Review It Wednesday -- Cloths...for Mama!

Cloth menstrual pads from GEM Cloth

Several months ago, Michelle, from GEM Cloth enthusiastically agreed to participate in Review It Wednesday, by sending a pair of reusable cotton menstrual cloths for review, plus offering another set for a giveaway.

The first step for me was to find someone to try them out. I put out a call for a volunteer on Facebook and got three responses. To make a long, and rather funny story short, these "magic" cloths made the rounds! As it turns out, each of these three women ended up pregnant and not in need of the pads after all! I started thinking I could market them -- make a small fortune offering a "touch of the magic cloth" to women who were trying to get pregnant. I could go on the road -- like a traveling tonic cart of old. Go from town to town with a megaphone, a fancy costume and dreams of retiring!

Instead, I had the last of the lucky mamas send the pads to me so I could decide who to send them to next. Hesitantly, I opened the package and removed the cloths. While they may have been "magic" for some, they most assuredly would be a curse to me if the unthinkable happened!

As it turns out, I didn't need someone else to review them. After months of not having my period, the blessed monthly event has returned...full force. Was it the cloths?

While I am beyond depressed that I have to continue to endure this monthly bleeding (which was excessive this past week), I am happy to report that I love the GEM Cloth menstrual pads!

Michelle sent a regular pad and a heavy pad, and let me tell you, the heavy pad came in handy! As it turns out, I used them as backups to Super Plus tampons and was glad they were there to catch the overflow! Of course, if I wasn't so close to what I'm hoping is the end of this part of my life, I would invest in a Diva Cup. But with the end of each period, I'm hoping it is the END of ALL periods for me. After all, I will be 54 soon.

The first pad I tried was the regular one. Initially, it felt a bit awkward, but it didn't take long for me to enjoy the absolute comfort of it! The pads have wings, but instead of that awful sticky stuff the disposables have, these simply wrap around the crotch of your underpants and snap. What's nice about this is that you can adjust the pads easily.

I found both sizes to be comfortable, thanks to the cushy soft velour. And both held an amazing amount of blood without leaking through. Keep in mind, this is coming from a heavy bleeder.

Now, we move on to the laundering issue. At this point, some of you may be getting a bit grossed out. But for me, after years of laundering bloody underwear and sheets, this was no big deal. Actually, since I only had the two pads, I ended up rinsing them out in the sink (I then cleaned it, don't worry) and hanging them up in the bathroom to dry. On one particular day when they were both dirty and I'd bled through my underwear and jeans, I did a small load of wash with my EcoNuts. Of course, I soaked everything in cold water for awhile before laundering, and then I hung them on the line to dry. I'm happy to report, they came out looking good as new.

If you've used cloth diapers, there is no reason not to use cloth menstrual pads. There are quite a bit less messy! Plus, as with disposable diapers, the issues with disposable menstrual products are the same. Unsafe chemicals and landfill issues.

As I say over and over -- going green and common sense go hand-in-hand. For me, cloth diapers and cloth menstrual pads make perfect sense.

 



GEM Cloth offers Sampler Sets and Clearance items. The menstrual pads come in 4 sizes:

• light 8"
• regular 9"
• heavy 10"
• overnight/postpartum 12"

They feature a variety of designs with cotton tops (flannel or cotton velour), flannel/cotton soakers, fleece/polyester backing and plastic snaps.

Everything Michelle sells is budget and eco-friendly, from her cloth diapers and wipes to cloth nursing and menstrual pads.

Want to experience the wonder and comfort of cloth menstrual pads for yourself? If you have never made the switch and tried cloth, Michelle is offering a pair (regular and heavy) of cloth pads as a giveaway! All you need to do is visit the website, check out the various fabric patterns, and then let me know, via the comment section here, or on the Facebook page, which one you like best.

Contest ends at midnight (EST) on Monday, April 18th. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be announced on the blog the following day. Winner must contact me within 3 days to claim their prize. If no claim is made, a second drawing will take place.

Helping you to keep it green, too,

Hana