Okay, I consider myself a green girl…..I have a cool reusable water bottle, I recycle, never buy paper towels or paper napkins, buy organic food, organic hair care products, make my own household cleaner, and only use soap nuts for my laundry! The one area I just hadn’t dove into yet was feminine hygiene products. Well, that isn’t true….kind of. I mean, when I buy pads or tampons I only buy those that are organic cotton and with no chlorine, but honestly the waste is unbelievable. And every month, I cringe at the amount I contribute to the landfills. So, when the awesome folks at Lunapads said they would send me a sampler pack to try and review I was open to the possiblility of reusable pads. Okay, stop right there…..do not click off of this page because the thought of a resusable pad is just too much to even imagine. I will admit it has been a LONG time since I used cloth diapers because my boys are 14 and 10, but I just hate the thought of all the waste! Oh, and did you hear that….I have two boys so that is three “men” in my home plus me so the time-of-month stuff is way more interesting around here especially since the kids actually pay attention. Then again, maybe they don’t notice much since they are younger versions of their father. Sorry couldn’t help myself. Okay, so I was happy for the chance to have no waste during my “time,” but trying to work out the logistics of it all was going to be a bit of a challenge and since I wasn’t sure what to expect, I knew I had to plan ahead and be prepared. For the most part I am at home so that would be great, but going out was something I was a bit nervous about.
Okay, so here are some of the basics about Lunapads:
-they are a combination of 100% cotton flannel and fleece
-completely wash and dry safe
-will last about 5 years(Holy Cow! Imagine the amount of money spent in 5 years on disposables)
-fun, feminine colors and designs
Some of my concerns going in was how well they would handle the “flow,” the possiblity of an odor, and that bulky feeling. Being at home, I had an advantage, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! They absorbed really well and there was virtually no odor at all and as far as the bulkiness……not bad at all! They are super soft so almost comfortable(as comfortable as a pad can be, especially if you are strictly a tampon type of girl). Oh, another great little bonus is that they actually snap in place under your panty and stayed in place great as did the liner when I had to use it on the heavier days. Now the not-so-fun part……the soaking and washing. I ended up finding a used plastic container with a lid and put in some fresh water with a little Oxobrite and kept it close to the toilet during my cycle. Now, this is when it would be good to still be cloth diapering a little one because they could just go in with them and be washed together, but in my case I am way beyond that and had to get creative. So, I soaked them and when I needed to I just simply washed them in the machine with my soap nuts(just like the rest of the laundry) and dried them and I was ready to begin the process again. Now, here is where the trouble with being out in public for a lengthy day would become a challenge because I am sorry, but the thought of wrapping it up and somehow getting it home was just something I wasn’t willing to try. Overall I was very pleased with the experience. I don’t prefer or love using pads, but I do love being green and saving money so these proved to be a win on both accounts!
Now, for the fun part!! Just for the readers of my blog, they have set us up with a 10% discount off a purchase of $25 or more by using the code begreen09(expires September 30th) so if you just can’t wait until the end of the giveaway to see if you have won, run on over to the Lunapads site and green your period now!
Otherwise, here’s the deal for an entry:
1. Leave a comment telling me how you would handle having to change your Lunapads when out in public
2. Go to the Lunapads website and leave a comment telling me your favorite product
3. Tweet about this contest on Twitter(be sure to leave a comment with your @ username) telling me that you did this.
4. Post about the contest on other forums and comment telling me where.
So, the more you do, the more entries you get!!! You have until Monday June 29th(6p.m. EST), so get moving!
Out in public… I would probably get something similar to a small cloth diaper wet bag to put it in. But before then I would spray it off a bit if necessary (heavy days and such) with a peribottle. That's small enough that it would fit in any bag that I had with me. And being pregnant due in August, realistically it would be one of the smallest things that I might carry. lol
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As far as favorite product, I dunno. But right now on my mind I'm gunning for the the postpartum kit. And the Luna blanket… Oh and maybe the 7 day pantiliner kit… Did I mention I'm pregnant? 🙂
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I have a little one in diapers, so while I am out, I would use her wetbag to store them in. Then when I got home, I would put them in with the diapers. Once she is out of diapers I will get a small "wetbag" for the pads. There are lots of work-at-home moms who make them just for this purpose. 🙂 Since they are made for pads, they would be small enough to fit in a purse…unless of course you carry a teeny-tiny purse. I have never worried about spraying or soaking my pads – I just through them in the wash. But, if I wanted to do so, I would just do so when I got home – just like I do with my diapers.
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I've seen some really cool "mama cloth" wet bags. They fold to be two sided, both with zippers. One is a "clean" side to store you mama cloth, the other is for putting the used cloths. They zip to contain any messes/odors, and are completely separate. I've not used mama cloth since I've had only a couple of cycles in the 4+ years I've been pregnant and nursing, but I intend to use them when Aunt Flo returns!
