Most preparedness writing omits this entirely, which is a strange oversight given it affects roughly half of any household, every month, for decades, and does not pause for emergencies.
It is also one of the clearer cases where reusables genuinely win, provided you understand what they demand in return.
Why this belongs in the app
- It does not stop. Whatever else is happening, this continues on its own schedule.
- Disposables are bulky, heavy and finite. They are among the fastest things to run out and the least practical to stockpile in quantity.
- Poor management causes real problems: skin breakdown, infection, and in rare cases toxic shock syndrome.
- It affects dignity and morale disproportionately, and morale is a genuine survival factor.
- It affects girls as well as women. In a household with a daughter, this becomes relevant on a timescale you do not control.
How much you would actually need
That is a lot of bulk, it degrades in storage, and it produces waste that has to go somewhere with no collections. Two menstrual cups cost a few pounds, weigh almost nothing, and last up to a decade each.
The arithmetic is what makes this an easy decision, and it is the same shape as several other decisions in this app: a small durable item beats a large consumable stock.
The options compared
| Option | Lifespan | Water needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menstrual cup | Up to 10 years | Moderate: rinse each emptying, boil between cycles | Best long-term. Needs a learning curve, ideally started now |
| Cloth pads | 3 to 5 years | High: washing after every use | Easy, no insertion, most water-hungry |
| Period underwear | 2 to 3 years | High | Comfortable, bulky to dry |
| Reusable applicator-free tampons | Single use | Low | Still a consumable |
| Disposable pads and tampons | Single use | None | Finite, bulky, waste disposal problem |
| Improvised cloth | Indefinite | High | Last resort. Clean cotton, folded, washed hot and sun-dried |
The real trade is water. Reusables convert a supply problem into a washing problem, and in a household rationing water that is a genuine cost rather than a detail. A cup needs far less water than cloth pads, which is the strongest argument for it in this specific scenario.
Cups, and their hygiene requirement
Practical notes: learn to use one now rather than during a crisis, because there is a genuine learning curve of a cycle or two. Buy two, so one can be boiling while the other is in use. Silicone is the common material and TPE is an alternative that some evidence suggests holds bacteria less readily.
Cloth pads
Simpler, no insertion, and the most water-hungry option.
- Rinse in cold water immediately after use. Cold, not hot: heat sets blood into the fabric permanently.
- Soak in cold water, changed daily, until wash day.
- Wash hot, at 60°C or by boiling, which is the same disinfection standard as the lice and scabies page.
- Dry in sunlight if possible. Ultraviolet is a genuine disinfectant and it also bleaches staining.
- Dry completely before storing. Damp storage grows mould.
Making them: several layers of absorbent cotton, flannel, towelling or old t-shirts, with a wider wing section that folds under and fastens. A waterproof backing layer helps. This is a straightforward sewing job and worth having a pattern for in advance.
The soak water is not waste. It goes on the compost or on non-food plants, not into a water butt or anywhere near a drinking supply. See greywater reuse.
Toxic shock syndrome
When periods change
Worth knowing so it is not frightening when it happens.
Stress, weight loss, hard physical work and restricted calories all disrupt cycles. In a prolonged emergency, periods commonly become irregular, lighter, heavier, or stop altogether. That is a normal physiological response to a body under load, and it usually resolves when conditions improve.
What still needs attention:
- Bleeding heavily enough to soak through protection hourly, or with large clots, over several hours.
- Bleeding lasting much longer than usual.
- Severe pain beyond the person's normal.
- Bleeding after the menopause, or between periods, which always warrants assessment.
- Any possibility of pregnancy with pain or bleeding, which can be an ectopic pregnancy and is a genuine emergency.
Heavy bleeding is a real cause of anaemia, which compounds every other hardship: fatigue, poor healing, reduced work capacity and reduced cold tolerance. Iron-rich food matters, and this is one of the arguments for keeping some in the food plan.
What to stock
- Two menstrual cups per person who will use one. Cheap, tiny, decade-long.
- A set of cloth pads, or the fabric and a pattern to make them.
- A reserve of disposables for the learning period, for illness, for guests, and for anyone who cannot use reusables.
- Mild unscented soap, ring-fenced for this.
- A dedicated small container for rinsing water.
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen for cramps.
- A small pot for boiling, kept for this purpose.
- Iron-rich food in the store plan.