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any suggestions on how to avoid menstrual pad adhesives from balling up all over the place? (self.womensstuff)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by dandelion to c/womensstuff@piefed.blahaj.zone
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when I wear pads, the adhesive usually balls up, ends up on the panties which then get transferred to my thighs and hands, and then it makes a mess everywhere - it gets smeared on countertops, onto toilet seats, etc. and is a pain to clean up ...

any suggestions on how to avoid the adhesive balling up or this problem in general? it seems to be a problem with any brand I use, they all have adhesives to keep the pad in place in the panties 🤷‍♀️

made this post NSFW just in case anyone is squeamish about talk of pads and so on 😅

edit:

here's a photo of what I'm talking about:

click to expand and see photo

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[-] GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world 5 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Cotton, for starters. Good sturdy cotton briefs. Nylon, silk, and Lycra don't have enough "stick potential". Boxers and boyshorts are too long to fold the wings underneath, so usually I have a designated Sacrificial Set for the Week of Blood. If you have thick thighs or are very active, your pads are just gonna bunch up. Such is the way of things. But wings and cotton briefs do a lot of good.

As far as disposable period panties go? I'm just gonna say it. They're just adult Depends sold in single packs. I have a spare set in my backpack in case I need a Very Disposable Sacrificial Set for when the Week of Blood catches me by surprise. (got a fun, random cycle. wheeeee) If you genuinely like period panties that much, save yourself the grief and get adult diapers. Zero shame. They work great in a pinch, they're just not environmentally friendly, or cost-effective. I have one as a Break Glass In Case Of Emergency.

For the most part, I only use pads at night, or for the last three or four days. First two days, it's tampons. It's just cheaper and cleaner that way.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 9 points 1 day ago

How do you feel about reusable pads? They have those little clippy studs instead

[-] sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago

Came here to recommend this. Bonus is not having to go to the store. 👍

[-] dandelion 1 points 8 hours ago

I'm converted, ordered some GladRags last night!

[-] dandelion 4 points 23 hours ago

omg, brilliant - I'm not sure I realized there were reusable pads, but that would definitely get rid of the adhesive problem!

the only tradeoff is they are more expensive and I tend to change my pad every time I pee, so I would go through a lot of pads ... as long as I have enough that I can wash and get through a day it should be fine

thank you so much for this 🫶

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 5 points 22 hours ago

Could also try period underpants? They're quite remarkable

[-] dandelion 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

I have a single pair I wear, I think the brand is "saalt"? They're nice, but I treat them more like an emergency backup under a pad when I need more absorption / safety ... I think it would probably be easier to wash and cycle through reusable pads than period underpants, though if I had unlimited money maybe period underpants would be more convenient overall - another great suggestion, thank you!

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Yeah i'm an Old Fart, so i treated them as tampon / cup backup or for the random last dregs. Period products have come a looong way!

What country are you in? In Australia they even get sold in supermarkets now

[-] GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Oh, yeah, reusable is a lifesaver when you're in a pinch. Going traditional-style is always an option, our great-grandmas did it for years. Saved my ass when I was extremely broke.

Diva Cups are nice too, especially since they're basically reusable, very sanitary tampons. Problem is, well, sanitizing between uses. Follow the manufacturer directions, and you'll be fine.

[-] Polkira@piefed.ca 6 points 1 day ago

No suggestions on the adhesive issues, but I recently bought period underwear to try out instead of the disposable pads. I can't give a review yet because I haven't had a chance to actually use them but might be worth looking into! I bought some from Costco but I just grabbed another pair from the grocery store because they were in boy shorts style and I find that more comfortable. Brand that I just bought is Revolcares, Costco one that I bought was Knix.

I usually wear cotton underwear with Kotex pads, biggest issue I've had is sometimes the adhesive pulls on the gusset seam depending on the underwear. I haven't experienced the adhesive balling like that.

[-] cactusfangs@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

I notice this sometimes on my underwear that is made from synthetic materials. I have more a problem with bits of the pad literally not coming off because it’s so stuck. But I don’t have any issues on my 100% cotton undies.

[-] dandelion 4 points 23 hours ago

hm, all the underwear I've been wearing is 100% cotton undies, and it's less like the pad getting stuck or not coming off, and more like the adhesive coming off the pad and then getting on the undies

but good to know anyway - thanks for sharing your experience!

I tend to dislike the texture of the synthetic fibers, so I tend to wear cotton as much as possible (it's a bit pricey, but I like to get my underwear from Pact).

[-] razorcandy@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 1 day ago

The pads with “wings” in the center that fold over the underwear provide more stability. The fit of your underwear and pants could also be causing the pad to shift around too much when you move.

[-] dandelion 4 points 1 day ago

interesting idea, but I'm having this problem when I use pads with wings too, and I don't seem to have any problem with pads shifting whether I use wings or not 🤔

I suspect it's my body heat causing the adhesive to become gel-like and to come off the pad - how long I wear the pad is the main predictor of whether those little sticky gel balls are on my panties or not when I remove the pad, with overnight pads causing this the most and pads I only use for an hour or so being less of a problem

[-] Chromebby@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yes I’ve noticed a sticky adhesive transfer to my panties before. While it doesn’t happen often, it seems to happen to certain panties I have that are made of a synthetic fabric blend. I’ve never had it happen while wearing cotton.

this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2025
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