FAQ Pads

Just reading this, it means that you care about making a change. We hope this will convince you to the right decision:

• You will keep thousands of sanitary pads out of landfills, generating as such less waste.
• Save money while you don’t have to buy pads each month.
• Have less exposure to unhealthy chemicals, treated cotton, bleaching agents etc. that are commonly used while making the sanitary pads.
• No chemicals will transfer into your body through the sweat and some women have noticed less cramps after stopping using sanitary pads.
• Cloth pads are more comfortable and more friendly to the skin, while they don’t have any chemicals in composition.
• No annoying adhesive on your panties from now on.
• Long term investment, as you can use the reusable pads between 2 and 5 years.

Reusable pads tend to be more breathable and are less likely to expose your intimate area to harsh and harmful chemicals as sanitary pads do, which mostly are made of chemical compositions and treated cotton. Of course, it’s important to make sure that you change your pads regularly and keep the intimate area clean after each use. They can irritate your skin, just like any other menstrual product, if they become saturated and wet.

We offer a range of 3 products, one for daily use and one for night/ high flow use, and one intermediate. We recommend having it all and even more for a full coverage of your period days. They are very light, soft and they are from 2mm to 4 mm thick. 

Cloth pads are made to be very absorbent. They’re made with wings that snap around the underwear to keep the sides of the underwear safe and dry. Our pads have a waterproof backing for extra protection. Of course, just like disposable pads, you need to change them out before they get totally saturated. After wearing reusable pads for just a short while, you’ll know when to change them right. Tips! When going to the toilet, you can absorb with a piece of toilet paper the blood content, having so the security that the pads don’t get too saturated.

Not only that they are comfortable, but having the breathability, makes you feel dry and aerated. Reusable pads are very soft because of the bamboo fabric, which mainly feels like never getting wet, making a huge difference compared with disposable pads. The breathability within the fabric protects against creating bacteria and therefore you may experience less smell and irritations. Some users say the breathability makes them much cooler to wear than disposable pads, which have plastic parts that trap heat.

Even though we didn’t find a study on this idea, many doctors and women believe using pads can shorten your period. Unlike tampons that absorb menstrual blood and cause a sort of backup within your vagina, pads allow blood to flow down naturally and to its normal speed. In theory, this could lead to shorter periods.

Yes, reusable pads can be extremely absorbent. We recommend going for the measure M and you will be protected and feel safe during the day or night. More than this, the reusable pads feel less wet than normal pads, so you will have comfort while bleeding strongly.

It is better for the health to buy organic products, but still the problem of waste generated by disposable pads will be a fact we need to consider while thinking about the environment. Organic sanitary pads are made of cotton that was grown without pesticides or herbicides, which means less of these chemicals arriving at your body. As well, this also means less pollution to the earth and less damage to the environment, but also less exposure to toxins for the people who work on the farms where the cotton grows. Anyway, if you are concerned about sustainability, you should always go for reusable cloth pads, such as Femi.Eko®’s.

Many people think of wood when they think of bamboo, and it is true that such wood can convert through technology into a very soft, silky, and safe fabric. A great thing about bamboo is that it’s very fast growing, and thus, highly renewable, so there is the sustainability into using such material, more than cotton fabric, which in many cases must be treated with chemicals. Bamboo doesn’t need pesticides to grow. Bamboo is not chemically treated during production and therefore it is safe for your genitals.

The good news is that Femi.Eko® pads tend to stay fresher than disposable pads. That’s because the bamboo fabric breathes which allows moisture to evaporate. Less moisture means fewer bacteria which produce nasty smells. If you notice any weird smells, it is not the pad to be blamed, and we recommend checking out with your doctor. For protection against smells, you can soak your pads in vinegar, or baking soda to help eliminate pads smells.

Women bleed about 35 years of their lifetime. Yes, that’s a lot! 

Switching to period underwear and sustainable intimate products, such as cloth pads or period panties, will help you save up to 5.000 euro  and more (depending where you live and how much you pay for menstrual products).

