Reusable cloth panty liners

Reusable cloth panty liners are a great idea if you don't like the wastage associated with disposable liners. If your local stores don't sell them, you can find them online.

Having reached my mid-forties, I'm finding that my periods aren't as… regular as they used to be. I'm not quite menopausal yet, but I now realise that this particular phase of my life isn't far off. Because I'm no longer quite sure when I'm going to be "caught short" (as it were), I've taken to wearing panty liners every day, and carrying a little privacy pouch in my handbag; the pouch is filled with tampons of varying sizes, along with a couple of pads for good measure.

Now, I don't mind wearing panty liners. They're very comfortable, and they're also great at absorbing odours and the tiny amounts of urine that I pass whenever I laugh or sneeze. Message for those of you younger women out there who are reading this: you might think that age-associated bladder weakness only occurs in women who've had children. Well, as someone who's never had children, I can tell you that it ain't necessarily so. Keep doing those pelvic floor exercises ladies - prevention is better than cure LOL.

Panty liners aren't just useful for women at my time of life - they're also great for younger women who have irregular periods, who are pregnant, or who experience mid-cycle "spotting". And even if your periods are as regular as clockwork, panty liners are still invaluable right at the tail end of your period when you feel a tampon or full-sized pad is too much, but you don't want to be totally unprotected, as it were.

Seeing as I now wear panty liners more days than not, I've been looking into buying reusable panty liners, so that I don't keep having to buy the disposable ones and then throw them away where they end up in landfill. They're not available in my local stores, so I've done some research to see if you can buy them online. And indeed you can - one place you can buy them is at Amazon.com.

Obviously you will have to spend more initially than when buying disposable panty liners, but you should find that they pay for themselves in the long run. Reusable panty liners (particularly the organic cotton ones) can also be beneficial for people with sensitive skin or who are prone to allergies. Most of the ones featured in the capsules on the right and below have "wings" that are designed to wrap around your panties, and are held in place with a snap/popper.

Washing reusable panty liners

As with any type of garment, how you do this depends on how soiled they are. If there's no blood, just pop them in the wash. Obviously it's worth following the instructions on the pack but if there aren't any, I recommend a relatively low temperature machine wash (60 deg. C or less), using non bio liquid detergent. If you put the panty liners in one of those mesh bags before washing, you can simply hang the bag on the line without taking the panty liners out! If you've got any blood on the panty liner, then I recommend soaking in cold water first before washing.

Available on Amazon.com

	WillowPads Organic Cotton Black Panty Liners 3 pack [Health and Beauty] WillowPads Organic Panty Liners are designed to be slim for lighter anytime use. Super-soft, perfect for every day. Works great as a backup to your favorite menstrual cup! ... ~~$18.95~~ $17.95
	WillowPads Organic Cotton Panty Liners 3 pack [Health and Beauty] WillowPads Organic Panty Liners are designed to be slim for lighter anytime use. Super-soft, perfect for every day. Works great as a backup to your favorite menstrual cup! ... Only $17.77
	GladRags Color Pantyliner 3-pack For your light days, as a back up for your internal protection or for everyday use, The GladRags Pantyliner offers the same comfort you expect from your GladRags. 1 Pantyliner ... ~~$29.99~~ $15.73
	GladRags Pantyliner 3-pack Organic Undyed Cotton For your light days, as a back up for your internal protection or for everyday use, The GladRags Pantyliner offers the same comfort you expect from your GladRags. 1 Pantyliner ... ~~$33.49~~ $29.88
	Glad Rags Carry Bag Attractive and practical, the Carry Bag holds up to four pads and should fit easily in your purse or pack. When you get home, wash the pads and the inner nylon bag.
	Glad Rags Color Pad 3-Pak (Assorted Colors) Assorted Colors and Designs Comfortable, breathable and easy to clean, GladRags all cotton reusable day pads are a healthy alternative to disposable feminine protection. Only $38.41

Better yet, rub some soap on the affected area (any household soap will do), and then soak overnight before squeezing and gently rubbing to remove most of the stain. Why cold water? Because blood stains become sort of baked on if you try soaking or washing them in hot water. Once that happens, the only way to get them out properly is with bleach! But if you look after your reusable panty liners properly, you should find that they last months if not years.

Available on Amazon.com

	Lunapads Washable Organic Cotton Menstrual Pads, Mini Pantyliner 1 ea Colors shipped will varyLunapads washable menstrual pads and pantylinersEco-positive periodsFor everyday use or very light flow Soft, comfortable and eco friendly alternatives ...
	Reusable Menstrual Pads - Daytime/Off-White,Teal, 3 ea Women's washable reusable sanitary pad.
	Reusable Menstrual Pad - Nighttime/Sage, 1 pack Each GladRags Cotton Menstrual Pad consists of 1 holder and 2 liners. Only $19.49
	Sckoon Organic Cloth Menstrual Pads - One Irregular Pad 60% Off Although these organic cotton washable day pads may not be exactly the size specified in our pad chart, they function just perfectly as our regular cloth menstrual pads. They ...
	Color Day Pad 1 Pack Assorted patterns and colors GladRags all cotton reusable day pads are a healthy alternative to disposable feminine protection. Lasting 5+ years, GladRags are easy on the wallet, while also using minimal ... Only $22.12