Reusable Sanitary Pads (Pack of 12)

Reusable pads vastly decrease plastic waste. A woman may go through some 10,000 to 15,000 pads in her lifetime. Most of these pads end up in landfill or the oceans, and then there is the plastic packaging to take into account too. Disposable pads are the 5th most common item washed up on UK beaches and worldwide, they contribute millions of tons of waste to landfill.

Since they’re often made from plastic fibres, disposable pads have very poor biodegradability and contain harmful chemicals which seep out when they’re wet.

Reusable pads will last 5 years or more and vastly lower your carbon footprint and contribution to landfill. Trade to Aid’s reusable pads are made from recycled plastic and we pay rigorous attention to the sustainability of ourselves and our suppliers.

The average woman in the UK spends some £13 a month minimum on sanitary products. That works out to over £1,500 over a 10-year period. For some living in period poverty, the ongoing monthly costs of disposable products simply prove too much. Many women and girls resort to improvising using toilet roll, rags or worse.

The disposable nature of standard commercial sanitary products keeps you in the pocket of main brands and their huge multi-billion dollar industries.

Reusable pads are much, much cheaper than disposable products. They mean that you are in greater control of the costs of your period. Instead of repeatedly buying packs of disposable pads throughout life, you’ll have one or two sets of high-quality reusable pads.

Our reusable pads will save you a lot of money even in just a year. For many living in period poverty, this is a real lifeline.

Made of soft bamboo charcoal, our reusable pads are more absorbent than typical disposable pads. We provide 3 versions for different flows; light, medium and heavy. The wicking technology rapidly wicks blood away from your body leaving you feeling dry – they’ll protect you through thick and thin. They also do not contain potentially harmful synthetic chemicals found in disposable products.

Disposable sanitary products have been found to contain numerous known carcinogens and other chemicals known to cause skin irritation. Many of these seep out when they get wet.

Trade to Aid’s reusable pads are comfortable and free-from harmful synthetic chemicals. They perform better than the average disposable pad too. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel – our reusable pads work in broadly the same way as disposable pads, but they are safer and more comfortable for you and your body.

Safe, effective and comfortable to wear, reusable pads beat disposable pads hands-down when it comes to wearing them.

High cost and low access to proper sanitary products can cause period poverty. Period poverty is where women and girls cannot afford the sanitary products that most of us take for granted. This is a public health crisis that affects millions of girls and women across the world, not just in developing countries, but across the UK, Europe and the US too.

It’s time to tackle period poverty. By switching to reusable pads, you will help us tackle period poverty together.

Trade to Aid is a non-profit organisation. For every pack of pads you buy from us, we donate one set to a refugee in need. Plus, all of our profits will be used to fund menstrual education for children in West Africa.

Our aim is to provide a sustainable solution to the issue of period poverty. We use all our profits to donate pads to women and girls in desperate need of sanitary products, and we also provide menstrual education for school children to ensure a better understanding of periods and to eliminate the taboos surrounding them.

Access to sanitary products and menstrual education are the two main routes to ending period poverty – Trade to Aid is committed to both.

We care about the people making our pads and we make sure all our suppliers follow the Fair Labor Association’s Code Of Conduct. We perform annual inspections of their factories and offset the carbon footprint of transportation.

Reusable pads work in pretty much the same way as disposable pads, with the crucial difference that you don’t throw them away after use. This means that they are cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than conventional pads.

They affix to your underwear via 2 small clips that are attached to the wings. They are at least as absorbent as disposable pads, so you’ll know how many you’ll need each day and how often you’ll need to change them. You may have to adjust this slightly as they are usually more absorbent, though, so you’ll need fewer.

Once you’re finished with a reusable pad, you can remove it and fold it up. The clips will allow you to clip it together securely. You can then place it in a sealable waterproof bag (included with Trade To Aid reusable pads).

When you’re ready, simply follow the guidelines for how to wash the pad. Once you get used to washing them, they’ll serve you well for many years – you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch sooner!

