cloth pad.
Sustainablity and End of Life: We use natural fibres of cotton and bamboo which are compostable. 


 

Are Cloth Pads Hygenic?

Cloth pads are hygienic to use, again and again, as long as they are thoroughly washed in a machine or by hand with detergent, and dried out thoroughly. They are no less hygienic than putting your baby in a cloth nappy. 

Cloth pads are always on hand, so no more trips to the shops with folded toilet paper between your legs!!

So many women are surprised at how quickly 'converted' they become. What once seemed weird disgusting and primitive, now feels totally normal, comfy and convenient. 
You don't need to stay at home in case they leak. They are as reliable, as any commercial pad so you continue with your lifestyle, but with less chemicals and waste! ​

My reasons for making cloth pads...

Mense Sense began out of the ashes of Black Saturday. Like many others who have had a major upheaval or natural disaster in their lives, one eventually reassess their life, and returning to previous work held no meaning, as much as I had once loved it. I needed to do something with more meaning and surprisingly, I stumbled upon making cloth pads. I am one of many growing number of independent women who make and sell cloth pads. There are hundreds of ladies already sewing cloth nappies, and we 'pad ladies' are catching up. Cloth pads businesses are blooming in Australia, North America, Canada, England, New Zealand, and many European Countries. 

I do feel they are the way of the future, as there is a return to living more simply and taking account for ourselves, as we take on the cost of living, and the environmental impact of using so many resources. This is what brought me here, a pragmatic stand to own, and manage my cycle in a clean low impact way. I didnt like feeling that large corporations weren't taking responsibility both for the environment and for providing me with an excellent product I loved using, despite their best efforts. So for me, this a quiet activism. My reasons for doing this weren't spiritual, merely pragmatic. All women bleed, and I'd like to offer up both women, and to the environment, a saner choice. A choice that does, make sense after all. Immense sense.