Are you feeling the burnout yet?

 

Did you, like many people, make a resolution to be more green this year? To ditch the paper towels in favor of cloth napkins, switch out the disposable diapers for cloth, and switch to making your own cleaning products?
We're just over three  weeks in to the new year. Are you feeling the burnout yet? Whether it was a New Year's resolution to lose weight or the New Year's resolution was to be more green, it can be easy to get over-zealous in your eagerness to improve and somewhere around week two or week three, I usually find myself getting burnt out on a new goal or resolution.

I've always heard that it takes 30 days to make something a habit.  I think there is a lot of truth in that but I also think it's easier to stick with a new lifestyle or habit if you ease yourself in to it.
My suggestion is simple but it's helpful : start small. Choose the most pressing issue in your home and make that switch.  Once you're accustomed to it, switch one more thing. I always tell myself it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's too easy to get burnt out by trying to change too much all at once. It's easier to stay the course if you take it one step at a time. When I first started making the switch to a more natural/eco-friendly home, I tried to change too much all at once and I got very, very overwhelmed. Once I decided to scale it back and incorporate one change at a time, it became a lot less intimidating to me.

You can do it and eLeMeNO-Pee would love to help you with that transition in any way we can. We carry so many amazing items to help get your home as green as can be! Pick one small focus, conquer it, and keep plugging along. No matter what avenue you choose, we have a product to help you in that transition.  From cloth diapers, to reusable menstrual cups and cloth pads, we're here! We also have natural bath and body products alongside green cleansers and detergents. Wanting to ditch the Zip-loc bags? We have reusable snack bags! No matter what your primary focus is for greening up y our home, eLeMeNo-Pee has you covered!

Planet Wise reusable snack bags

Six safer alternatives to conventional personal hygiene products: A women's health PSA (pt. II)

Last week, I blogged about the health risks involved in using conventional menstrual products, catalyzed by my long-time friend and former eLeMeNO-Pee client's accidental discovery of a brand new tampon growing mold underneath the plastic applicator.

Photo courtesy www.partypantspads.com

So what, you may be wondering, are the alternatives? Some of you may know that eLeMeNO-Pee carries cloth pads (shown above), but what if you're 1) not a pad person or 2) unable to launder cloth pads at this point in your life?

Like I said last week, this isn't about capitalizing on a friend's unfortunate experience for sales. This is about letting our readers know all of their options so that they can find one that supports both their health goals and their lifestyle.

Disposable alternatives

Now, eLeMeNO-Pee's mission, obviously, is to promote reusable hygiene products, but I know we have readers who don't have access to their own, private laundry facilities in their homes. Do these women have options beyond bleached cotton or rayon tampons and phthalate-laden bleached cotton pads?

Photo courtesy seventhgeneration.com

Yes! There are disposable tampons and pads that are chlorine-free, meaning they haven't been bleached and won't expose you to dioxin, a highly toxic compound gas released by chlorine bleach that is a known carcinogen as well as a hormone disruptor. Metabolism, the immune system, and liver function are all potentially affected by dioxin, and it permeates our industrialized society, so decreasing exposure as much as possible is an important health goal. Common name brands of chlorine-free and sometimes organic (pesticide-free) disposable menstrual products include Seventh Generation and Natracare. A smaller company called Maxim (not to be confused with the raunchy men's magazine) also makes an organic cotton pantiliner, tampon without applicator, and tampon with cardboard applicator as well as a conventionally grown natural cotton maxi pad with wings.

Additionally, there are disposable menstrual cups, like the Instead Softcup. A menstrual cup sits just underneath the cervix and collects, rather than absorbs, menstrual flow. This is a great alternative to tampons because it can be worn in all the same situations, including swimming and while sleeping. Because of its function, it is not as drying or disruptive of the pH of the sensitive vaginal wall membrane; "less drying" also means less irritating, which makes for a more comfortable period with lighter flow and less intense cramps. There's also no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

