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Top 10 Reusable Menstrual Pads – 2020

A great reusable menstrual pad should be comfortable, affordable and well made. It should stay in place and absorb just as well— if not better— than any disposable sanitary pad. Today’s reusable sanitary pads are like close allies for your body, disappearing underneath your clothes and letting you live your life as you would any other day of the month. Read through for the ten best menstrual pads, and get ready to be wowed by one of the best-kept secrets in personal care.

 

Why Reusable Pads?

If you’re new to the world of reusable menstrual pads or are in search of a better brand, you’ve come to the right place. Most of us grew up with disposable feminine hygiene products. It seemed that the only option was to go to the drugstore and purchase what was available there: Plastic-backed, bleached out, white cotton disposables, sometimes with a funky perfume. Not only did the cost of buying them month after month quickly add up, but they could be very uncomfortable to wear (chafing, anyone?).

Cloth pads can cost more up front than a pack of disposables, but they last for a very long time. Imagine not having to spend another cent on pads or tampons— for years! In addition to saving you money over the long run, reusable pads are more comfortable and are better for the environment– and did we mention cloth pads come in cute prints, too?

The average American woman uses nearly 17,000 tampons in her lifetime — or as many as 24,000 if she undergoes estrogen replacement therapy. And that’s just tampons. Women also use innumerable sanitary pads in place of, or in addition to, tampons. After giving birth, some women may also use maternity and nursing pads.

The worrisome thing is that sanitary pad manufacturers aren’t required to list all of the chemicals in the pads. Some consumer watchdogs have done testing on them and said they show indications that they may contain dioxins, synthetic fibers and petrochemical additives. We know a lot these days about the hazardous nature of plastic chemicals, so many women are thinking twice about wearing these plastic products so close to their skin.

The Most Recommended Menstrual Cup to Wear with reusable Period Pads

Reusable menstrual pads are also great to use as a permanent “back-up solution” to menstrual cups, for days when your flow is really heavy. If you’re one of those gals who is really eco-friendly, you probably have a menstrual cup already to wear alongside your reusable menstrual pad.

The Venus Cup is one of the best menstrual cups to wear with your reusable menstrual pad. It’s comfortable and comes in two sizes (small and large); it’s also priced competitively, made in America with biocompatible, medical grade silicone, and is FDA registered. There are no excess chemicals, BPAs, Phthalates, Dioxins, or Toxins in it, so you can feel really safe using it alongside your reusable menstrual pad.

A big plus about the Venus Cup is the fact that they have great customer service working around the clock, and a very detailed FAQs section on their website dedicated to helping you with any question imaginable.

Best Reusable Pad Brands

More and more stores are carrying reusable pads these days, but now with the Internet, anyone can buy high quality, comfortable, reusable menstrual pads from home.

There are established companies that produce cloth pads and smaller ‘cottage industry’ makers of the pads; many of them are a home-based business of one. There is a wide selection to choose from, so we’ve scoured the market to compare as many reusable pads as we can in order to find the best. We hope to help you to make the right choice for you with this list of the Top 10 Reusable Menstrual Pads.

 
Useful links:

1

Tree Hugger ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Tree Hugger cloth pads come in a variety of colors, fabrics, and sizes, all designed to help keep women and girls feeling comfortable while keeping conventional period products out of landfills. They are a small company owned by Crystal Burton, a mom of two. She and her husband Scott started their venture into cloth pads in 2008, after discovering that cloth menstrual pads are an eco-friendly alternative to conventional ones.

This company sets itself apart by using luxurious fabrics in fun colors and prints, plus they partner with WeForest, and plant a tree for every single cloth pantyliner and pad they sell. The company is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and produces other eco-friendly products including cloth diapers and nursing pads.

Limited Offer! Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 CAN/USA

  


2

GladRags ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
3.3
/ 5
GladRags are possibly the best-promoted brand of reusable menstrual pads on the market. They’re handmade in the USA from soft, breathable cotton. It can be mindblowing for women who, up until discovering this product, believed that chafing and irritation from plastic products were just something they just had to put up with.

Unlike some other reusable menstrual pads, GladRags don’t have a plastic backing, which means less irritation. And they’re designed to last at least five years if taken care of properly.

  


3

LunaPads ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
3.5
/ 5
Lunapads have two parts: a pad base with wings that fastens around the underwear and a removable insert made from absorbent fleece. The Pad Base is designed to be leak-resistant. Lunapads recommends that users keep the Pad Base in place all day and then change out the insert as needed. In fact, this is given as one of the main factors that makes Lunapads different from other cloth pad brands. With most other brands, you have to change out both the base and the inserts. Changing all of that would require you to carry more with you, to do more laundry and to potentially have to purchase more items. With Lunapads, you just wear the one base all day and adjust the absorption levels with the removable inserts.
  


