Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Cloth Pad Review - Part 3: Party in My Pants (PIMPS)

From the Party in My Pants website:
"Party In My Pants is a sister-owned and operated mini business. All our pads are handmade with love in Ashland, Wisconsin. We are a multi-talented bunch: product, graphic & web design, marketing, and sewing – we do it all. "

Their Mission & Vision
Party In My Pants is about finding style and comfort in unexpected places. Party In My Pants is about smart women living happily and having fun. Party In My Pants is about revolutionizing the way women experience menstruation by shifting attitudes and empowering through education, all with a healthy dose of humor. Instead of "shh", we're saying, "Hooray!"

We envision a society where:
  1. women are happy, comfortable, and confident from menarche through menopause.
  2. men and women are comfortable talking about menstruation, without embarrassment.
  3. menstrual products have a positive impact on women's health and a neutral impact on our environment.


I ordered the Deluxe Starter kit, which contains 1 Large (10.5" X 3") and 1 Overnight pad (12.25" X 3")  and 1 Luxe Liner (9.5" X 3") . I also ordered an additional Overnight pad and a Queen Pad (15.5" X3.5", flaring to 5.5" at back). Before taxes these cost $63.97 before taxes. 
























The pads are an All-In-One design with breathable nylon leak-proof shield & nickel-free plated snaps. They are offered in Flannelette or Cotton (100% cotton upper, 100% cotton inner) as well as Organic material or either cotton flannel or hemp muslin (100% organic upper, 100% organic cotton inner).

I ordered 3 in the Flannelette and 2 in the cotton. The picture shows the cotton on the top and the flannelette on the bottom.

Overnight Pad Folded and not folded



Using these pads are just as easy as using regular disposable pads. Lay pad in underwear and snap the wings together. Just as regular pads, or the Luna pads, when you are done you fold the pad into itself and snap the wings together.


Overnight Pad folded








There are so many different patterns and colous available, that you can have a little fun with them. :)


I was afraid of using these pads at first. They are super thin and I thought that would not hold very much, and leak. These pads proved me sooooo very wrong!!! These are much more absorbent than disposables and no leak issues. 


These are also very comfortable, so much I forgot I was wearing a pad. The cotton pads just felt like your own cotton underwear. I ordered more of the flannelette than the cotton as I thought that they would be more comfortable, but I find the cotton more comfortable and natural. I did not feel wet, and I did not feel bulky.

I do have some issues with the Queen pad. I thought being plus sized, this pad would be great for me, as it is recommended for those with heavy flows or plus sized. I found that the pad was a little wide, and bunches a little, so it does not absorb properly.









Cleaning instructions from The PIMPS website:
The easiest, most effective cleaning method is to machine wash pads just like any other piece of clothing. Just pop ‘em in the washing machine (warm or cold) and toss ‘em in the dryer on low. Some women soak their cloth pads before washing, but with Party In My Pants it's generally not necessary. However, if you have an older washing machine, you might find it doesn't clean pads as throughly and you may opt to soak them very briefly in cool water (5 min max) to loosen any dried fluids before machine washing. If your washing machine has a pre-wash setting, you could also use that instead of soaking.
 
If hand washing is your only option, take care to do so as gently as possible while still cleaning the pad thoroughly. In the case of hand washing, we recommend soaking very briefly in cool water and a stain treatment (5 min max) to loosen any fluids before washing. Then, rinse and squeeze pads until the water runs clear, rather than scrubbing out the soiled areas. If scrubbing is necessary, lift top layers away from the nylon shield (bottom layer) and scrub the top layers with the same action you would to wash out your underwear. The nylon layer is what makes pads leak-resistant, so take care to treat it gently. 
 
Pads can be washed using most any detergent, although we recommend an eco-friendly option like Ecos or Seventh Generation. Be sure to avoid using super-hot water, a scorching hot dryer, bleach, dryer sheets or fabric softener. All will damage the nylon backing and bring about your pad's untimely demise. Tip: Double check that your detergent doesn't contain bleach so that you don't inadvertently damage your pads.


These was easily, and after a few cycles I have not had any staining issues.


I would recommend these to ANYONE looking to use cloth pads, especially if you have a heavy flow. Easy to use, easy to clean, very comfortable and very absorbent!!!!

Quiche♥