And the reusables

Photo courtesy www.lunette.com

One of the greatest, and possibly most unsung, merits of reusable hygiene products is that the woman who owns them can sterilize them herself and know that they are clean. This is especially true of the reusable menstrual cups like Diva Cup, Lunette Cup, the Keeper, and Moon Cup. Like the Instead Softcup, these cups sit underneath the cervix and form a seal to prevent leaks, collecting menstrual flow for up to 12 hours, meaning it probably won't need to be changed in a public restroom unless flow is super-heavy. Because of its position and the way that it keeps menstrual flow off of the wearer's skin, it's both sanitary and non-toxic, and no laundry is necessary in its cleaning. Simply wash with soap and hot water, boiling it occasionally as preventative sanitation if the manufacturer's instructions allow for it. The most important thing to remember is that one cup's size and shape may not work well for you, but another brand might be a better fit. Some brands also come in multiple sizes. Just like getting started with cloth diapers, there can be some trial and error before you find your reusable menstrual cup bliss, and manufacturers usually make their products' dimensions pretty clear on their Web sites.

Sea sponges are long-used, traditional reusable tampons in many cultures. These are actual sea sponges, harvested from the ocean floor, and they can be washed and reused for 3 to 6 months. These are a less popular alternative for vegetarians and vegans, because sponges are part of the animal kingdom despite their similarity to plants. Harvesting them means removing them from the ocean and killing them.

Photo from moocowmomma on Etsy.com

A less popular reusable option that is gaining some notoriety is the cloth tampon. While there are no "major brand" versions of this product, several FDA-authorized work-at-home mom manufacturers have them listed on e-storefront and shopping cart sites like Etsy and HyenaCart. They can be laundered in your washing machine with hot water and detergent--be sure to use an unscented detergent that rinses clean and won't irritate you! Because you won't want the string to fray, I'd suggest washing these in a mesh bag for delicates.

And, finally, there's my favorite option--but I was already a "pad person," and unashamedly so. Sometimes called mama cloth (but since they're not just for mamas, that's not my preferred moniker for them!), cloth pads are soft, comfortable, non-toxic, and cute.

They can be made from (my favorite) completely organic cotton in a variety of weaves, including soft flannel or knit. They can have a stay-dry wicking layer of soft fleece, which pushes liquid to the absorbent core and feels dry to the touch unless compressed very deeply, to ameliorate that "sitting in something that just came out of me" feeling.

Photo courtesy partypantspads.com

They can come in adorable prints (owls!) and about a million different sizes and thicknesses. They usually have wings that snap under your panties to hold them in place, and no granny panties are required: there's no slick waterproof plastic causing annoying slippage, so leaks are not as common.

Cloth pads should be washed in hot water with a non-irritating, clean-rinsing detergent--I wash mine with a load of towels. They can be dried in the dryer and folded up and snapped neatly to take up minimal space.

Any of these reusable options can work when you're out and about--just use a waterproof tote called a wet bag. There are small sizes made especially for cloth pads that fit discreetly into a purse or diaper bag.

Like any absorbent household item, all menstrual products should be stored in a cool, dry place if possible. If your bathroom sink is in a separate room from your shower and you know your sink pipes aren't at risk for leaking or bursting, under the sink is fine. If your bathroom is small enough that steam from your shower could be absorbed by your menstrual products, then an alternative location, like a linen closet, is the safest place to store both reusable and disposable menstrual products.

Icky: a women's health Public Service Announcement (pt. I)

The last time I blogged about reusable menstrual products, I only briefly broached the subjects of health and hygiene, preferring to focus on the cost savings involved in using cloth pads during the 3-6 weeks of bleeding that women experience postpartum. I think that somewhere in my mind, I was hesitant to vilify the manufacturers of disposable products, charitably doubting that they could really be careless or deceitful about what they were telling women was safe to insert into their own bodies. Tampons today are just wads of cotton of the throwaway variety, right? I thought they got rid of the TSS-causing chemicals and gels in the '80s?

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. After looking into this further, I was dead wrong! And I think it's high time, with "women's health" being a hot media buzzword right now, that we at eLeMeNO-Pee tackle this as a company that stands for the health of mothers and babies.

So what prompted this burst of research inspiration? One of my former clients (congratulations to her on the early potty-training!) is the Saginaw, Texas blogger who found the famed moldy fresh-out-of-the-package tampon on Tuesday, March 27. She is a long-time personal friend. While there are rumors to the contrary, this is undoubtedtly real! And it's undoubtedly hit your Facebook or Twitter feeds by now.

