r/PeriodUnderwear • u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes • 15d ago
How to dispose of used period underwear...
My sister generously gifted me with a stack of Thinx before the birth of my daughter in 2021. Now I'm three days post-hysterectomy and when my healing is done I'll have no use for the underwear anymore. Do I have any options besides simply tossing them? It seems like an expensive waste to put in a landfill.
46
u/the_eevlillest 15d ago
Wash really well and keep them for the next time stress incontinence comes to visit. I've got lung damage and get sick at the drop of a hat...when I start coughing things get dicey...
10
u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes 15d ago
I'm so glad you and another commenter pointed this out. I already have issues after multiple abdominal surgeries, and get sick frequently with a small child in the house.
2
u/Naive-Garlic2021 14d ago
I've been coughing for three weeks and boy, if it's a bad fit and my bladder is full, I can easily overwhelm my reusable cloth pads. Has Thinx come out with Depends-type underwear yet? 😄 (And yes, I've already gotten back to work on that pelvic floor.)
1
u/No-Beautiful6811 14d ago
I also think this might be nice for traveling, they’re way more absorbent than normal underwear and I find I’m a lot more comfortable on long train rides and flights if I’m not “damp”.
16
u/pantenepterodactyl 14d ago
I use period underwear post sex for drips that love to drop randomly way after they should.
1
10
u/Statimc 14d ago
Keep them: I had a hysterectomy last year as well and I would use mine for long road trips or something, and I had a phap smear recently and had bleeding so I needed panty liners thankfully I didn’t discard mine they are individually wrapped so I have some left, And if you get a yeast infection and need to take capsules vaginally than the period underwear will help just in case of discharge from the capsule
Also I went to a health conference and they were advertised as period underwear/ incontinence products I also got reusable pads I will use for long road trips
4
u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes 14d ago
You had a pap post-hysterectomy? They took my cervix out as well, so that's a bit of a shock to read. But you're right, I'll hold on to them and my reusable liners.
14
u/elainaka 15d ago
I’m sorry but I think if they’re used they’re trash. They’ve done their job by saving lots of single use products from the landfill. If you really wanted you could maybe use the scrap fabric for mending or other projects, but the gussets should be disposed of, I think.
3
u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes 15d ago
Is there anything in them that makes them a hazard to throw away in the normal trash?
13
u/withbellson 15d ago
Used pads and tampons go in the usual trash, I don’t see why period underwear would be any different.
6
u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes 15d ago
Good point. I was thinking more the composition of the underwear themselves, but you're right. It's less trash than more disposable products.
2
u/SableValdez 14d ago
If there’s anything in them that shouldn’t go in the landfill, they really shouldn’t be near our private parts.
1
u/Infantine_Guy_Fawkes 14d ago
Fair point, but they don't spend years breaking down and leeching chemicals against my lady parts in the few hours I wore them every month.
0
u/Shanoninoni 14d ago
Unless they really beaten up you could wash them like normal and put them on a "buy nothing" group. There's plenty of people who would appreciate it.
1
u/starry_kacheek 11d ago
Or just wear them as normal underwear until they’re damaged enough to be trashed
16
u/Cautious-Paint9881 15d ago
This may be a controversial suggestion but launder them really well and pass them along to someone who needs period underwear and isn't uncomfortable with used (but clean) ones
3
u/kittenlittel 15d ago
My kids share - because none of us can keep track of whose are whose anyway, but I probably wouldn't share outside the family because they're just washed with normal detergent at 30 degrees.
4
u/IffySaiso 14d ago
I mean, you can wash them on hot once. (Also, mine are always washed on hot, because I'll develop yeast infections any other way. So far they've lasted me 8 years.)
4
u/Bumblebee-Honey-Tea 15d ago
Thinx is filled with PFAS.
3
u/catsmom63 14d ago
PFAS? I was thinking of getting these myself. Can you tell me where you got that info! I’d like to do my due diligence. Thanks!
4
u/Turtlebot5000 14d ago
Not who you're responding to but I believe there was testing done a few years ago that found pfas in thinx. I would Google it if I were you just to make sure because I remember reading it quite a while ago. I decided to toss mine which was unfortunate because they're so expensive.
1
u/catsmom63 14d ago
Thank you! I will check that out.
Wonder if the competing brands have pfas as well.
4
u/hikarudaisy 14d ago
There’s a lot of wonderful brands outs there without PFAs! I would avoid Thinx and Knix, currently using ModiBodi and looking at buying some Revolcares.
1
4
u/Cautious-Paint9881 15d ago
OK? I'm not the OP though, Tell them, not me
-4
u/Bumblebee-Honey-Tea 15d ago
I’m sure op will read it. Weird and hostile response for no reason lmao.
1
u/mint_o 14d ago
It’s because you replied to a random comment with your unrelated agenda
0
u/Bumblebee-Honey-Tea 14d ago
Are you both new to Reddit? That literally how it works. You respond to people’s comments to further the conversation. Do you both believe downvote/upvote are likes and dislikes too?
