Mama Cloth??

[Zoesmama]

I keep thinking of switching to cloth but worried about it soaking through. I only use them as "back up" in case my diva cup leaks. Thankfully it only does on really heavy days, which is usually only 1 maybe 2 days but I prefer to be safe and have a thin pad on all of the days.

How do you keep them when you change them before wash or do you have to wash them right away? Do you have a wet pail or what? Curious how its done maybe I can resolve some of my issues with the idea. The store bought ones seem to cause me to itch etc.

[Magelet]

I use mama made cloth from etsy, which don't itch at all.

When I'm home, I have a jar, which I put water in with the first pad of my period (sometimes I rinse it and then soak it, which gives better results). I keep adding pads as needed, changing the water daily. the pads must be washed about every 2 or so days, or else they get a little funky smelling (though the funk comes out in the wash). When I'm out, I rinse them (if in a private bathroom, I always wash the sink out after) and pop them in a baggie, or just pop them in a baggie as is (if the sinks are public), then put them in the soak jar when I get home.

[syd'smom]

I used mama cloth post partum - never leaked through, and felt oh-so much better than sposies. I just rinsed and threw them in a wetbag.

[Ola_]

I also use the Diva Cup and use panty liners the whole time as backup. They have waterproof fleece backing, which at first I was like yeah, I don't think that's really waterproof, but it really does work! I have some non-waterproof liners for everyday discharge and those leak through but the ones with the fleece don't.

I'm a fan of the Homestead Emporium pantywraps (you need to measure to make sure they're not too narrow for your undies though). They have the top layer, bamboo velour in my case, and the bottom fleece layer. Or the next step up is the light pads which have an absorbent layer in between. The pantywraps are what I use for cup backup, while the light pads I use for my light days without a cup so they could definitely handle a lot of leakage.

As far as washing I think it depends on how you feel about stains. If you don't care at all then I'd just rinse them and wash every couple of days. For my backup pads I usually just handwash them and hang to dry - I only have 3 and that's enough (1 to wear, one clean, and one drying). I'd start with 2-3 and see how you like them, then buy more if you want. The HE pads also come in lovely swirl dyed colours which help to hide stains.

[UberMama]

I only use cloth, no cups or anything (I don't want to change the pH of my vagina with a cup, tampon, etc.).

That said, with my cloth pads this is what I do - I wear it and when ready to change, I fold it up and stick it in a bag near my washing machine. Every other day I wash the pads in a mini cycle with minimal detergent (All Free & Clear usually). The bag doesn't smell or anything. DH has a very sensitive nose and doesn't smell anything when doing laundry and the bag is right there.

I did rinse them at first but I found that unnecessary. My pads are red, so you can barely see staining as it is. Plus, I am the only one that sees them usually (maybe DH sometimes). But I do sometimes lay them out in the sun and that takes the stains out.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I've been using cloth for about 5 years, love them, would never go back. I've tried I think just about all the washing methods. What works for me is to just drop them in a mesh laundry bag that hangs inside my hamper. A few hours before I do laundry I soak them in a pot with cold water and about 2T of oxygen bleach. After it has soaked awhile, I dump the whole thing in the machine and wash in a normal warm/cold cycle. No stains this way. I had many more stains using the "wet pail" method, plus it was a pain in the butt. The short soak I do now remedied the stains I was getting using the dry method alone. I usually don't wash them until my period is over, so say 4-5 days, if you do laundry more often you may not even need the soak at all.

[bandgeek]

I only rinse them if they get heavily soiled. I wring them out rather than let them soak. I put them in with the diapers or the cloth wipes. The ones I didn't need to rinse sometimes I just toss in the regular laundry. Then they get washed with the dipes or regular laundry.

I've never had a leak with cloth. I make my own, sometimes with fleece backing and sometimes with PUL. I use flannel for the absorbent part. I always had leaks with disposable pads because of the "run-off". They were plenty waterproof, but that doesn't help if they barely absorb anything! The cloth soaks everything up instantly.

[milkmamamerina]

Have you looked at ecomenses.com ?
I'm trying to decide my specific needs for mama cloth and this site is a wealth of information really well presented and organized. They don't endorse any specific makers, but they tell you all about the different types, fabrics, diy patterns...it's great!

[crunchy_mommy]

I originally was going to use mama cloth only on my light days... after 1 cycle I bought more so I could use it the whole length of my period! They are so much more comfortable & they made me happy somehow... I didn't dread AF anymore... I just throw them in the diaper pail so they get washed whenever the diapers do (every few days). It's a dry pail. I do have some staining but DH & I are the only ones who see them so I don't care, convenience takes priority over stain-free for me, but I know there are ways you can keep them stain-free... I got mine from gemcloth.com. I haven't ever leaked through & I have really heavy AF's...

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

I got mine from gemcloth.com.

I noticed that this is the wrong URL and wanted to add a correction, since I've visited this mama's website and she has great prices. Hope you don't mind!

http://gemcloth.webs.com/
(I hope we're talking about the same site, lol)

[crunchy_mommy]

Oh thanks yes that is the same site, I wrote it wrong... She has awesome cute pads & is so nice to work with -- also the best prices!!!

[Zoesmama]

Thanks everyone. I will be researching and going through all these links. Wow. I was skittish on the keeper(what I had before my diva-for afterbirth) but grew on it and have used a cup for well over 7 years(except pregnancy and 11 months of nursing) so I'll give it a try as soon as I get a chance, financially, to buy a few. I got about 12 sposies left so that is usually 2 cycles worth. I use one or two the heavy days and for a couple days after really when I think about it.