In Kotex's parent company Kimberly-Clark's e-mail response to Parr's product support inquiry about her discovery (a discovery that "shouldn't" have even been made, because the mold was beneath the applicator that she accidentally broke when pushing it through the plastic wrapper), a customer service representative who identified herself as Betty wrote:

"We understand how distressing it can be to find mold on a product that is used for personal hygiene and apologize for your concern.  In instances where it has been found, we conducted tests on the product involved and have found the mold to be a common environmental species that carries no health risk.  The vegetative mold is similar in nature to mold on vegetables or in baked goods."

Accidentally breaking the applicator revealed green and black mold growing on the cotton tampon.

(The customer service representative continued the e-mail for another couple of paragraphs, offering Parr coupons for discounted Kotex tampons before signing off.)

Let's ignore the e-mail's implication that this is not a rare occurrence (yikes!!). Let's focus on the "facts" that Betty from Kotex used to try to reassure the consumer. She compared the mold to the type of vegetative mold that grows on bread or produce. As long as you don't eat it, that stuff carries no health risk, right?

Not if you're allergic to mold. According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, respiratory exposure to mold in persons who are allergic can lead to serious complications such as asthma, lung and sinus infections, pneumonitis, even anaphylactic shock. In infants who are allergic, respiratory exposure can cause pulmonary hemorrhage. While cases of anaphylactic shock and other fatal or near-fatal reactions to breathing in mold are rare, they are worth mentioning.

But Danielle Parr wasn't supposed to have breathed this mold. She was supposed to have inserted it into her body to absorb menstrual blood, having never seen the tampon because it was inside an applicator. I don't recommend that you google "mold in vagina" unless you have excellent search engine filters in place, but your average woman is aware of what it means for her when the pH of the vagina is disturbed or a foreign substance like mold or bacteria is introduced. She's on her way to a prescription for Diflucan and some of the most uncomfortable days of her life.

What of non-applicator tampons, you ask? You can see the entire surface there. What about disposable pads? Why vilify all conventional disposable menstrual products?

For some of the same reasons we warn against the more-than-occasional use of disposable diapers: The materials that make them up are just plain sketchy, treated with a side dose of dangerous:

 

• GMO cotton or cotton/rayon blend (tampons), cotton/plastic weave (pads).
• Chlorine bleach, which means they are exposed to and will absorb dioxin, a byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process.
• Glue.
• Sodium polyacrylate super-absorbent gels derived from petroleum (in pads), the same product found in disposable diapers to make them super-absorbent.
• Polypropylene.
• Polyethelene film.
• Pthalates, which are linked to hormone disruption.

These materials themselves are risky (see The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for more info), but beyond that, their super-absorbent properties are also known to cause extreme dryness, disrupted pH, agitation, and inflammation of vaginal wall tissue, which leads to heavier flow and more painful periods. Any gynecologist, gyn nurse practitioner, or midwife will confirm this; ask yours!

In addition to the potential toxicity of these materials, the fact remains that Danielle Parr's brand new, unopened tampon was probably just functioning optimally. This mold issue may have been completely unrelated to the factory process. It's just that tampons are SO super-absorbent that it absorbed some tiny bead of moisture in her dry North Texas home, and some tiny mold spore was absorbed and given an optimum place to grow -- in cotton, beneath an opaque piece of plastic, the applicator.

This could, theoretically, happen to any super-absorbent disposable product, diapers included. Kotex's applicator design probably contributed, but Kotex isn't the problem; the problem is inherent to disposable products intended to absorb liquids.

The bigger problem is that not only are disposable menstrual products dishonestly marketed as completely safe for all women, but a high-profile company like Kimberly-Clark (makers of Huggies, Cottonelle, Kotex, and Kleenex, among other common brandname household products) thinks that tossing some coupons to a dissatisfied consumer, especially a consumer who expresses concern about the health and safety of a product after making shocking discovery such as this one, is an acceptable response to the consumer's deservedly alarmed correspondence.

Wow.

I know I normally hop from happy topic to happy topic, doing product spotlights one week, fun features or industry news the next. But I'm going to break this up over the course of two weeks, because I think it's important to follow up on this.

So next week, I'll cover your women's hygiene alternatives, both reusable and disposable, including these strange-sounding menstrual cups and cloth pads you've probably read about in comment threads if you've followed this news story at all. Some of these alternatives are products that your local rep carries, and some of them aren't. All are made of safe or safer materials than conventional disposable menstrual products, and they're made by small manufacturers whose business ethics stand in stark contrast to what has been displayed by Kimberly-Clark this week. This isn't about sales. It's about letting women know that, no matter their lifestyle or situation, they have options, and they deserve better.