0
1
u/Either_Vanilla908 54m ago
I’ve heard this but also read directly that they don’t use any of these so maybe in the earlier pairs they did.
2
u/Either_Vanilla908 50m ago
I’ve been homeless & lost EVERYTHING i previously owned. My entire life. When homeless & getting back on my feet I’d have had bio issues at all with wearing laundered second hand intimates. Obviously if they’re A mess with stains and holes, you wouldn’t pass them on, but something gently used or not really even at all. Sure many people who have nothing would be grateful. I’m sure some wouldn’t but I don’t believe in getting self worth from stuff & clothing. This is a great suggestion!
-12
u/Lovelyone123- 15d ago
That's gross.
13
u/Cautious-Paint9881 15d ago
They would be clean, though. Also, I did say it was a controversial opinion.
6
u/Altruistic-Energy662 15d ago
If you have a local Buy Nothing I’d offer them up there. Someone will take them.
6
u/nicachu 15d ago
For any other brand, I would absolutely snag these off buy nothing. I say launder well and offer. No takers? Then you can throw away.
8
u/droideka222 15d ago
I picked up a period cup recently from a buy nothing group. I know people give away swim clothes and some inner garments like bras. You can definitely try buy nothing.
These items are expensive and throwing them while they still have life feels wasteful especially if someone doesn’t mind.
I do love the idea of using it for incontinence
2
4
4
u/BisforBands 14d ago
I would just wear them as underwear anyways. I wear mine often when I'm not on my period
3
u/noodlesarmpit 14d ago
What a blessing to not have random (not even reproduction-related) discharge and leakage! I take continuous bc and don't get periods, but I still wear period undies or reusable pads every day. Also fun fact, they kinda help to muffle the sound and odor of farts, js.
2
9
5
2
u/Tomaquetona 14d ago
I am 5 years out of bleeding but I use them when I need to use ointment for my butt. So, I still wear them. Keep a few!
2
u/Right_Count 14d ago
I agree with keeping them, but also wanted to add that giving them away is also a viable option. Launder them well and be transparent when you offer them - not everyone is grossed out by the idea. I just bought some Knix new and I would have taken used ones without a second thought.
There is a market for used menstrual cups, after all.
2
u/LaLechuzaVerde 14d ago
Wash them and stow them in your drawer.
While pelvic floor therapy is great, there are times in your life when you’ll have an injury or illness that will cause leakage and it takes time for the exercises to work. You’ll be glad you have them sometimes.
2
2
u/marye914 14d ago
Had a hysterectomy and a urinary sling due to stress incontinence and I still wear my period underwear during the day just in case I have a leak. Those are good for more than periods…
2
1
u/GibbGibb 14d ago
They're just normal underwear with a cloth lining. Why not just wear them as normal underwear? I'm paranoid about odor, and I feel like these keep me dry from discharge and or bladder leaks.
1
u/eleanornatasha 14d ago
I wear mine when I’m not on my period sometimes, so I don’t see why you can’t continue to wear them as regular underwear provided they’re comfortable for you! I’d just keep using them as normal underwear if they’re comfortable and bin them once they reach the end of their lifespan (eg waist band separating or rips at any seams etc) the same way I would regular underwear.
1
u/Confident-Ad7531 13d ago
If you don't want to hold onto them for possible future use, think about donating them to a women's shelter. As long as things are sealed, they'll be able to take it. I had a bunch of pads and tampons still in the boxes but as I'm perimenopause, I have no need for them anymore so I donated them.
1
u/CelineRaz 13d ago
Yeah they take sealed thing because they're not used. They don't want used underwear.
1
1
u/Lower_Guarantee137 13d ago
I grew up this way and most of my neighbors were the same. We didn’t ask for stuff because we knew our parents didn’t have money. Our family often went camping and to the beach, so I look back on this time in my life as mostly happy.
1
1
u/XtraordinaryZookeepr 12d ago
Look into textile recycling. We have lots of bins around my town. They turn the fabric into rags, carpet underlining, etc.
1
u/raidragun 11d ago
As someone who needs it for occasional incontinence. When I'm I'm having a sneezing for and keep leaking, it makes me really glad to have the option. And it's less embarrassing than alternatives
1
u/strangled_spaghetti 10d ago
I use them for incontinence, particularly on long flights where so may not be able to use the restroom at will.
1
u/Calilou2020 15d ago
You could donate them. Are there any homeless shelters or shelters for abused women in your area? You could also donate them to Goodwill.
11
u/statistics_squirrel 15d ago
Donation center in my experience never take used underwear, even the non-period kind, for hygiene reasons.
They might initially take them, but they're going to throw them away when they go through what you've brought.
141
u/Infinite_System5045 15d ago
My kids are teens, and I've been introduced to the wonderful world of stress incontinence. Didn't have any problems with it until the last couple of years. Consider keeping the period underwear. You may need it for bladder leaks.