Yoko Correia Nishimiya

How to Clean a Menstrual Cup in Public Photo by 123RF Using a menstrual cup has recently become a popular choice in the last few years because it’s considered to be cleaner, cheaper and better for the environment. Many cup users swear by it, but the one issue most girls have is mastering how to empty their cups in public places. Rather it’s dealing with an office bathroom without a sink or using a porta-potty when at a road trip, festival, beach or any place outdoors. So here are some tips to make your day out much easier and stress-free: Find your position Make sure you find and master a position that works for when you are at home and out. Which means, try to avoid getting use to a sitting position, but instead spend more time mastering a standing, squatting or kneeling position. When mastering how to take out your cup, also consider how you use your Kegel muscles. These muscles can help you push out the cup faster, as well as helping put it back in. So using this muscle can be a great skill to master as well. Wet Wipes If you go to a place where you probably won’t have a private sink, like at a portable toilet, wet wipes are the best suggestion to help you empty your cup in public, but make sure to get unscented, unsoapy and irritant-free wipes, that are also biodegradable and compostable. Thankfully, there are menstrual cup companies such as Lunette that sell individual Cup Wipes in packs of 10 units, for just €4.90. These wipes are made exclusively to sanitize your cup and are eco-friendly made with viscose, alcohol and water, making them biodegradable and compostable. Since using cups help you save a lot of money by being reusable, you can definitely splurge on some wet wipes to keep you clean and fresh. There’s nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable when you are outdoors for a long amount of time and know you can’t go home. Water bottle If you don’t have any wet wipes or ran out of them, make sure to bring a water bottle with you to help rinse your cup. Using fresh water will definitely do the trick. To make it easier to carry the bottle around, get a small one of 100ml (8oz-12oz) or just have a normal sized bottle since it’s important to keep yourself hydrated anyways. Using a bottle with a sports cap can also make the process faster by being easier to pop open with one hand or your mouth, while holding the cup. Toilet paper Worst case if you don’t have a water bottle or wet wipes, use toilet paper. Make sure to wipe the cup in and around it, then place it back in. Toilet paper is super light so it’s easy to always keep some in your purse or even in your pocket for emergency situations like this. Although it is perfectly clean to use toilet paper, always make sure to wash your hands before and after emptying your cup to make sure no germs get to the cup. Just empty it and stick it back in If you are absolutely not able to find anything that can help you clean your cup, just empting it and sticking back in is still not as bad as it sounds. Just make sure to do it with clean hands and avoid touching that bathroom door handel that’s infested with bad bacteria. Remember, the cup’s purpose is to be filled with blood, so it is not necessary to make it perfectly clean since you will stick it back in from where it was, in seconds. This method might be messier than others, so make sure to also clean your hands afterwards. Or don’t empty it at all! As advertised by Ruby Cup, their product can hold three times more than a tampon or a pad, meaning if you empty your cup right before leaving the house, you have 6 to 12 hours (depending on your flow) to empty your cup. So you might not even need to change your cup at all! Make sure to keep track of the time and when the clock strikes, pull a Cinderella on your friends and go home…or find the closest proper bathroom. Having to face a situation like this where you will not have access to a proper bathroom is pretty inevitable, so make sure to ‘practice’ these scenarios beforehand without the stress of actually being in these situations so when it actually happens, you will be prepared. References: ❖ Winter, Helly. “9 Reasons Why It’s Better Than Tampons.” Belly, Belly Belly, 16 June 2016, www.bellybelly.com.au/health-lifestyle/menstrual-cup/. ❖ Lunette Staff. “ Lunette CupWipes.” Lunette Menstrual Cup,Lunette, www.lunette.com/products/lunette-cupwipes. ❖ Lunette Staff. “How to Clean Your Lunette Cup in a Public Restroom – like a Boss.” Lunette Menstrual Cup, Lunette, www.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-yourlunette-cup-in-a-boss. ❖ Ruby Cup Staff. “How to Use a Menstrual Cup on the Move.” Ruby Cup, Ruby Cup, rubycup.com/how-to-use-a-menstrual-cup/using-on-the-move/. ❖ Mandana. “Menstrual Cups and Public Bathrooms- It’s Not That Hard!” Menstrual cup Co., Menstrualcup.co, 29 June 2016, menstrualcup.co/menstrual-cups-public-bathrooms/. ❖ Lunette Staff. “How Often Do I Need to Empty My Menstrual Cup?” Lunette Menstrual Cup, Lunette, www.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-often-do-i-need-to-empty-mymenstrual-cup. ❖ “Cup and Public Bathrooms.” Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup, Live Journal, 9 June 2012, menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/-.html.