Most sanitary are made to be single use. Cutting one and breaking it apart to understand how those are made is an interesting experience.
Reusable, washable pads exist but, to my knowledge, are not that main stream. But should.
I grew up surrounded by women recalling the time before discardable sanitary pads were a thing and every single one remembered using home made cloths made of thick and absorbent cotton, capable of being washed again and again, even for a lifetime.
Soft leather would also be an alternative, being absorbent, durable and washable.
I should have clarified, I meant the pads that she made from the jeans, therefore negating the need to harvest more.
Thanks for the info though, I didn’t know about the leather fact.
There is no such thing as too many pads, even more if we consider the setting of the story. I can even imagine being used as a barter item.
Linen (the fabric, not necessarily “bed linen”) is better, it absorbs the blood differently and leaves a cleaner surface for longer, but I am told that linen is pretty rare in the US, and cotton more common. You can put a leather or a synthetic core in to prevent soakthrough. Leather isn’t machine washable (less of an issue in a post apoc world, but I live in a pre-apoc world) so synthetic layer is better. They smell less and work well, and cost little. I recommend to all.
I’m going to remind this for when I write my own zombie book.
I’m not in the US, but linen is hard to find here as well. It’s expensive and to my knowledge the process is harder to mechanize than other fabrics. But the end product is a lot more durable. I’ve held an heirloom bed set made of linen and with years of use it was still very much new. And the feel…
I’m in Australia. Linen Teatowels are pretty common in second hand shops for cheap, and real linen bedsheets and similar are common in Aldi.
