INFLUENCE OF FREQUENT CLEANING PROCESSES ON PHYSICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF REUSABLE INTIMATE FEMALE PRODUCTS

Abstract

Reusable women's intimate products are products intended for women's menstrual cycle and, instead of being discarded after use, they undergo a cleaning process and can be used again in the next cycle. The main reusable products currently sold are menstrual panties, cloth pads and menstrual cups. This study evaluated the change in thermal and physical properties of these products after 10 washes following the manufacturers' instructions. Water, chemicals, friction and the Sun are the components that make part of these washes. At the end of the 10 washes, it was observed that the cup has a significantly higher thermal stability than the other products, however it is the one that most undergoes color changes. The panty is the product that loses the most mass during the washes. The results show that these properties are not interrelated and that a greater number of washes would bring more concrete results to the study.