5 Easy Ways to Clean Your Menstrual Cup in Public
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- čas přidán 12. 06. 2024
- Time to tackle a big subject - how to clean your menstrual cup in public. No, it doesn't involve ever leaving the privacy of your bathroom stall! I'm sharing 5 easy options to choose from when you're on your period and need to empty your cup in public. These tips also apply to reusable menstrual discs, but I've included some additional advice for these products as well.
My favorite method? Skip cleaning entirely! Just remove the cup, empty contents, and re-insert. You can wash at home later.
Did I run around town (and Germany) to film various bathrooms over the course of a few weeks? Yes. Yes I did. Could these shots have been better if I weren't terrified of public humiliation? Also yes. Short of perfect shots I had to use an iPhone and go for "the best camera is the one you have with you" approach to videography. Better to product helpful content than keep waiting weeks for better footage.
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00:00 Introduction
01:08 Why menstrual cups can be convenient on the go
01:55 1. Use "on the go" cup wipes
02:33 2. Use travel cup cleaning spray
02:55 3. Bring a travel squirt bottle
04:22 4. Pre wet paper towels
05:19 5. Just empty and re-insert
06:32 Winning the bathroom lottery - sink in stall
07:20 Extra advice for cleaning menstrual discs in public
08:09 Cleaning my disc in public story
09:15 Menstrual disc self-emptying to avoid public emptying
10:14 Do what works best for YOU
My best strategy so far with my disc is to not put it in until I’m within the 12-hour removal window. Sometimes I leave for work at 5:30am and can get home as late as 7pm. So I insert my disc around 7-10am and wear a cloth pad in the morning til then. Honestly I don’t even want to try a total removal and reinsertion of a disc away from home. Without a full rinsing it would be way too messy IMO and I think I would feel too rushed to place it properly.
I've been fine just using a regular drinking water bottle that I usually carry when I travel anyway to give my cup a quick rinse and then re-insert. Similar to the accessible stall/bathroom, the "family restroom" in places that have it can also have a sink in it and be a bit more private, but again those are there for particular situations so use best judgement.
Gender neutral restrooms are great for this! Since they normally come with a sink and a toilet in the same room
OMG YESSSSs!!! So amazing to find since swapping to a cup a few years ago for the privacy and no worries of anyone else around!!
Thank you for another brilliant video! 👏My tip is to change your cup just before you leave the house. Simple but effective!
Obviously this wont help everyone, it depends on your flow 👌
A Mario Bros. Nintendo 3 DS case is where I keep all my menstrual products for on- the go situations. Good concealing period stuff & gives one that "oh yeah" feeling if you are a gamer. Even Hello Kitty pencil cases are cool 😎 to use.
i just got one of those silicon sterilisers so what i plan to do is fill it with water bring it to the stall and put it in and shake to rinse. i tested it out and it worked pretty well!
My strategy is DON'T BE EMBARRASSED to wash discs in public. I've done it a couple of times since my disc rarely auto dump. People don't really care, and even they do, they try to not look at you. I mean after all it is a female bathroom, we all have period, if they are uncomfortable with period maybe that's not my problem.
It’s not the best idea if there’s other people in the bathroom because you never know if anyone is sensitive to blood, kind of like a phobia. I used to be sensitive to seeing blood and I couldn’t stop thinking about the blood that I saw all day. I would just keep that in mind. 😅
I have only had to change once in public with a reusable product and I’ve been using them for 8 years now!
that is definitely impressive!
@@PeriodNirvana I'm still waiting for the Hello disc to come out in BLACK for me to buy it. I use the DOT cup which is black and I'm so happy with it! But I'm interested in trying a disc now and Hello disc is the only one I want!! 😣 Do you know if the Hello disc will actually come out in BLACK???!!!
I dealt with this using your hello disc in a public restroom last week! I got blood everywhere including the stalls 😭 and had a very messy cleanup (even walked out with blood on my forearm during the chaos) but somehow got asked out again. It happens!
Thanks to you have packed a well shocked periods kit for my sister 6 for now and cousins that are 8. I full will all types of goodies that even my aunts had no idea what things are. Such as books. Every type of products opinions for periods. And cute plushie that has shape like heart 💛 with a quote you mentioned before.
I use a little perfume spray bottle that I repurposed. It is small (2 oz or so) and because it has a spray pump, I have the option to use the spray or open it and get a bit more water out that way. I keep it in my purse all the time with just a little bit of water. That way if it breaks or leaks it's not a huge amount to spill all over. I also keep a pair of thin fabric thong underwear as an emergency, in case I ever need to change. I LOVE my bidet too and hate using "regular US toilets" when at work or traveling.