My favorite product on the site (and this ties in with the "what would you do in public" comment) is the Diva cup they also offer. THe Diva cup would be a great solution in public, with the Lunapad miniliners as back up!
I use a small Wonderbag or the like. It's a wetbag with two different sides that zip, clean on one side, dirty on the other. I'd just put the dirty pad in it and wait until I got home to rinse it. I find that if I leave them wet, they don't stain as bad.
I use gdiapers for my 6 month old son and carry a small wetbag for his stuffers so I would just add mine in!
What a great giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity. I would use a small wetbag as well when I was out in public if I was only using pads. But what I really love is the diva cup! It is perfect for long days away from home – you can leave it in the whole time. I find it very comfortable, and find cloth pantyliners way more comfy than disposable!
I think the 7 Day Mini Pantyliner Kit is awesome!! I would get pistachio paisley but I'm sure any color would be nice.
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I use cloth pads (and love them)! If I'm away from home for a really long period of time, I still use disposables left from before I made the switch. But I have a little bag I bought from New Moon Pads that I use to hold a dirty pad or two when I'm out. I just deal with it when I get home.
Out in public I would use a ziploc bag or small bag like a wetbag that I used for my daughter with her cloth diapers when in public. The ziploc bag could be rinsed out and washed in between uses. It would fit inside a purse or pocket like my apron at work and not be noticable and there would be no smell that way either. Then when I got home I would rinse it out and wash it with the next load of laundry.
If you use the snaps you can actually fold it in on itself and snap it shut. It makes it all nice and tidy in your purse. To keep it out of my way in my purse I keep a small wetbag. If I forget my wetbag (which I do all the time) a small plastic bag works just fine.
I love love love the Lunapanties! they rock! Especially for lighter days. For more 'intense' needs, their other products work fabulously!
And to echo what the others say, a wetbag works wonders for being out and about. Lunapads sells those too (check the "extras" page). There's a side for clean and a side for dirty.
Definitely try the Diva cup–it is way better than tampons because you can leave it in for up to 12 hours (depends on your flow). It's also really great for swimming because it doesn't absorb water the way tampons do. I've been using it for almost 10 years, and can't imagine going back to tampons.
i have a small wetbag for out in public, works lovely and seals nicely. you can get ones that have a wet side and a dry side so you can keep your clean ones there too.
I use mine for backup to my DivaCup a lot too, so I go through fewer those days and the DivaCup is awesome 😉
Neat! They have underwear that works with their pads, Haven't seen that before, that's a great idea!
If I didn't have a PUL wetbag, I'd just make sure to have a ziplock sandwich bag handy to store one in while I'm out. I wouldn't try to wash it out or anything until I was home.
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Of their products, I really like the Wide Long Pad 3 pkg and the Bamboobino Nursing Pads.
I would most likely take a small ziplock style plastic bag, or get a small wet-bag to put them in then wash when I get home.
I like the 7 day mini panty-liners kit in bubble mosaic fabric. The fabric choices are fun!!!
I wish I could use the Diva Cup but my IUD prevents me from doing so. I'm in love with the mini liners. I too would use a small wet bag and just toss them in with my baby's cloth diapers at the end of the day.
Well, I'm already cloth diapering my 14 month old and we always have a Whamies wet bag with us for his dirty diaps. Since I'm the one who handles the wash when we get home, I'd just add my used Lunapads to the bag and voila, easy as pie!
I think my favorite product is the 7 day panty liner set. It's not badly priced either! I'm already calculating how much I'll save over the next year instead of buying disposable liners (not to mention the lack of guilt when I stop adding so much more trash!).
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Thanks to everyone for entering and don't forget you can still go to the Lunapads site for that great discount!! And the winner is comment #18(Diane)chosen by use of random.org. Please send me a message with your mailing info so I can get the prize out to you!!
Here is my email:
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If you use the snaps you can actually fold it in on itself and snap it shut. It makes it all nice and tidy in your purse. To keep it out of my way in my purse I keep a small wetbag. If I forget my wetbag (which I do all the time) a small plastic bag works just fine.
What a great giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity. I would use a small wetbag as well when I was out in public if I was only using pads. But what I really love is the diva cup! It is perfect for long days away from home – you can leave it in the whole time. I find it very comfortable, and find cloth pantyliners way more comfy than disposable!
I've seen some really cool "mama cloth" wet bags. They fold to be two sided, both with zippers. One is a "clean" side to store you mama cloth, the other is for putting the used cloths. They zip to contain any messes/odors, and are completely separate. I've not used mama cloth since I've had only a couple of cycles in the 4+ years I've been pregnant and nursing, but I intend to use them when Aunt Flo returns!
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