soakingcontainers.jpgI have a way to fold my GladRags that I thought was unique. I remove my used pad and fold the long ends into the middle, essentially folding the soiled part onto itself. Then I use the wings to wrap up the sides and snap the snaps (upside down for them) on the top of this nice little package and it all seems very Japanese zen-like. One day I mentioned it to other GladRags employees and get a very blasé response, “Oh yeah, that way, nah I don’t usually do that.” So much for my brilliant discovery.

It worked, however, quite well when I backpacked in Nepal. I kept all the neat little square packages in a Ziploc until we camped in a place long enough for me to wash and dry them in a stream, or in one case until we got back to a hotel. In this instance, we happened to take a short flight and upon arrival in a small Nepali airport, my bag was searched. I think the man who searched the small canvas tote that I kept my GladRags in, including my Ziploc full of used but neatly buttoned up GladRags, was slightly more impressed with this innovation.

At any rate, I found GladRags the easiest thing to use while backpacking. I got to compare with the five other women on the trip who reported that packing in disposables also meant packing out disposables once they were used, and although this is essentially similar to GladRags, it seemed much more distasteful. Plus, I did get to wash in a stream at least once which meant that I had to pack in less because mine were reusable. AND, in rural Nepal, without large garbage centers, it seemed much more friendly than trying to offload that kind of trash in some village.

I still use the button up method when I’m away from home. I find it to be neat and tidy. And when I bring them home, I soak them in my soaking pot before I wash them and they come out great. Although I must say, the non-dyed ones do show stains. But then again, I don’t use bleach or aggressively try to remove stains. I don’t mind them. But I will say that my dark colored pads, maroon or purple, are beautiful! Don’t look a day over ten washings.

-Michelle

Michelle Singer is a freelance journalist currently living and working in Montpelier, Vermont. Former GladRags employee and menstrual enthusiast, she is also a great lover of books, hiking, and wrestling with the continual confusion of feminism. She lives in a multi-generational home with all her most important fans--her parents, husband and two truly adorable children.