How to Wash Period Underwear + An Honest Review of Period Undies (Updated for 2023!)

If you’ve been on the fence about getting period underwear, here’s an honest review of The Period Company, and instructions on how to wash period underwear.

Note: There are ads and affiliate links throughout this site, but this review of The Period Company is not sponsored. I’m an actual customer of The Period Company and I’m receiving absolutely no compensation for my honest opinion on their products. I’m just a fan of good period products, and this, my friends, is a good period product.

There is a referral link at the end of the post for those who want to save 25% on their first purchase from The Period Company. In return for each successful referral, I am offered a free pair of undies, or the option to have them donated. If my referral link is used, I promise to redeem my reward for no more than four (4) pairs of undies for myself (I really oughtn’t need any more than that, seeing as I have four already), and any further rewards will be happily donated to those in need.

Now, let’s talk period undies.

[April 2023 Update: I no longer have periods thanks to hormone therapy, but I still wear my period underwear on a regular basis. They’re the most comfortable undies I own, especially at times when I’m working out and getting, er, sweaty down there. I still highly recommend this brand!]

The Period Company: A Brief Review

The Period Company is a gender-inclusive, community-minded, affordable source for period underwear. (Seriously, their standard undies are just $12 each*! That’s practically a steal for reusable period products.)

*The Period Company has actually lowered their price to just $9! [Updated April 2023]

There are other well-known period underwear brands, such as Thinx and Knix.

But The Period Company is what I have the most experience with, and that’s what I’m drawing from in general for this review of period underwear.

I have four pairs of The Heavy Period. Bikini, and I love them!

I’ve also got my eyes on The Boxer Period., a slightly more expensive (at $22 a pair) but seemingly worth it (esp. as a transmasc individual) pair of period boxers.

As a previous pad-user, switching to period underwear wasn’t too big a change. I never used tampons, so period undies are pretty close to my comfort zone.

Admittedly, I have pretty light-to-average flow. So, while I might be able to get away with using only one or two pairs of period underwear on my heaviest days, that might not be the case for others.

A potential downside to period underwear, particularly for those with heavy flow, is the hassle of having to change underwear throughout the day. This could especially become complicated if you’re at work or school.

But, really, it’s not much different from changing a pad or tampon every few hours, or emptying a menstrual cup. The only addition is you’ll have to remove a few layers of clothing, since you’re taking that extra step of changing underwear.

The Period Company makes a leak-proof bag to keep a used pair of undies in, which can easily be stored in your purse, backpack, or locker. This makes changing throughout the day mostly hassle-free, even if you’re out and about.

Now, onto the big question that creates hesitancy in some potential period underwear users:

How do you wash them?!

How To Wash Period Underwear

One of the things that held me back from trying period undies for so long, was concerns about washing period underwear.

I don’t live alone, and I was worried about people finding out I had period underwear and thinking I was being unsanitary or something.

Nonsense!

Period underwear aren’t disgusting (nor are periods in general, for that matter), and keeping them clean is easier than you might think!

Do you have to wash period underwear right away?

Period underwear can hold quite a bit of blood – The Period Company’s Heavy pairs boast of an absorbency of up to 9 tampons or 5 pads worth!

But, eventually, you will need to change those undies.

So, do you have to wash period underwear right away?

It’s a good idea to rinse your period underwear after changing into a new pair, so that the blood doesn’t dry up and leave a smell in your laundry basket (or wherever you leave them until you give them a proper clean).

But a full-on wash can wait until your usual laundry day.

When I rinse mine, I add a little bit of soap, just for peace of mind. Then, I squeeze the excess water away, and lay them over the handle of my laundry basket to dry.

If you’re curious to see what the actual process looks like, there’s a video below of me doing my usual rinse before adding the underwear to my laundry pile.

Rinsing My Period Underwear

Content Warning in the below video for menstrual blood.

