Washing and Care Instructions for Cheeky® Period Protection

Want to know how to wash period panties?  You're in the right place.

1 & 2. Soak or Wash within 24 hours

We recommend any combo of the following, do whichever is easiest for you:

• we tend to remove our pad or pants and run under the cold tap and give it a good scrub with some soap which is HUGELY satisfying, then just chuck in the washing machine
• or, pop them into our soaking container to soak with some cold water and a scoop of some Oxi type oxygen stain remover which is eco-friendly and really works! When you've got a wash going on, just tip them into the washing machine
• alternatively if you've got a wash going on immediately, you can give them a squirt of liquid stain remover and pop them straight into the washing machine

3. Wash in a cool or cold wash, 30℃ or lower

Not a lot of people know this, but bloodstains must be washed out at body temperature or below, washing at 40c will 'set' the stain forever!  Blood is a protein stain (think of an egg) and applying heat to a protein will 'set' it, just like poaching an egg.  If you wash period underwear at 40℃, you won't damage the pants or pads, they will still work perfectly, but they just won't look as pretty as they did initially. Make sure to use NO fabric softener as it will build up on the fibres of the underwear and cloth pads and over time can stop them absorbing!

4. Leave to air dry

DO NOT TUMBLE DRY YOUR CHEEKY® PERIOD UNDERWEAR

Tumble drying or drying on direct heat like a radiator can damage the waterproof lining of your period knickers or cloth sanitary pads.  Not good! If it's too hot to hold your hand on, it's too hot for them.

DO NOT USE BLEACH on your Cheeky® period protection.  Bleach will breakdown the fabric of your pants.  If you ever bleach your kitchen cloths, you'll have seen this happening.  Bad for pants!

DO NOT USE FABRIC CONDITIONER this will coat the fibres and stop them absorbing.

Wash in a decent wash cycle, using your normal stain remover and washing powder combination

There's no need for fancy washing solutions.  Here at team Cheeky we use a bio powder and Oxy type stain remover.

We tried more 'eco' products, including soap nuts and washer balls but for us, we found that it was a false eco economy.   They simply didn't get as clean as using proper washing powder which then reduced the longevity of our textiles.  When you've got 4 kids handing clothing down to one another, that's really important! 

It's also important to use a decent length wash cycle of at least an hour for period knickers and cloth menstrual pads.  Rapid / eco  wash cycles might be suitable for clothing which just needs a freshen up but it isn't designed to work on stained items.  

Do they need a separate washload?

Nope!  You can just bung your period pants or cloth sanitary pads into the wash with whatever else you have got to wash and wash it all at 30℃. No one has time for separate washloads - it's enough trouble separating lights and dark in our house!

Plus from an environmental perspective if you assume that your period protection adds up to half a kg of washing a month, then over the course of a year, this is just one more 'average' 7kg washload!  And don't worry, your partner's shirts etc won't be contaminated by a tiny bit of blood in the wash!