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We sell our reusable pads in packs of 12 pads. Each pack contains four light flow pads, four medium flow pads, four heavy flow pads, and two waterproof wet bags.

Depending on your flow and how frequently you want to be washing your pads, it’s possible to manage your period with 12 pads. 

We recommend starting with a pack of 12 pads to try them out. Once you love them, then expand your reusuable pad collection and come back for more! 

Reusable pads are often more absorbent than disposable pads. But, it’s best to grab the same quantity of pads that you’ll normally use, and then you’ll need to further increase that to accommodate for washing times between uses.

If you wash your pads every other day, you’ll need to double your usual pads. This means you’ll be washing your used pads every 2 days – you’ll use the clean pads whilst the used ones are in the wash.

If you think you’ll struggle to wash them every other day, then you’ll need to triple your normal pads. That might seem like a lot – you could need up to 20 pads just to be safe during exceptionally heavy flow or longer cycles – but remember, this is a one-off cost!

In the long term, it works out vastly cheaper than disposable pads.

We recommend 12 – 18 pads on average.

You’ll need to change your reusable pads roughly as regularly as your disposable pads.

Depending on flow, you’re probably looking at a maximum of 6 changes a day.

Trade To Aid’s reusable pads come in 3 different thicknesses; light, medium and heavy. This should keep the number of pads you’ll need down, as you’ll be able to switch to a thicker pad if your flow increases and switch back down when it decreases.

You should be able to tell when the pad feels moist or wet against your skin.

1. It’s first recommended that you let reusable pads soak in cold water for at least 30-minutes after use. This will lift out any bloodstains. You can mix in some tea-tree oil or a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (a mild cleanser).
2. Once soaked, you can throw the pads in a normal 40-degree wash. Do not use softener as this can affect the absorbance of the pads and only use very light detergent. Higher heats (60 degrees) may seem like a good idea but these can ‘set in’ any remaining bloodstains.
3. Dry your washed pads on a washing line, or by a windowsill with a breeze and preferably in bright sunlight. In colder weather, dry them by a radiator. The most important thing is that they dry relatively quickly and thoroughly. Remember that they are designed to be absorbent so will need more drying time than most clothes. Make sure they are bone-dry before re-using them.

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Yes, all reusable pads are suitable for both day and night time use.

Trade To Aid offers 3 different thicknesses of pads, so you’ll be able to select the right one for nighttime use.

They’re all soft on the skin with fleece cotton, so are super comfy to wear through the night!

In between washes, you can store your reusable pads in a waterproof bag (included with our pads).

Simply drop them in the bag and seal it up.

Washed pads can be stored anywhere dry where you’ll normally store other clothes.

Yes, that’s absolutely fine.

It’s totally fine to throw your reusable pads in with your regular coloured laundry, so long as you soak or rinse them first.

You cannot tumble dry reusable period pads. They have plastic clips that could become warped and damaged, and tumble drying can damage the absorbent material.

Air-dry your pads on a washing line where possible. In the winter, you can place them on a drying rack inside next to a radiator. The most important thing is that they dry thoroughly and as quickly as possible.

Yes, so long as you wash them correctly and let them dry thoroughly, they are absolutely hygienic!

They’re also made from natural cotton fibre, not synthetic materials like disposable pads. That makes them kinder to your skin.

If you rinse and wash your reusable pads properly then they shouldn’t stain much. But, due to the nature of sanitary pads, some levels of stains are unavoidable after a while!

To reduce stains, make sure you soak your reusable pads in cold water prior to washing. 30 minutes should do the trick, but if you can soak them overnight then that’s ideal.

You can add tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar or baking soda to the soaking mixture to help remove stains.

Blood is strongly pigmented – it’s very stubborn – but it isn’t harmful and doesn’t mean your reusable pads are dirty at all – so long as you wash them properly!

Reusable sanitary pads are as well-sealed and safe as any disposable pads.

During heavier flow, you can switch to a thicker pad.

Yes, it’s always recommended you wash the rinse the pads prior to first use.

Yes, we accept no-hassle returns for 30 days from the sale date provided the pads are totally unused.