Mama cloth: Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love, well, you know...

You know, mama cloth isn't just for mamas.

"Cloth menstrual pads" just sounds so... clinical, though, doesn't it? And, as many women have told me, a little gross.

It was a stretch for me to try them, I won't lie to you. You skeptics have my sympathy. The idea of washing "that" was a hard one for me to wrap my head around. I was cloth diapering for a full year and a half--washing pee and poop nearly every day--before I could bring myself to wash "that."

But after the birth of my daughter, my second child, I couldn't imagine using disposable pads... ever again!

This is what convinced me:

After giving birth, every woman passes lochia for 3-6 weeks, and tampon use is not only sternly disrecommended, but it's just plain dangerous.

That means shelling out about $12 for a pack of 20 "heavy flow" disposable maxi pads with wings. Twenty pads? That wouldn't get me through two days if I were changing frequently enough to not feel, well, utterly disgusting. This is lochia we're talking about. For the first week, I would probably require a pack a day. I confess I'm a little neurotic about changing frequently.

Suppose we did go with that, though--with only 20 pads every two days after the initial week. That's $42 a week for a minimum of two weeks, but more likely five weeks.

In case your toddler has commandeered your only calculator by playing "Where's Puppy" on your iPhone for the 73rd time today (mine has), and you can't do simple multiplication because of that phenomenon we all call "mommy brain" (I can't), that's $84 the first week, and $42 for each additional week. That's $294 in disposable menstrual products. (Before you ask, I did have to track down my husband's calculator for that. He "doesn't believe in smartphones." I guess his old-fashioned electronic instruments are good for something.)

When I first did the math, and after I picked my jaw up off the floor, my first thought was, Do you know how many adorable newborn cloth diapers I could buy for $294???

Instead, I spent about $90 on cloth pads of various sizes. I washed and dried them twice a day (and if I'd bought more, I could have stretched that out much longer), never once experiencing the dread of almost running out and sending a mortified husband out on a grocery store run at 10 pm because the baby wouldn't.stop.eating long enough to let me do an errand.

So that's more than 200% savings just to cover the postpartum pad-wearing stage, and you recover your loss in just a few weeks.

What could you do with that extra $204?

• Hire a postpartum doula or a cleaning service to help take the load off as you recover from childbirth and adjust to life with a newborn.
• Get a massage and pedicure... twice.
• Treat your husband to a fancy date night.
• Stock up on coffee, your new best friend. Welcome to life with a newborn!
• Save it. College isn't getting any more affordable.
• Donate it. Buy two pregnant women their own stashes of mama cloth.

The best part? Not only did I more than recoup my $90 in the first week-and-a-half postpartum, but my stash of soft, comfortable, absorbent pads was waiting for me when the old monthly visitor started coming around again just in time for my daughter's first birthday party.

And here's the real kicker:

Cloth menstrual pads are chemical-free and linked to shorter, lighter, less crampy periods.

For the longest, I thought that was just a sales pitch. But it's true! My menstrual periods post-mama cloth have been an average of 2 days shorter than they were when I was using chemical-filled disposables. I can change them every time I go to the bathroom guilt-free, knowing that the money has already been spent and will never need to be spent again, which makes each period as comfortable as a period can be.

You've reached eLeMeNO-Pee because you're interested in using cloth diapers instead of disposables on your baby, and part of your reasoning is probably that cloth diapers are non-toxic. Have you thought about the toxins in disposable menstrual pads? Forget looking at labels; look at their advertising. "Infinicel?" What IS that? I'll tell you one thing, "infinity" is not the duration of time I'm interested in wearing a pad for.

Plus, who can resist a cloth pad when it looks like the new Party in my Pants thong liners?

There's no way you can say mama cloth is only for frumpy, uber-eco-friendly moms. Eco-chic is in, sister. Saving money is in. A chemical-free period is in.

What do you have to lose?

Your local rep can help you figure out how many you'll need, and eLeMeNO-Pee carries Party in My Pants cloth pads, so you can choose between multiple lengths, thicknesses, and styles to suit your clothing choices, your flow, and your lifestyle.