FAQs
TCS-eco
TCS stands for The Cloth Stop.
When I set up the business, I thought of a name that covered what we wanted to do. I wanted to use cloth to stop leaks, reduce household waste and make a reusable cloth period product that was functional as well as fun.
Social media shortened it to TCS when they were tagging and recommending me, so I went with the flow, the values are still the same we still want to use cloth to stop leaks!
The most common name for reusable cloth pads is cloth sanitary pads.
It is a pad you can wash and use for either menstrual or incontinence needs. After use instead of disposing in a bin to landfill you wash it and use when required. Reusable cloth pads are generally less expensive than disposable pads over time, and reduce the amount of waste produced.
Yes, in 2017 we altered all our materials so that our pads were suitable for high-capacity leaks. The volumes on the page comply with incontinence pad working volumes not maximum volumes.
We are choosey about our backing materials. At the start of the year we made the decision to create our own PUL (polyurethane laminated) fleece.
We are the only reusable pad maker to have done this.
Most use a material designed for clothing or nappies. Ours are designed to be thin, discrete and the most breathable material on the market. Our backing material was designed to prevent any sweaty foofs or pads that like to roam due to using just PUL!
We also offer PUL with organic cotton and these make our pads under 5% plastic, our windpro backed pads are the airiest we offer but they are not waterproof only water resistant!
It’s all about choice and the choice is yours!
We use material that has been printed using reactive dye printing, which is a slow fashion printing technique, this means the pads will last longer and in turn reduce landfill. We have altered our backing materials and unlike imports that have a lifespan of around 10 washes ours is around 10 years.
For our pads the “flozone” is incredibly important. The double rim of outer stitching helps contain any liquid within the centre of the pad and prevents leaks. The absorbency down the centre is our signature stitch and it has 2 functions, it pulls the flow into the centre of the pad and away from the edges, it also makes the absorbency of the pad easily identifiable.
How to care for Reusable Cloth Pads
Yes, they are easily washed in a washing machine at 30 degrees, or by hand wash.
My preference is to dry store mine and at the end of my cycle, then I do a cold wash in my washing machine to get rid of any unwanted waste and then transfer to a 40 degree wash with dark clothes, no fabric softeners.
You can tumble dry TCS-eco reusable cloth pads occasionally on a low heat. Our standard backing is heat resistant to over 60oC.
Hint: Other elements can be altered by tumble drying such as the poppers.
Shapes and absorbencies and materials?
We have pictures of every shape of pad in the guides section. If you are unsure of the shapes, widths and names, these give a visual aid to the information. If you know the specific shape you want and a pack, pop over to the stash builder section to select a pack of 3 or the custom create to design your own pad.
Some people need a night absorbency, but only a small length. Unlike with generic disposables, we have you covered offering a wide range of choice.
Everybody is different, some users need long pads that give a large coverage to prevent leaks, some people bleed off the sides and need a wide pad, others need a short super absorbent pad. We have all the options. the choice is yours.
We are all different in our shape, size and lifestyle.
Slim 1.75 -2” is often suitable for smaller framed people and I love them for when I’m doing exercise.
Standard width 2.25-2.5” are the same width as a disposable.
Wide width are 2.75-3” our hourglass wides (most popular wides) Conical and Florence (designed for front or back leak patterns).
Everybody is different, some users need long pads that give a large coverage to prevent leaks, some people bleed off the sides and you need a wide pad.
We choose to use hemp as a liner core. It’s the most sustainable natural material on the market, naturally anti-microbial grows significantly faster than cotton and does not require any chemical processing to become a fabric like rayon bamboo.
Our other core material for regulars heavies and nights is zorb 3d. its a super core material 100% natural.
We offer a range to make sure you have the best period experience possible. Our standard pads are the Classic, Petite and Hourglass, these shapes are all like different disposables on the market. If you are new to reusables, I always suggest a starter pack first to see what shape suites you.
We offer 3 of the most popular top fabrics.
Cotton Jersey most popular, lightweight, fast wicking (liquid moving from a high to a low volume), massive range of prints to choose.
Bamboo Velour, a natural material with an absorbent quality, brilliant for people who have fast gushy flows.
Minky/Plush (we only use short pile minky), synthetic material that is stay dry, stain free and fast wicking, amazing for incontinence pads.
We offer a huge range of prints to suite every person. We have busy prints that will hide any stains or discolouration. Natural materials are all likely to stain, however TCS-eco materials are printed using a long lasting printing technique.
Hint: If you are worried about stains look at minky/plush as a top fabric as its stain free.
Pads and Packs Guide
We suggest a starter pack of 3 pads and see if they are the correct length and absorbency, then work with what shape you like and build form there, rather than go all in and buy the wrong products.
We developed the Tween Pack specifically for people who are new to cloth. It combines our standard width petite pad and slim pads. Both these pads were designed specifically for smaller frames.
We do, it’s our Night range!
We choose not to call them a post-partum pad because a lot of people who need that level of absorbency may not be able to have babies and post-partum and night are quite close together in absorbencies, so we make them to the higher absorbencies and call them night.
For a full stash, to not need a mid-cycle wash we suggest around 22 pads.
A good starter set up is about 12-15.
I personally use about 16 pads. It all depends on your cycle and how often you change.
For a full cycle without washing, work out how many disposables you use per day.
Our calculator can help you, i.e. changing every 4 hours, if you have a 4 day cycle, is 16 pads, include a few for night-time and a few for lighter days.
This is something I can give you as guidance, but essentially you know your own body and will be able to work it out after a few cycles.
A daily or liner pad is generally 7” and liner absorbency would have you more than covered.
A regular day pad is generally 9” and a regular absorbency.
A night pad is generally 10” and a heavy or night absorbency depending on your flow should have you covered.
A post-partum pad is generally 11” and a night absorbency.
A confidence pad is specifically designed for high-capacity leaks and full bladder loss. These are super absorbent and depending on length can hold up to 300 ml.
Yes, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to back up that your cycle will reduce if you use cloth.
The science behind it is a bit blah blah blah, however this is the basic…
Imagine food poisoning (bear with me) your body gets a signal and your start to try and remove the toxin that is making you feel ill. You feel queasy, you know something is wrong then boom vomit or poonami. Well imagine that in your vagina, it’s a similar process, some disposables brag about the stay dry layer. That layer is pulling moisture away from your vagina and then your vagina produces more, because the stay dry layer is making something dry that should be wet. When your vagina keeps on activating more mucous protective barrier, it is activating your immune system saying there is a problem, so your body goes all out on the defensive for a whole week with no idea why, all because a disposable has a stay dry layer. Your period lasts longer because the chemicals are causing it to drag on. Some people say they don’t notice it and this is mostly due to everybody is different.
If you were to use a harmful chemical free disposable, you will notice no difference.
Are reusable cloth pads better for your health and environment?
Yes.
TCS-eco reusable cloth pads are free from harmful chemicals.
We use a combination of materials to absorb and wick liquid into our core “flozone” where it is locked away from your skin. This is combined with the double outer stitch locked away from the edges to prevent leaks.
If you choose to reuse, our pads can reduce landfill by *30kg to under 1kg of waste.
*22 pads per cycle multiplied by 13 cycles a year multiplied by 10 years (following correct washing and care).
Check out our calculator to see how much you could save, if you move to TCS-eco reusables.
Timescales and Deliveries
We have a supply of ready made pads, however we custom make a lot to order and these can take up to 21 days. We aim for within 10 days.
We use Royal Mail as our default delivery service and normally it takes 3-5 days from shipping notification.
Any question?
If we still haven't answered your question, you can contact us below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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