Through our recent photoshoot at Spin Laundry Lounge we met Kayleen, a laundry maven and self-identified "Moon Cup evangelist." We asked her a few questions about her experience with reusables, and working at Spin.

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First, tell us a little about yourself!
27/F/PDX

When did you first start using a cup?
About a year and a half ago.

What prompted you to make the switch?
I had always been curious about the Moon Cup. When I had my IUD removed after five blissful, period-free years, I couldn’t imagine going back to disposables again. Choosing the Moon Cup was a game changer, and easily one of the best things I’ve done for myself in my 20s so far.

For you, what's the best part about reusables?
Positivity! Sharing the light I’ve seen with other women, having positive discussions about menstrual health and hygiene, and feeling hugely empowered knowing I’m doing good for my body and the environment.

What's the biggest change you noticed after dumping disposables?
Sustainability! No more driving to the store for $8 packages of organic tampons, only to wrap them in more excessive toilet paper before throwing them in the trash, or leaving them unused, tossed-around and half unwrapped at the bottom of old purse. The average American woman will throw away around 13,000 pads and tampons in her lifetime. But I’m not average.

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Any advice for people switching to reusables?
You’re making really good decisions - keep it up!

How long have you worked at Spin?
I joined Spin in the buildout phase, a few months before we opened our doors in March of 2014.

What's the best part about working here?
It feels really good. The opportunity to work for a female owned, eco-focused, people-focused business in Portland, Oregon is a dream come true for me. I am genuinely excited to come to work every day and effect change in people’s lives and the environment through a seemingly small but impactful practice like laundry.

What's something cool about Spin that people should know? (Besides the sweet coffee bar in the back, of course.)
Spin’s washers and dryers are the most energy and water efficient in the entire world! Sure, we’re the laundromat with the beer, but we’re also the laundromat that uses less than a third of the water and energy that a household washer and dryer uses in half the time. Plus, beer.

 

kateAbout the author of this post:
Kate is a summer intern at GladRags, and a feminist with a passion for period positivity. She starts her senior year at Reed College this fall, where she'll write her thesis on climate change policy.