(AD Gifted) Reusable Sanitary Pads (also referred to as CSPs or cloth sanitary pads) are growing in popularity for many reasons including: concerns about how much waste is being sent to landfill, worrying about what plastic and chemicals we are exposing our lady bits to and dissatisfaction with the performance of disposables. Made in the UK, Bloom & Nora sell two styles of reusable pad in a range of sizes and they sent me a trial kit to try them out and review. 

Review of Bloomer & Nora Reusable Sanitary Pads

Review of Bloomers Trial Kit from Bloom & Nora

Using Bloom & Nora Pads

I have previously bought reusable pantyliners (from another brand) and I found them disappointing because they didn’t stay in place, they were also quite rough material which put me off trying reusable sanitary pads. Having spoken to some friends they advised how well pads stay in place can depend on the pants worn, but the brands make a difference too. 

Bloom & Nora have 2 styles: Bloomers (like I was sent) have patterns on one side and lovely bright coloured fleece on the other. The bright fleece is nice because over time it is inevitable that there will be some staining and all whites that go in my washing machine take on a gradual grey tinge anyway. However if you are the sort of person who wants to be able to see the shade of your discharge the Nora pads have a stain repellent bright white stay-dry polyamide interior instead of the fleece.

Bloomers CSP have a soft bamboo layer on one side, water proof layer on the other and an absorbent core.

The Bloomers Trial Kit

The Bloomers Trial Kit I received comes with 4 pads all in different sizes as well as an Out & About wet bag with 2 sections so you can carry both clean and dirty pads when you are out. Each pad has a different print on, but these may vary.  The pads range from the Mini at 21cm which holds up to 65ml through to the Mighty at 32cm which holds up to 195ml. That’s a lot of liquid and even though blood doesn’t tend to evenly cover a pad it can still hold up to a heavy flow.

Each Bloomer pad is multi-layered: the surface (which goes next to the skin) is made from soft bamboo fleece, there is a core of 2 layers of polyester microfibre and a waterproof patterned exterior. I use bamboo nappy liners in my son’s nappies because I know they let the wee through and keep his bottom dry. If it’s good enough for my baby then it’s good enough for me. Around the edge of the pad they have stay dry edging in the same colour as the bamboo. They are Oekotex certified which means they contain no harmful chemicals.

CSP’s and period pants normally include some plastic because they need to be waterproof to prevent leaks. Obviously this is better than the single use alternative, but the Bloomer pads go one better in that they use recycled plastic bottle waste in their pads. Each trial kit prevents about 2 plastic bottles from going to landfill. If you used each pad in the set for it's full lifetime you could also save the equivalent of over 500 disposable sanitary pads going to landfill. That's mind boggling.

Bloom & Nora reusable sanitary pads come in 4 sizes

The Bloomers trial kit has a pad of each size and an Out & About wet bag

How Well Do Bloomers Sanitary Pads work?

The Bloomer pads stay in place thanks to wings with a popper that goes round the gusset of your normal pants. And did I find they stayed in place? Yes, they stay in position fairly well. I think it helps that the wings are quite long and are curved in a way that means they makes it harder to slide forwards or backwards. They cover my pants well even after wearing for a few hours so I’m not worried about leaks. 

The trial kit has 4 different sizes which is useful for deciding which one is the most comfortable and what sizes might be needed throughout your period before choosing to buy more. The kit is the same price as buying the items individually so if you knew you definitely didn’t want the largest size (for instance) you could just buy the other 3. When buying more pads you can make a saving by buying the packs of 3 of the same size rather than individually.

The pads are held in place with wings which go around your pants gusset and secure with a popper

Washing Bloom & Nora CSPs

Bloom & Nora recommend pads should be rinsed in cool water as soon as possible to prevent stains, but then they can be stored in a wet bag for up to 48 hours before washing. They suggest washing their pads with non bio at 40 degrees without fabric conditioner or stain removers. If you need to tumble dry them you can put them on a cool cycle, but it's better to leave them to dry away from direct heat. The pads will need to be washed a few times initially to reach full absorbency (I know from nappies that this can make a big difference).

How long will the CSP last?

Bloom & Nora expect their pads to last for around 150 wears if they are looked after properly and they are covered by a 12 month guarantee for fabric faults and workmanship assuming washing guidance is followed.

There are 2 sections in the wet bag so you can keep your used and clean pads conveniently when out

Why Choose CSPs?

I have used a menstrual cup for years and have recently fallen in love with period pants, but I can see value in CSP too. Cloth sanitary pads are easier to change and cheaper than period pants meaning you can build up enough to last through your period faster. At the end of my period I tend to have a day or so of spotting which I don’t want to use my cup for and CSP are a convenient alternative. 

If you want to give Bloom & Nora ago then use my discount code BNCT15 for 15% off.

You can get a 15% discount on the Bloomer Trial CSP kit from Bloom & Nora with my code: BNCT15

***Disclosure: The Bloomers Trial Kit was sent to me for the purpose of honest review***