Out of TP & Sanitary Napkins?

I think rags were the monthly solution long ago.

Thanks again 2ifbyC for the tip about natural sponges.
Mine just arrived yesterday and will be great insurance for the possibility of running out of TP.

The company I purchased them from states that given proper care, a natural sponge should last for 6 to 7 years.

The instruction sheet that came with mine says:

1. For initial use, rinse out thoroughly with mild shampoo and water. Squeeze dry.

2. Rinse in cold water and squeeze dry after each use.

3. When not in use, keep in a dry place, but do not close the sponge up in a sealed container or plastic bag.

4. To refresh your sponge every 6 months to a year, mix 2 TBSP Baking Soda to 16oz Water. Let the sponge soak for at least 2 hours. Rinse, squeeze dry and your sponge will be like brand new!

5. NEVER USE AMMONIA OR BLEACH!!
This will only deteriorate and weaken your sponge.

My sponges were not purchased to replace tampons though. Just for general use and for possible use if we run out of TP.
I'm sure they'd require sanitizing after each use in that case instead of twice a year ...
    
NOTE - I noticed that many suppliers sell much smoother, small sized sponges for facial use. Those might be perfect for replacing tampons.


    

Edited by oknut - May 16 2006 at 8:59am

HappyCamper wrote: That's it.....I going to buy yet another 2 pk of 100 tampons and pads   They'll be no sponges in this house...No way....Na da  With a shortage of water, No way am I thinking about a sponge.... . Think I'll get another pack of 48 toliet paper.  Scotts 1000 sheet ...That should put me up to the ceiling...   Thanks for the tip anyway....[IMG]height=17 alt=Embarrassed src="http://www.avianflutalk.com/smileys/smiley9.gif" width=17 align=absMiddle>

     

Cracked me up! Thank goodness I no longer have the monthly issue to worry about and don't expect to run out of TP - we've stocked a lot of it.

But the sponges are wonderful for bathing and household chores and they'll outlast the synthetic ones many times over.

It's just sort of an insurance policy to know that they could be used in a pinch for other sanitation issues.

 Yall are too much.

I think we are good-to-go on the tp issue. I came home the other day and one of the things I pcked up was about 10 boxes macaroni cheese for the prep supply. On sale. My wife looks at them and says "thats not the kind they like, the boys won't eat that". I said "if it comes to eating this, after a few servings of rice and beans, those kids will kiss me on the lips for ANY mac and cheese".

Edited by JMcB - May 16 2006 at 7:14pm

Do not use [reuse] sponges for tampons please. Your risking toxic shock syndrome.

hi to all, found a web site www.hillbillyhousewife.com   look under "other goodies" you will find pattern to make sanitary pads and links to other sites to make them. also she has great recipes that i just printed out. good luck       roxy

Just Google "menstrual cup". I found one site and there are more that have something called "the keeper". It's some kind of little rubber-like cup you insert in your vagina and you just empty it and wash it, no pads. I have no experience with it but had heard of it so you might want to research it. I'm done with periods. That's one good thing about aging! I just googled it and the keeper is at this site.

    The other option, you know, is to have your physician prescribe your birth control so that you take it on a continuing basis -- you skip the 7 placebo pills and just start the next pack. Voila, no period. Talk to your doctor about it -- mine indicated she didn't think there was any medical problem with doing this.

If you've got insurance -- particularly if you're dealing with mail order -- have the doctor actually WRITE OUT how the pills should be taken on the prescription rather than using abbreviations. It's more likely to be entered into the computer correctly by the pharmacist and therefore more likely to be covered by insurance.

At any rate -- if you've got a sufficient supply of birth control on hand, you can avoid dealing with a period this way, as long as your doctor okays it. (Oh, also, it's still a good idea to have SOME supplies on hand. Sometimes you can get breakthrough bleeding anyway. But most women on birth control know this.)

Leva

Hi ALL...

"THE KEEPER" IS  REALLY GREAT!

MYSELF & TWO DAUGHTERS USED IT PRIOR TO Y2K & IT WORKS REALLY GREAT. STILL HAVE OURS & AM PLANNIG ON USING THEM IF NEEDED DURING BF PANDEMIC.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK IT OUT.  PERHAPS IT WILL ANSWER YOUR "PERIOD" QUESTIONS.  WORKED FINE FOR US, ANYWAY.

GOD HELP US ALL...
PEGGY

I used to live in Indonesia, in a remote part of Borneo, and they did not use TP there. They used their left hand, soap, and water to clean. OK, you're saying, how gross, but there's a limit to how long you can wait without "going" so I did it and got used to it. After a while it actually seemed a lot cleaner than "dry" toilet paper.

It is much easier to clean cloth well.  Sponges always leave stuff in them lodged in those nooks and crannies. 

Miss Maggie after I found your site I made my 16 yr old daughter some and she loves them.