In the video, you can see that I’m squeezing the blood out of my period underwear, into the bathroom sink.

Admittedly, I was using rather hot water – it’s better to use lukewarm or cold water so that the fabric doesn’t get damaged!

I added a bit of hand soap to the section of fabric that absorbed the most blood, and then rinsed some more.

Okay… so I basically washed these undies.

But I still throw them in for a full wash cycle with the rest of my laundry later, in case I wasn’t as thorough as I thought.

I’ll admit, the first time I squeezed a bright red burst of blood from my undies, I kind of gagged a bit. And I’m not usually squeamish about blood!

But by the second or third day, it was just another part of my period routine.

I just make sure to wash my hands real good with hot water when I’m done, and I’m all set!

Still Squeamish? Get a pair of (eco-friendly!) cleaning gloves so you don’t have to touch the blood directly.

Can you wash period underwear with other clothes?

Yes! Provided you rinse the blood out first, you can wash period underwear with other clothes.

Yes, even in a laundry machine!

While hand-washing is also a great way to take care of your period undies, they are good to go in with your usual machine wash.

Just don’t use any harsh chemicals like bleach or very strong detergent, as that could damage the integrity of the fabric.

Also, cold or lukewarm water is the way to go.

Too much hot water can reduce the absorbency of the fabric over time.

Don’t worry, you don’t need hot water to get those undies clean! The soap will do the job.

Can you put period underwear in the dryer?

Yes! The Period Company’s undies are safe for machine drying.

I put mine in with the rest of my laundry on a low heat.

(Remember, heat can damage the fabric and lessen the absorbency level over time.)

But, if you’d rather, they can hang dry or lay flat to dry, though it might take a little longer (I would expect about 24 hours, depending on where you’re drying them and what the temperature is like).

Alright, I’ve given an honest review of my experience with The Period Company, and we’ve covered how to wash period underwear.

Now, the question is…

Should You Get Period Underwear?

Well, that’s an entirely personal decision. I’m not a fan of telling people they have to do their periods a certain way.

But, I do recommend period underwear, and have had good experiences with it myself.

If after reading this post you think you might like period undies, too, I encourage you to try them out!

You can start with just one or two pairs, and give them a trial run on your next period.

That’s what I did, and ended up buying more when I realized I never wanted to period another way again!

Maybe you’ll feel differently for yourself, but I do recommend giving them a shot, because if they do work out for you, they can end up saving you tons of money in the long run.

The average person spends over $150 a year on pads and/or tampons.

The Period Company sells most of their undies at $12 $9 each. [Price updated as of April 2023.]

Let’s say you set yourself up with 5 pairs of period underwear. That’s $60 $45 for the year – less than half the cost of disposable period products!

And, considering that period underwear is reusable and can last years upon years if you take care of the fabric so it can retain its absorbency, that $45 can end up stretching out over multiple years!

Quite a worthy investment if they work out for you.

Want to save 25% off your first purchase from The Period Company?

Full disclosure: for each successful referral through my link, I can receive a free pair of period underwear, or choose to have a pair donated. I really don’t see myself needing more than four (4) more pairs at this point (that way I’ll have two pairs a day for four days during my period without needing to do laundry – that’s plenty for my typical period), so if more than 4 people use my link, I promise to happily donate the rest of my referral rewards to those in need!

By the way, The Period Company’s Refer a Friend program is open to anyone. That means that you, too, can generate a referral link to share with your friends, and receive a free pair of undies (up to a $12 value), or the chance to donate a pair, for each successful referral.

Let the savings flow!

However you choose to period, I hope you have a bloody good time!

(…Yeah, I’ll just… see myself out, now.)

Sincerely,

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Hey! While we’re on the subject of periods, here are some tips for making them more manageable.

If eco-friendly living is part of your motivation for trying period underwear, check out this list of easy ways to make your home more sustainable!

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Do you use period underwear? Are you thinking about trying them? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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