Most waste produced in our bathroom used to be two sorts of disposable cotton pads, remover pads and peeling pads., as well as make-up remover wipes. We haven't been buying or using any of the three for more than half a year now. We replaced them with two sorts of reusable cotton fabric pads.
I sewed them myself - of course from upcycling materials. I had been thinking of this project for quite a while before my mum unintentionally gave me the final impetus by padding our Christmas parcel with my sister's old bedlinen to prevent the contents from breaking, get rid of the cloth lying around on her sewing basket and have me sew something from it. instead. This pink and white striped textile was a perfect math for a pink and white baby's bath towel we had kept in our wardrobe for years, not willig to throw it out. That's when I knew: the pads will be pink! From one remover and one peeling pad I made a cardboard stencil, cut the cloth and towel in shape and started sewing remover pads: eight pads to start a test run. I've been convinced of them ever since the first use - they work even a lot better than the disposable ones!
Maybe a few words on how exactly and for what purpose they work for me: I don't wear make-up, just eye make-up, kohl and mascara (not waterproof) and sometimes eye shadow - all of these can easily be removed .I moisten a part of the pad and slightly rub to remove the eye make-up. Most of it is removed in this first step. Then I repeat with a dab of face cream, which removes the remaining make-up and leaves me a fresh feeling. Concerning face make-up and waterproof mascara: I could test how easy both can be removed on my wedding day. The mascara needs a bit more cream and you have to rub a little more but they do not pose a problem to the reusable pads.
After the remover pads had passed the test run and were all clean and intact after their first wash, I sewed another dozen to have a reasonable amount of pads in the bathroom. For the peeling pads I needed (or rather wanted) a towel with more structure, so I kept looking for it on the flea for a few weeks and finally found a fitting guest towel (for 20 cents). After another sewing session, our bathroom also featured reusable pads for my husband. During my flea market search he had already run out of the disposable version and used the remover pads instead. In principle, I could have used the terry towel for both pad variations but now the peeling pads are a bit softer and very pleasant on the skin. My husband mostly uses them with aftershave for face cleansing and is extremely enthusiastic about them from the first use on (which really surprises me as I didn't expect it at all) - since that day, we produce considerably less bathroom waste than before.
During the first time of the switch I met an unexpected obstacle: getting over the routine of disposing. Out of pure reflex, I always stepped on the bin opener after using a pad. Luckily, I never threw one away as I always noted my error on time But each time this reflex reminded me of the waste avoided and the money saved by this step towards a more sustainable life and made me smile. We're all creatures of habit at the end of the day... but we're able to learn.
I placed a little mesh laundry bag in the bathroom, in which we collect the used pads and each time I wash towels or red and pinkish laundry I put the bag into the machine as well. After a wash at 40°C the pads are clean again - quite a nice surprise as I had feared them to need a 60°C wash!
Within these good 6 months we already saved a nice amount of money we would earlier have spent on disposables, which we do not miss at all. For us it is now absolutely evident that reusable cotton pads are not just eco-friendly but also wallet-friendly! đđ°
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