Cloth compresses: a sustainable alternative for menstrual bleeding days

By Celeste Condoleo

Do you use compresses or disposable tampons and do you have itching, irritation, allergies or a very heavy menstruation? The toxins of the chemicals could be the cause.

Towels, daily protectors and disposable tampons are made of plastic treated with processes that include bleaches, perfumes, gels and pesticides such as dioxin, asbestos, polyacrylate and rayon. All of them are associated with fertility problems, endometriosis, toxic shock syndrome, ovarian and cervical cancer.

Those same chemicals pollute the earth and the oceans when they are discarded. The environmental impact of menstrual hygiene products is very alarming: to produce them, forests are deforested and water courses are contaminated. Once used, they generate tons of waste: 65 kilograms of waste per year for each woman. Tampons take six months to degrade, while daily protectors and compresses, their wrappers and sticky strips take more than 500 years.

An ecological alternative to this problem are reusable pads made of cloth, which have many benefits for health and the environment.

Benefits of cloth compresses

– Do not contain toxic and they are totally hypoallergenic, being made with preferably organic cotton.

– They do not produce irritations No itchy skin. Nor do they alter vaginal pH.

– They don't produce bad smells! Menstrual blood does not smell bad. What sometimes generates strong odors are perfumes and chemicals when in contact with blood.

– They do not generate waste. PThey can last up to three years if care instructions are followed well. By discarding them, they do not pollute the planet.

– They are low cost. If you make the account of the money you spend when you buy disposable compresses every month you will see the amount you can save.

– They connect us with the most natural and intimate of ourselves: our body and our bleeding.

How are they used

Cloth pads and protectors are used in the same way as disposable ones, only that they are washed and reused. Like any change, at the beginning it can be laborious, but over time it becomes very simple.

First> washing machine and dry it in the sun. If you are away from home, you can take a sachet of cloth for storage and washing when returning.

You can combine the use of cloth towels with another alternative sustainable: the menstrual cup. Made of silicone Hypoallergenic, harmless material for health, is inserted through the vaginal canal and contains bleeding. It can be used between 8 and 12 hours and has a lifespan of up to 10 years. The cup also invites us to connect with menstrual blood: observe its color, its texture, its quantity.

Both the cup and cloth compresses allow us to take responsibility and care for our two homes: our body and our planet earth. They help us become aware of the hormonal cycle and make friends with menstrual blood, which is a vital sign and a reflection of the health of our body.

Sources:

Gynecosophy

Menstrual Therapy

Sustainable routine

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