This comment terrified me until I read that it was repurposed 😂
Thanks! This was super helpful! The tips provided give me more confidence to try it outside of the home.
Most of the time I am on my period I am using public restrooms. I do delivery work. Sometimes I use toilet paper to clean my disc or cup. Lots of times I just reinsert it without wiping it off.
luckily in india, most toilets like at the mall or restaurants have a handheld bidet so i just use that, else there will definitely be a tap within the stall .. but yes changing in a moving train was probably the most challenging for me..
ps wont the alcohol wipes or sanitizer cause irritation down there?
it should evaporate away and it works as a sterilizer. When you don't have access to boiling your cup it's another way of sterilizing as well.
I hv to empty my disc so many times in public...i srsly dky i nvr get 8hrs wear time..my disc fills up in 3hr on first 2days of my cycle...and i cant find any high capacity options in India.
Hello - Thanks for this great video. The more informative videos like these - it will allow me to be better able to support my significant other when needed. A suggestion I would like to add is to have a Pack of the "Lume" Acidified Deodorant Body Wipes. They would make cleaning a menstrual cup or disc a very easy and quick process. The wipes are "flushable" like toilet paper - so you can dispose of them in a very easy and environmentally way.
I’ve switched to a disc which I leave in all day and rely on auto dumping for heavy days; however, when I did use a cup, I would carry a small spray bottle with water in my purse. It was easy to spray the blood residue out and then reinsert the cup. I also used the spray bottle to get the blood off my fingers.
When you auto-dump, do you ever have leftover drops drip down later from what dumped through the canal?
Not for me but residual leaks aren’t unheard of.
😮😮😮 3 años después sigo aprendiendo. Yo llevo mi copa extra para cambiar cuando salgo. No sabia que solo puedo vaciarla y listo😮😮😮
9:31 what do you mean by "bear down"? Also do any of these product cause cramping? I know sometimes when I've used tampons i end up with more cramping so i was wondering if any of these may have a similar effect
When you urinate you're likely "bearing down" to help push urine out, even if you don't notice. That can be enough to cause a disc to "self empty" for some. But for others more force, like pushing for a bowel movement, is the only amount enough to cause a disc to empty. Both are down while sitting so this combo is how the disc self empties. As for cramps, they aren't known to induce cramps, no. In fact many say their cramps were lessened or ceased when they switched to a cup or disc.
It depends, if the cup or disk is the wrong size or shape for you it may cause some discomfort/possible cramping. For me, the first cup I tried was way to firm and wide for me to be comfortable which caused a bit of cramping but not much more than usual. But then the second cup I tried, the saalt soft teen cup, worked so well I would completely forget about it until emptying. Tampons used to make me cramp, but after finding the right cup fir me the cramps have sort of lessened.
I'm team bidet too Kim 😅🎉
which would be better for a dancer in general who is always active and like doing stuff dancers do yk, a cup or disk? any suggestions?
Both should work alright. Would recommend a period cup. ~Karate student
Can you use non scented hand sanitizer?
what is a good soap to clean a cup with? all i know is something gentle, and antibacterial but i don’t feel as though a hand soap would be the best option.
Non scented & non oil based soap with a suitable pH. Not just any regular soap.
Hello Kim!!
I'm your 18 year old viewer.....
1) I wanted to switch to Menstrual discs from Pads, but I feel the Hello disc is quite big for me ....I wanted to try a smaller size first, but Hello doesn't offer sizes....do you have any future plans for bringing Hello size small??
if Not,
2) Could you please try and review Moonthlies new menstrual disc with triple loop Removal tab?? (It offers sizes)
It's a humble request 🙏🙏
Please do reply 🙏❤️
I have a couple of questions:
1.) I don't want to carry a water bottle to my stall because it is too awkward or weird to do that at some places (e.g. my workplace). If I use toilet paper to wipe my cup, I always see tiny bits or hairs of paper that stick to my cup. They would only come off if I were to rinse it with water. Won't these bits of paper cause irritation or buildup of bacteria when it enters the vagina?
2.) Won't sanitizer wipe ingredients like oils, scents and other non-evaporating (non-alcoholic) substances irritate some women down there?
You can buy yourself a second cup. Change one cup for another one when you're at work, put the dirty one in some container or so, then when you are home just wash and boil both of them
@@helenalimo3133 That is actually a wonderful idea, thanks! I don't know why I haven't thought about this.
Before I bought the formoonsa collapsible cleaner, I just took it out in the stall and cleaned off the blood with toilet paper then put my disc back in.
