Making reusable menstrual pads at home requires just a few fabric layers, basic sewing skills, and about an hour per pad. A well-made cloth pad lasts 8 to 10 years with proper care, which means a single afternoon of sewing can replace years of buying disposables. Here’s how to do it from start to finish.
What You Need
A reusable pad is essentially a sandwich of three fabric layers: a soft top layer against your skin, an absorbent core in the middle, and a leak-proof backing on the bottom. Each layer has a job, and choosing the right material for each one makes the difference between a pad that works and one that doesn’t.
Top layer (against skin): Cotton flannel or jersey knit. Flannel is soft, breathable, and wicks moisture away from the surface. Unlike disposable pads with plastic backing that can chafe and irritate skin, cotton sits comfortably and allows airflow.
Absorbent core: This is where your pad does its real work. Cotton terry cloth, bamboo fleece, or bamboo hemp fleece all work well. Bamboo hemp fleece at around 400 GSM is one of the most absorbent natural options available, and the hemp fiber gives it extra moisture-holding capacity. For a light-flow pad, use one or two layers. For heavy days, stack three or four layers.
Leak-proof backing: You have two main choices here. PUL (polyurethane laminate) is widely available and affordable, but it can feel stiff and sometimes makes a slight crinkling sound when you move. TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) is more breathable, quieter, and more flexible because it’s bonded with heat rather than chemical solvents. Either one will prevent leaks. If you skip this layer entirely, you’ll want to wear dark underwear as backup.
Hardware: A snap or button for the wings that wrap under your underwear. Kam snaps with a snap press are the most common choice. You can also use sew-on snaps or small buttons with buttonholes.
Pre-Wash Your Fabric First
This step is not optional. Natural fabrics, especially flannel, shrink significantly the first time they’re washed. If you skip this and sew your pad first, you’ll end up with a warped, puckered mess after the first laundry cycle. Wash all your cotton and flannel in hot water, then dry on medium or high heat. Some sewists soak flannel in very hot water and let it sit until the water cools before spinning it out.
Before washing, zigzag stitch or serge the raw edges of your fabric pieces. Flannel in particular will fray badly in the wash, and you can lose a noticeable amount of fabric to unraveling. A quick zigzag stitch about half an inch from the edge prevents this. Bamboo and hemp fabrics also benefit from pre-washing, though they shrink less dramatically than flannel.
Cut Your Pattern Pieces
A standard reusable pad has an hourglass-shaped body with two wings that extend from the narrowest point. You can find free printable patterns online, or make your own by tracing a disposable pad onto paper and adding half an inch of seam allowance on all sides. A typical daytime pad measures roughly 9 to 10 inches long and 2.5 to 3 inches wide at the center. Overnight pads run 12 to 14 inches.
For each pad, cut:
- One top piece: The full pad shape including wings, from your flannel or jersey
- One bottom piece: The same full shape, from your waterproof fabric (PUL or TPU)
- One or more core pieces: A narrower rectangle or tapered oval that fits inside the body of the pad (not extending into the wings), from your absorbent fabric
The core should be slightly smaller than the pad body so it doesn’t create bulk in the seams. Cut it about half an inch narrower on each side.
Sew the Pad Together
Start by stacking your absorbent core layers and stitching them together with a straight stitch down the center and around the edges. This keeps them from shifting during use and washing.
Next, place your top fabric right side up, lay the sewn core on top of it (centered on the body, not the wings), and baste the core in place with a few stitches. Now place your waterproof bottom piece on top, right side down, so the “good” sides of the top and bottom fabrics face each other with the core sandwiched between them.
Pin everything together and sew around the entire edge with a quarter-inch seam allowance. Leave a gap of about 2 to 3 inches along one straight edge for turning. Clip the curves, especially at the wing corners and the narrowest part of the hourglass, so the fabric lies flat when turned. Turn the pad right side out through the gap, push out the corners, and press flat with an iron (use low heat over the waterproof layer). Topstitch around the entire pad about an eighth of an inch from the edge, which closes the turning gap and gives the pad a finished look.
Finally, attach your snaps to the wings. Place them so the wings overlap by about an inch when wrapped around the gusset of standard underwear. One snap per wing works for most styles, though wider wings may need two.
How Many Pads to Make
Most people need 6 to 8 pads for a single cycle if they’re washing every day or two. A more comfortable rotation is 10 to 12, which gives you enough to go a few days between washes without running out. Consider making a mix: two or three pantyliners, four to five regular daytime pads, and two or three heavy or overnight pads.
If you’re currently spending around $7 to $8 per pack of disposable pads (prices have risen nearly 40% since 2020), and you buy several packs per year, a set of homemade pads pays for itself within a few months. A yard of flannel costs a few dollars, and absorbent core fabric runs $10 to $15 per yard, which is enough material for multiple pads.
Washing and Care
After use, rinse your pad in cold water to flush out as much blood as possible. Cold water is important here because hot water sets protein-based stains. Once rinsed, you can toss it in a wet bag or small bucket until laundry day.
Wash pads in water that reaches at least 140°F to kill bacteria effectively, then dry in a dryer for 45 minutes. A standard hot cycle on most machines hits this temperature. Use a simple, fragrance-free detergent. Avoid fabric softener, which coats fibers and reduces absorbency over time. If you notice any lingering odor, adding a splash of white vinegar to the rinse cycle helps without damaging the fabric.
For stain removal on light-colored pads, hydrogen peroxide or color-safe bleach works without degrading the waterproof layer the way chlorine bleach can. Soaking a stained pad in cold water with a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide for 30 minutes before washing handles most discoloration.
Making Them Last
With proper care, cloth pads last 8 to 10 years or more. The waterproof layer is usually the first thing to degrade, so treat it gently. Avoid ironing directly on PUL or TPU at high heat, skip chlorine bleach, and don’t wring pads aggressively. Air drying extends the life of the waterproof backing, though occasional machine drying is fine and helps with sanitization.
You’ll know a pad is reaching the end of its life when the absorbent core starts feeling thin, the waterproof layer lets moisture through, or the snaps no longer hold securely. At that point, the top and bottom fabric often still have life in them. Some people disassemble old pads, replace the core, and resew them for another few years of use.