4

Sckoon Organic ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
0
/ 5
If you like lots of choices, Sckoon might be the reusable menstrual pad makers for you. Founded in 2002, Sckoon produces a menstrual cup that’s available in a rainbow of colors. They also offer loads of colorful options for their organic cloth pads. First, decide if you want waterproof or breathable pads. Then you get to choose your size. Finally, you’ve made it to the fun part: selecting your favorite print! Sckoon offers a wide selection of lovely, girly prints that you can choose from. There’s also an assortment of value sets available on their website where you can get a discount off the individual prices of the pads.
  


5

PantyProp ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
0
/ 5
These natural, reusable cloth pads are compatible with many of PantyProp’s existing products. Whether you’re considering these period underwear or already have some on hand, the pads make a useful addition, particularly on those days when your flow is too heavy for the underwear’s built-in liner to handle. You can use them as a backup for a cup or tampon, or you can wear them on their own.

When worn with PantyProp garments, these double-sided pads provide protection from front, back, and side stains and leaks. The design is meant to offer maximum discretion and comfort, so it’s as if you’re not wearing a pad at all.

PantyProp’s reusable double-sided pads are made with a combination of soft cotton and super-absorbent cashmere wool. They are eco-friendly, machine washable, and affordable, and they are made in the USA.

  


6

Domino Pads ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
4.8
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
5
/ 5
These “far-out” pads with tie-dyed fabrics are thoughtfully designed. Featuring bamboo blend materials and black edging to minimize staining, these are probably one of the more high-end reusable pads on the market.

Domino Pads are made from high-quality fabrics such as Windpro fleece. In addition to the patterned pads, which are hand-dyed, they also offer pads that are undyed (called natural). Domino Pads are available in seven different sizes and five absorbency levels and come with wings that snap closed. Keep in mind, when you order direct from the site, every pad is handmade to order. This requires a seven-day or less turnaround time for most orders to ship. To get the pads faster, you can buy ready-made Domino Pads on Amazon.com.

  


7

Bububibi ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
1
/ 5
Whimsically named Bububibi is a maker of cloth diapers as well as reusable menstrual pads. Their website ‘about us’ information hasn’t been updated in a while, but the pads and baby products are still selling both on their official site and on Amazon.
  


8

Heart Felt ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
3
/ 5
Heart Felt is an eco-friendly company that produces household goods in addition to cloth menstrual pads. They also distribute the Cerene Menstrual Cup.
  


9

Party In My Pants ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
4.3
/ 5
Party In My Pants (also known as PIMPS) are not your mother’s reusable menstrual pads. In fact, this sister-run business generates more of a hipster buzz than a hippie vibe. One sister is a sewing whiz and the other an art school graduate, and it shows. They offer their pads in a thrilling-to-the-fashionista assortment of trendy, quirky prints, including the much-coveted galaxy print and an unexpected line of dinosaur themed pads (at the time of this writing). The pads come in 11 different sizes to cover all phases of the menstrual cycle.
  


10

Hannahpad ® Reusable Cloth Pads

Editor’s Rating:
5
/ 5
Users’ Rating:
4.5
/ 5
Hannahpad has been around since 2005, with the aim of offering women a more comfortable, enjoyable menstrual cycle. Hannahpad reusable cloth pads are environmentally friendly, in line with the company’s goal of providing high-quality products that are healthy for its customers and our planet alike. All hannahpad products are designed and manufactured in Korea. The company relies on real user feedback to make improvement, and they look forward to hearing from their customers. We think this is just one reason why hannahpad has become such a success! To date, Hannapad Global makes this product available to women in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States. Plans for expanding to the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Indonesia are underway.

Limited Offers: $6.95 (AU) Delivery and Free on orders over AU $50.00 in Australia.
International Delivery from AU $10.00

  


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To Sum It All Up

We’ve put together this list in an order that makes sense to us and would work for most people who are shopping for reusable menstrual pads. However, your own list could be different depending on what is most important to you.

Is eco-friendliness more important than the lowest price? Do you prefer to have handmade products with some variability or the consistency offered by mass-produced items? A beautiful design may rank higher for you than where the pad was made. Your preference also might differ depending on whether you want to have pads to cover your entire menstrual cycle or just as a backup for a menstrual cup.

We tried to rank these pads in order of comfort, absorbency, durability and design. We hope this list will be of great help for finding the best reusable menstrual pad for your needs!

How to Choose?

With so many reusable pads to choose from, where should a girl begin? After reading the reviews, looking at pictures and watching some videos, a few brands of pads are probably catching your interest. Many companies will offer free samples or at least, samples where you pay for shipping only, as a way to try out their brand. Some women like to check out a new cloth pad brand by ordering an inexpensive pantyliner. That can give you a good idea of the type of materials being used to see if it’s something you’d like to wear for your entire cycle. Whatever reusable pads you choose, We wish you luck; and as always, have fun with it!

