This isn't a piece designed to talk you out of single-use pads altogether. Plenty of people use both, depending on the day, the situation, or where they're at in life. What I want to do here is lay out the real differences, so you can decide what's right for you with full information, not a sales pitch.

The quick comparison

Comfort and what's actually against your skin

This is where cloth pads tend to win people over. Our Eco Pads come with a choice of two topper fabrics, a bamboo charcoal stay-dry fabric that's been in the range for over five years and wicks moisture away from the body quickly, or a newer organic cotton topper introduced to match the rest of our underwear range. Either way, you know exactly what's touching your skin.

With single-use pads, that information isn't always easy to find. Materials and their exact composition vary a lot by brand, and it's not always clearly listed. If you've ever had irritation from a particular pad brand and couldn't work out why, this is often part of the reason.

Cost, honestly worked out

Single-use pads are more affordable to buy on any single trip to the supermarket. That's true and worth saying plainly. But because you're buying them every single cycle for years, the cost never stops.

Cloth pads work the other way. Our Eco Pad Cycle Starter Pack ($99) gives you 9 pads across all three sizes plus a wet bag, enough to cover a full cycle from day one. Our Eco Pad Cycle Pack ($145) gives you 15 pads, 4 Overnight/Large, 6 Regular and 5 Liners, plus a wet bag, for a more complete rotation. With proper care, cloth pads last for years, so the cost per cycle keeps dropping the longer you use them. Single-use pads never cost less the longer you use them, they just keep costing what they cost.

If you're only after a taster before committing, our single-size 5-packs (with a free matching wet bag) let you trial one size at a time without buying a full multipack.

Absorbency and sizing

Both options come in a range of absorbencies. Our cloth pads come in three sizes, Liners for light days, Regular for typical flow, and Overnight/Large for heavy days and overnight protection. Single-use brands also offer a range, though absorbency claims can vary more between brands than most people realise, since testing and labelling standards aren't always consistent.

The main practical difference is that with cloth pads, you're working with a fixed rotation you already own, so once you know your sizes, you're set. With single-use, you're often experimenting with different brands to find the one that actually performs the way the packaging suggests.

Convenience, the honest version

This is where single-use pads genuinely have the edge, and I won't pretend otherwise. There's no rinsing, no washing, no wet bag to carry, you use it and it's gone. For travel, for the first few uses while you're still learning your flow, or for situations where washing isn't practical, single-use has real convenience advantages.

Cloth pads ask a bit more of you. You rinse, you wash, you carry a wet bag when you're out. It's not difficult once it's part of your routine, but it is an extra step that single-use doesn't require. If you're not ready to take that step, that's a completely reasonable call, and there's no reason to feel any pressure about it.

Waste, without the guilt trip

Every single-use pad you don't buy is one less item to landfill. That's simply true, and it's one of the clearest, most measurable benefits of switching. But we'd rather you make that switch because it suits your life, not because you feel obligated to. Zero waste period care is a genuine option, not a moral test.

Who cloth pads suit best

If you like the idea of knowing exactly what's against your skin, you're comfortable adding a quick rinse and wash to your routine, and you'd rather stop restocking every month, cloth pads are worth trying. Starting with a single size pack or the Cycle Starter Pack is a low-pressure way to test the waters.

Who might prefer single-use, at least for now

If you're travelling, still working out your flow and don't want to commit to sizing yet, or washing genuinely isn't an option in your current situation, single-use pads are a sensible choice. Plenty of people use single-use for some parts of their cycle or life stage and cloth for others. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

A few honest questions people ask

Do cloth pads smell? Not if you rinse promptly and wash regularly, the same as you would with any washable fabric item. A wet bag keeps things contained between uses, and both our topper fabrics are chosen partly for how well they manage moisture day to day.

Are they harder to use overnight? Our Overnight/Large size is specifically cut longer at the back for exactly this reason. Used correctly for your sleep position and flow, they perform the same essential job as an overnight single-use pad.

Can I mix cloth pads with single-use products? Absolutely. Plenty of our customers use cloth pads day to day and keep single-use on hand for travel or backup. There's no rule that says it has to be one or the other.

The bottom line

Cloth pads and single-use pads both do the same basic job. The real differences come down to what you want against your skin, how you feel about an extra wash step, and whether you'd rather pay once and reuse, or keep restocking indefinitely. Neither choice is wrong. We just think you deserve the full picture before you decide.

Danielle x