Don’t believe it? Let’s do the maths: 

DISPOSABLE PADS over a lifetime:

35 years x 12 periods yearly x 5 days average = 2100 days of period= 5 years and 8 months of continuous period days – Crazy right? 

5 disposable pads/ day x 2100 days= 10500 disposable pads

0.6 EUR/ pad x 10500 disposable pads = 6300 EUR / IN A LIFETIME spent on disposable pads

FEMI.EKO® ’S REUSABLE PADS

Let’s say you buy 7 reusable pads each 5 years. In 35 YEARS you should change the reusable pads for about 7 times.

7 x 7 =  48 reusable pads in a lifetime

10 EUR x 48 period underwear = 480  EUR/ IN A LIFETIME spent on reusable pads.

This is depending on the flow you have or if you also use a menstrual cup or alternate your days with also using period underwear. Normally, women have between 5 to 15 pads. Calculate how many disposable pads you used in your period days and divide it by 3. You may need to wash it meanwhile, but that’s ok, it’s sustainable 😊

You sure can, and just think how much money you will save monthly and how thankful the Planet will be for you saving it of so much waste. Just like with disposable thong liners, our S size is designed to be worn on light days or as a backup to a menstrual cup or tampon. Just make sure to have more and change it each 8 hours.

They sure can. Sustainable education should start early, and we endorse teenagers in being eco-friendly by choosing products that will change the way we consume.  Starting early with reusable pads can help young girls and teenagers feel in control of their cycles, while not spending a fortune on it.

Reusable pads are a perfect product to use for light incontinence. People with this issue are in need to wear daily protection. While disposable pads can increase the risk of getting yeast and bacterial infections or to create irritation and chafing, Femi.Eko®’s pads can be heaven-sent for people who need to wear a pad every day due to their comfort and breathability.

For postpartum, many of the women choose it as being a natural choice that promotes comfort and healing after birth, as it is more breathable and skin friendly for the intimate area.

You should change the pad according to your flow. More you use it; you will know when saturation is at the top. We only don’t recommend keeping a pad for more than 8 hours.

Thanks to the wings with snaps, our pads are folding perfectly into little squares that you can pack and take away in your purse. While on period, you may want to have two extra pads with you and a small plastic bag to store the used pad. For an eco-friendlier solution, instead of a plastic bag, you can choose our wet-bag solution for pads. This can be used as storage for the pads in your bag and can be the perfect companion for when period pops by surprise. 

Unfortunately, no. Just like sanitary pads, reusable pads will absorb the water, making them ineffective for period protection. However, we recommend trying out Femi.eko’s menstrual cup, which always offers full protection and a stress-free period, while you enjoy a day at the sauna, beach, or spa, offering up to 12 hours protection.

Blood is a strong stainer, so you should always remember to use cold water at first, whatever you must wash a pad or period underwear or just a spot from the sheet. Just soak the pads before washing in cold water, or you can leave the cold water to flow on the blood stain, while rubbing it with your hands (particularly if there’s any dried blood on the pads). After this, just wash it normally in the washing machine or by hand. Some people even boil their reusable pads.

If you choose to hand wash the pads, you’ll probably want to pre-soak the pads to make washing easier, then rub it with warm water and underwear detergent or normal detergent, then just rinse in cold water, until water runs clear.

We recommend avoiding fabric softeners because they can make fabrics less absorbent. It’s not recommended to bleach pads either because it can break down the material and interfere with absorbency, but also can be transferred to your skin

You can air dry pads in the machine, but don’t use high heat or full power tumble, just like with any item that’s air dried, the pads might feel slightly stiff at first.

Sunlight can kill any lingering bacteria and help stains fade, but some the sun can bleach out the colours of your pads or damage waterproof backing materials, if left for extended periods in sun exposure or high heat.

After washing, always stretch the pad so it gets the original shape.

Do not iron!  Do not use perfume or chemicals!