How Many Reusable Sanitary Pads Do You Need?
How many cloth pads do I need?
How many cloth pads you need really varies woman to woman. It depends on the:
Length of your cycle,
If you have a heavy flow or a lighter period
How your flow varies across the period.
If you already use disposable menstrual pads make a note of how many disposable pads you use each day of your cycle i.e. 7 on a heavy day, 3 on a light day. Replace with the same amount of cloth pads per day x2 (to allow for washing).
If you don't have periods yet but you're waiting for them to come back and you want cloth menstrual pads ready then as a general guide you can aim for around
6 day pads and 3 night pads for short or light flow periods.
For an average flow and length period then aim for 10 regular and 4-5 night time reusable pads.
If you have a long period or a heavy flow then we would recommend 15 daytime pads and 6-7 night time reusable pads.
What if I dont want to buy a whole set to start?
If you're worried about commiting to a large stash of reusable cloth pads and you're not sure what combinations of heavy, regular or light pads that you need the you could consider a starter kit. Starter kits often contain a mix of cloth pad absorbency so you can test them and find what level of absorbency you really need.
You could also consider a smaller stash of pads but wash them more frequenty.
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Also read our article "How Long Do Cloth Pads Last," this can help you understand how you'll save money using cloth pads but also explains about how long they're likely to last depending on how many you have.
How many pads should I use in a day? My period flow was bleeding a lot. My period was very heavy blood and clot.
I'd aim to start with the same number of disposable pads that you use, as reusable are more absorbent I would expect you could reduce it slightly once you are used to them and how much they absorb.