How to clean the menstrual cup?

Knowing how to clean the menstrual cup correctly is essential if we want to avoid infections. Its material, medical silicone, prevents the spread of bacteria since it is impossible for them to live on this type of surface. This gives us a great advantage over other intimate hygiene methods, so it is in our hands (pun intended!) to take advantage of it.

We are going to review how to clean the menstrual cup correctly and answer the most common questions so that this monthly routine is as comfortable as possible.

How do I clean the menstrual cup?

If with tampons we already had to maintain adequate hygiene, with the menstrual cup we must double it. We are going to have to insert part of our fingers inside the vagina, so we must get used to having clean hands and nails before any manipulation, and after.

It seems logical, but many infections are caused by ourselves by not having good personal hygiene. If we are in a place, bar, restaurant, etc. and we have to insert or remove our menstrual cup, first we must check that we have a place to wash our hands with soap and water . If not, it is better to wait for another time.

This already gives us a clue to know what to clean the menstrual cup with, it is cleaned with water . We are not going to use soap to clean the menstrual cup for a simple reason: one of the main benefits of the menstrual cup is its respect for the vaginal pH. It is our first protective barrier and defends us against bacteria. If we use soap (even intimate soaps) we weaken and break that barrier, leaving our vulva defenseless and that is why we advise you to wash the cup and your intimate areas only with water.

what to clean menstrual cup with

Wash the menstrual cup during your period

During the cycle, between each use, cleaning the menstrual cup is very simple: just empty it and rinse it with cold water . That easy! Once we make sure that it is clean, we will put it back on until the next extraction.

Here are some tricks to clean the menstrual cup and make it perfect:

Fill the glass completely, cover the surface and press so that the water comes out of the holes and they remain very clean. Repeat the process several times and... be careful not to splash yourself!

If you are away from home, and you don't know where to clean your menstrual cup, always carry a bottle of water with you if you don't want to clean it in the sink in front of other people. It will be your greatest ally in public bathrooms without much privacy.

Always try to go to a bathroom that has a sink inside. Try to be quick and leave everything clean when you leave.

If you cannot bring a bottle of water into the establishment, always carry an intimate hygiene wipe with you. Just don't get used to your vagina, it's an exception!

Check out our tips for changing your menstrual cup in a public bathroom when you're out and about or at work.

Where to store the menstrual cup?

In addition to the foldable sterilizer, perfect for travel, we also include a cloth bag in all our packs. It is perfect for storing the menstrual cup when we do not have to use it, since being breathable keeps the material in perfect condition when in contact with the outside.

clean and store menstrual cup

When to sterilize and boil the menstrual cup?

Another step to clean the menstrual cup is to sterilize it. Therefore, the first thing we will do before using our menstrual cup for the first time is to boil it for 3-5 minutes . This sterilization process eliminates all impurities that may occur after handling and transportation from the factory until it reaches our hands.

From now on, we should always sterilize the menstrual cup between cycles , that is, once a month. In this post we answer all your questions to know how, where and when to sterilize the menstrual cup.

At GlupCup! We provide a foldable sterilizer to boil the menstrual cup if we do not want to use a glass or saucepan (it is also suitable for the microwave, but always without a lid). We include it in all our packs because, from our experience, we feel the need to have an accessory that we can easily transport and helps us maintain good cleaning of our menstrual cup.

Do you have your own menstrual cup, but nowhere to boil it? Buy our GlupCup folding sterilizer!

My menstrual cup has yellow stains!

The useful life of a well-preserved menstrual cup is about 10 years, but for that we must follow all the hygiene tips mentioned above.

Although we must always keep in mind that the color of our menstrual cup will change over time, above all we will see that it tends to dye yellow or brown. This does not mean that our cup is dirty or unusable, it is simply the process of blood pigmentation that darkens it.

clean menstrual cup brown stain

If you want to whiten your cup so that it recovers its initial color, just clean the menstrual cup with hydrogen peroxide : leave it overnight in a glass with hydrogen peroxide, you will see how it looks like it was just purchased! Of course, do this only once a year if you don't want your glass to spoil.

If you don't know how to clean the holes of the menstrual cup and make them look like new, you can use an interdental cleaner once a month.