Don’t use chlorine bleach. It’s toxic.
I’ve used Seventh Generation’s Free and Clear chlorine free bleach. It is a non-toxic oxygen bleach, meaning it uses hydrogen peroxide. There are no harmful fumes and won’t discolor clothing.
Seeing as this is a hydrogen based bleach, you can also hydrogen peroxide. Vinegar and citrus acids, like lemon juice, are also effective alternatives.
Conventional tampons contain pesticide-laden cotton, a very dangerous toxic chemical named dioxin that is result of chlorine bleaching and rayon, a fiber made from wood pulp that requires hundreds of chemicals to convert it from wood to rayon.
I recently made the switch to organic cotton tampons because I am always interested in reducing the amount of toxins I can avoid. I purchased these boxes of Natracare Organic Cotton Tampons from Vitacost. Both boxes contain 16 tampons with card applicator and each cost $4.87. They are 100% organic cotton, perfume free, biodegradable and totally free of chlorine. Seventh Generation also makes a line of organic tampons.
I found a very informative article online by Meghan Telpner. Her site is MeghanTelpner.com and she writes about healthy nutrition. Click here to read her research paper “Tampax Tampons: Toxic Death Sticks.” Meghan also discusses several alternatives to conventional toxic tampons, one of them being the menstrual cup. A menstrual cup is a small silicone cup that is inserted to collect fluid. They are reusable and do not carry the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome like tampons do. I’ve been intrigued by this option for some time and I think I will be giving it a try some day. But in the meantime I’ll stick with my organic cotton tampons.
Scent Free Girl 