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32 Comments
  1. Reply
    Vernis June 3, 2020 at 10:14 am

    Thanks for the post

  2. Reply
    MenstruELLE June 3, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    Having abundant menstrual periods I prefer high-volume menstrual cups, but I think menstrual panties should be the most comfortable method for those who can !

  3. Reply
    Julie April 30, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    Hi. I’m moving to Africa. Which material would be best for hot weather? Many thanks

    • Reply
      Stephanie June 18, 2019 at 10:34 pm

      All cotton like Glad Rags- they stood up to their warranty with hand washing and machine washing and all kinds of crazy water in Africa and Asia.

  4. Reply
    Karen Howard February 3, 2019 at 11:31 am

    I use Pink Lemonade Shop cloth pads and love the high quality and pretty prints! I was surprised that you don’t have my favorite shop listed.

  5. Reply
    Autumn August 7, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    Wanted to point out that the information for party in my pants was not current, dont know about other companies though.

  6. Reply
    Sydney July 17, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    What would you recommend as the best reusable pad for someone who is highly active and doesn’t want their pad sliding around?

  7. Reply
    Marcia March 20, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    How often do you need to change? What do you do when the pad is soaked and you are out of the house?

    • Reply
      Sarah September 17, 2018 at 2:23 am

      Uhhh…bring more with you. Put the dirty one in a water proof bag which most companies sell as well.

    • Reply
      Red Herring March 21, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      I would swap out the pad as you feel necessary. I know some people who like to change it if there’s any blood present when they use the toilet. Others only swap out if they soiled their pad significantly. It’s all up to you and how comfortable you are.

      If you plan on using cloth pads, people normally also invest in a “wet bag” or a “wet/dry” bag. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes and fun patterns or plain. They have a waterproof lining that keeps your soil pads contained. It may also have a “dry” area that you can store clean pads.

      My niece uses a small wet bag while she’s at school. 🙂 You can find plenty to choose from on Etsy 🙂

  8. Reply
    Audre Kimpton February 6, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    Not a comment as much as a question – How do you handle the pads that are soiled when you are away from home for long periods of time, without the availability of a rinse site? As a Relief Aid project we are wanting to create and send to areas that are struggling through the aftermath of catastrophic natural disaster, but am going to have to “sell” the ladies who are unfamiliar with this type of system on the benefits and handling of them. Thank you for all replies!! Audre.

    • Reply
      Jacki July 9, 2018 at 2:47 pm

      If you can’t rinse them right away (which most of us can’t if we’re away from home) just put them in a bucket of water when possible, i would leave them there until laundry time. Check out EcoFemme’s website, they have all kinds of tips

      • Reply
        Leanne May 9, 2019 at 12:23 am

        For Audrie Kimpton: I wonder if menstral cups might be a better option for ladies affected by natural disaster etc??

  9. Reply
    PK November 7, 2017 at 9:30 am

    wow informative post.. do you know about athena pad. i just start using pad from this Blubear Holding company, they sell washable and reusable pad but not from cotton.. i’m not sure from what but it so soft..

    • Reply
      Connie risk August 11, 2019 at 8:03 pm

      I first bought pads for my adult daghter from this list. I dont think the list changes over the years. Now i buy from etsy shops, facebook groups and work at home mothers. Some well known shop names yurtcraft, homestead emporium, novel red, each i reccomend for differing reasons. Do a search, also lots of you tube videos on the topic. Its wonderful to support home businesses and wonderful makers. A few of the shops listed here are, i dont know about all of them. Also there are makers all over the world! Its an amazing thing pads made with love and care.

  10. Reply
    Marie September 7, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    It’s a nice list, but why not add indie padmakers? These are almost all China Cheapies, and all are mass produced and basically the same thing over and over. I would guess that they aren’t even the “top 10” – I suppose in sales, maybe, but as you can see, some of them certainly aren’t getting great reviews.

    All my favorite brands are Indie pad makers. They just work better when they are made with quality materials, and attention is put on how they fit and function, rather than how they can be mass produced cheaply.

    There are lots out there – yurtcraft, Wee Essentials, Cozy Folk, MotherMoon etc. Etsy is a great place to find a lot of good indie brands, and you won’t be paying more money for professionally handsewn pads from a person who makes their living through their craft. 🙂

    • Reply
      TJ July 8, 2018 at 8:37 am

      Thank you for pointing this out! I use cloth pads for a variety of reasons, and one of them is definitely not to encourage slave labour. There are a few YouTube videos on it, but these Chinese cheapies are not good for either the environment or the women who make them. They have been known also to refuse to allow owners of these resale businesses to tour the factorys or facilities, meaning you cannot guarantee the organic bamboo claim. Small Business owner on sites like Etsy and are a far better option, and you can communicate directly with the makers.

    • Reply
      Yvonne December 22, 2017 at 11:53 am

      I agree with you Marie, Yurtcraft is my absolute favorite, but I do prefer indie pad makers over mass-produced brands. Support small business!!

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