Hi,can I ask which is better for physically demanding sports (like karate, judo, or taekwondo)? (Cup or disc?)
Both should work. If it's Karate, go with a period cup.
Plz plz plz try the BODYOTICS DISC plzzzzz
I always get extra messy when taking my cup out because I have to scoop for it even though I wear a Diva cup and I do lots of kegels to push it out. So, I prefer to change it outside only if I can have access to a sink.
Carry a package of wet wipes or baby wipes in a backpack. I use a Mario Nintendo Bros. 3 DS case to keep my period products like a small bottle 🍼 of water- based lubricant, wet wipes in. Even have a Nintendo 3 DS case for my toilette bag & backpack. Helps keep things all in one place. A package of baby wipes is good to carry too. Backpacks are more convenient because it's a roomier to keep my stuff in. 🍀Hope this helps.
Pencil cloth bags are also good to use as well.
I know the signs of when my cup is getting too full and I need to empty it. What are the signs with the disc? New disc user here after using cups for 10 years and I’m emptying often because I’m not sure if it’s full or not.
What are the signs you have with the cup?
@@applesaft I can feel a bubbling sensation when it gets too full.
I’m at uni and I am thinking about changing to cups but I only have shared bathrooms at my accommodation and they are unisex with no sinks in the room is it maybe best to just not use cups because these methods seemed so awkward still and I would be so embarrassed if I bumped into my flat mates while covered in blood 😭😭
Try to change it in the shower. Also you can buy a second cup and change to clean one when it's the middle of the day and you don't plan showering.
Do you plan checking out Lumma's menstrual cups?
I can't sit on a puplic toilet. It is gross and even worse the midwest don't use seat covers. I try using toilet paper all over but the paper moves! so, I wind up dripping blood on the floor. I have a heavy period, so while I try to change before over flow I can't always. So, yeah I stay anxious about the problem.
You don't have to sit on the toilet to change your cup. I find it easier to do while squatting over the toilet. And also don't worry about the floor, just clean it with toilet paper.
Can we use sanitizer instead of cup cleaning spray 😢😢😊😊
Wouldn’t alcohol irritate you?
I dunno maybe I am not seeing it the way you do but I can't for the life of me think that I won't end up with an infection by either touching something in the stall for example to close the door or the ingredients on the random wipes or disinfectant you refer too. Even the bottle would require not to touch anything around and the bottle itself to be extra clean....
I really don't think changing in public unless there is some sink in the toilet is actually safe.
The level of cleaning you're outlining is not necessary. Don't overthink it just because it's a menstrual cup. Regular handwashing before you change your cup is fine. You don't need surgical level prep and a sterile environment.
@@PeriodNirvana what I am describing isn't surgically clean... Touching the handle of a public bathroom stall isn't like touching my handle on my home. Maybe you haven't had in your life before that experience and I really dislike you brushing off the fact that infections do happen. It is really sad because on your last videos you come off as we are overreacting while my comments are based on my experiences..... I have had issues with getting an infection because I used soap to clean my cup......
Please don't assume that what you suggest is working safely for everyone. Touching a surface in a public bathroom and getting an infection isn't a far fetched surgically clean hysteria....
@@IroSelene you can open/lock the door with your non-dominant hand
@@Keebzoo yes but I will actually need two hands to insert the cup. I can only see two or methods combined to make a proper change without ending up with infection either from whatever is on the surface level or irritation from casually scented and fragranced wipes/disinfectant.
@@IroSeleneI would say after you wash your hands, use a paper towel to open and close the bathroom stall (even the upper parts of your fingers with the paper towel on them so you’re not using the parts of your fingers you’d need to change it), and take a small water bottle with a cap (not for drinking, one you just opened or specifically for menstrual purposes) if you feel the need to rinse.
I understand what you’re saying and I avoid public restrooms at all costs… which is why I’m thankful for the disc.
Maybe also bringing soap that you trust with you. I got an infection from trying a different soap I think, and I’ve been over cautious ever since.
Might also be called the diva cup............
menstrual cup is its proper name and diva cup is the name of one of the most popular brands of mentrual cups! its common for people to call it by diva cup since its so well known
You might find this article about DivaCup interesting: www.periodnirvana.com/from-divacup-to-just-diva/ DivaCup is a brand, the product itself in all it's shapes, designs, sizes, etc is called a menstrual cup or period cup.
@@PeriodNirvana Thank you I appreciate the information.
I just recently figured out that my disc and cup don't fit properly because I have a weak pelvic floor. 🫤