Why use Cloth Menstrual Pads?

When you think about it.... why use disposables?

---insert grumble about disposables---
Disposable pads require the use of paper (chopping down trees), which is then bleached (not good for the environment and is said to produce dioxins which are carcinogenic [cancer causing]) and plastics (more chemicals).  Many women are sensitive to these seemingly harmless disposable pads and get contact rashes from their skin touching them.  That's not a comforting thought!  Apart from that, disposables have to be bought - continually...throughout our lives - to which we are giving money to large companies who in turn create advertisements to give the impression that menstruating is something to hide using their super quiet and discreet products... which convinces women that menstruating is bad/horrible and that we need a multitude of purchased products to deal with this.  So disposables are expensive, bad for the environment (which itself is bad for us), make us feel it's embarrasing and horrible to bleed,  and not so lovely to wear!
---End grumble---

There are many reasons why Women choose to switch to using cloth pads.  Personally for me it was 99% environmental and 1% because I wanted cool (purple) funky pads.  Cost benefits and feel were just a bonus.  it was because of the environment I made the switch.

(See also - Pros & Cons)

Money saving.
Think about how much you would spend on disposable products a month... how many disposable pads you'd use per day.. times that by how many days you need them...The average women goes through about $150 - $200 worth of menstrual products a year, every year for around 30-40 years - Thats over $6,000!  That works out at a lot of money flushed away or buried in landfill.  That number is also fairly conservative... many women have g-string pads, night pads, heavy pads, light pads and a huge assortment of sanitary products - often very expensive brands.  Cloth menstrual pads can be reused for around 4-10 years, maybe longer if you take care of them.

Environmentally friendly.
Disposable sanitary products are filled and packaged with plastics and the paper is bleached with chemicals.  All this contributes to our already overflowing landfill and global pollution. all those pads women buy are still piling up somewhere... big mountains of used pads - ick!  Cloth pads are reusable and when you are finished with them, they are biodegradable (with the exception of any waterproof layer, which can be removed and forms a tiny part of the overall pad).  The rinse water is a great fertiliser for your garden, so grab a watering can and give back to Mother Earth!

Nicer for you.
Being made of cotton, natural fibres and/or breathable synthetics - the skin can breathe and they are super soft!  No more boring white, you can go as funky and wild or as plain as you like with cloth pads.  Think of them as a part of your clothing, not just something to pop into your undies to collect blood!  With the lovely velour topped pads it can really feel so much nicer than even wearing just your underpants!

Fun & Empowering.
In today's society we are taught that menstruating is almost shameful.  Something to secretly hide away and "endure" once a month. They even market tampons and pads with "quieter" packaging, so that women in the toilet stalls next to you won't even know you have your period!  (why?  I'm sure they bleed once a month too!) I'm sure I am not the only one who finds this silly.  Women menstruate.  Why are we ashamed of it?  I think it has a lot to do with the marketting of quieter more discreet menstrual products.  Many Women who have chosen cloth pads remark on how they actually enjoy their monthly bleeding time and often look forward to it.  By bringing this time back to a more personal pampering time, we can shun those negative images of menstruation and begin to enjoy it.

Reducing Duration and Severity of Menstruation.
Interestingly, many Women find that after they switch to cloth their periods change.  There seems to be no research done on this, but in cloth wearing communities, most women find their periods are lighter, last a shorter time,  they have less problems with clotting, cramping and other such things.  Perhaps not all of those, but usually at least something changes for the better.  Could this be because those Women think of menstruation differently and therefore it is more of a mental thing? or could it perhaps be as a result of not using the chemical laden disposables?  There are urban legends around that claim tampons and sanitary pads contain substances like asbestos which promote bleeding (thus making you buy more pads), which is UNTRUE..... however I have heard of many Women (myself included) who have had a dramatic change in their menstruation since switching to cloth, even those who were not expecting it (hadn't read other people's comments about it) - and that can't be a coincidence!

Health Reasons.
Disposable pads can contain latex (makes the plastic soft), dioxins (a carcinogen left from the bleaching process), sodium polyacrylate crystals (Super-absorbent crystals, the same ones found in nappies that can cause extreme skin irritation).  Many women have no problems with this, some have extreme reactions, and some have mild reactions - perhaps not even being aware that their symptoms are being caused by the use of their disposables.

In my personal experience I used to have extreme vulva pain during my period (a throbing ache deep in my labia and an almost bruised feeling).  As it only happened during my period, I naturally assumed it was just a side effect of menstruation (I thought it was related to abdominal cramps).  It wasn't until long after I'd switched to cloth that I realised that I no longer had that ache, and hadn't had it for years (I assume not since I'd switched to cloth).  When I brought it up to my mother, I found out she had it too, but only some months, and she'd also thought it was "normal" but realised she experienced it only when using a certain brand of pads (which was why she'd only get it some months and not others).

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1487684
"Twenty-eight women experienced vulvar itching and burning, often associated with eruptions resembling   contact dermatitis, of the vulvar and perineal surfaces after using Always sanitary napkins"

http://www.mediresource.com/sdm/sdm/english/disease_detail.asp?disease_id=235
"certain sanitary napkins can cause irritation at the entrance to the vagina"

http://www.wdxcyber.com/nvulva08.htm
"The chemicals in many pads can cause perineal skin irritation."