Three Big Myths About Cloth Incontinence Products

The world of cloth incontinence products is no exception to the tangled web of fact and myth. Below I will cover three common myths that I’ve encountered over the course of 6 years sewing incontinence products and conversing with people dealing with incontinence.

Myth 1: Cloth means diaper

Myth 2: Incontinence products are expensive

Myth 3: Cloth incontinence products leak

Myth 1: Cloth Means Diaper

I once sewed a denim diaper cover for a kangaroo. 

Yes I bolded that because, duh, I make incontinence products and that’s not exactly something you go bragging to the rooftops about. Sometimes you have to settle for interesting facts to ease the awkwardness of the topic, ya know?

But my favorite part of my Etsy shop has always been talking to people who come to me with their questions and requests.

Anyway, I’ve received a lot of, uh, interesting requests for sewing incontinence items over the past 6 years. It’s just what happens when you’re in a niche that shares a bit of its space with a fetish. There’s a lot of places that cater to that side of the moon, though I’ve always strove to make the items I sold accessible to people who just wanted attractive, functional products. 

Regardless, I’ve learned so much from ALL of my customers, the creme de la creme being that the world is your oyster in the land of incontinence. 

Seriously.

Have incontinence, but shrivel up inside at the thought of adult diapers? Then don’t do diapers. With the exception of severe incontinence, a wide array of products are available to meet your needs and your ascetics. 

Though I sometimes have my doubts about the efficacy of those incontinence panties from Thinx or Speax (seriously, what’s up with the x’s?), they look so darn comfy and not like incontinence underwear at all. 

There are a lot of absorbent briefs out there for men as well. 

Need more protection than that? Many versions of super absorbent underwear exist.

The truth is, you aren’t at the mercy of the nursing home vibe of those medical supply and adult cloth diaper stores when it comes to finding cloth incontinence items. 

6 years ago when I got my first request for an adult training pant (I sold toddler pull ups), there weren’t a lot of options except for the above-mentioned medical supply and adult cloth diaper stores that offered mainly diapers or the tricked out adult sized baby stuff of the abdl world. 

I don’t know if it is because baby boomers hadn’t yet en masse hit that tipping point into incontinence. Or if we were all in denial that sometimes you just *gasp* accidently pee your pants. 

As an adult. 

But then again, we were still airbrushing the heck out of magazine covers and using photo filters, and hadn’t yet come to appreciate the imperfections of the human body.

Wait.

We’re still there. Ugh.

But the moral of the story is, when you feel comfortable and confident in your body, you are going to live a better quality of life. No matter what that looks like. No matter what issues you struggle with. And today, there are more options than ever to help you manage your incontinence with attractive, comfortable cloth products.

Facts are facts and the facts state that up to 51% of women and 13.9% of men experience incontinence in their life. So it’s nice that fashion is realizing this and offering up all sorts of fun and functional options to manage incontinence.

So don’t think that just because you or someone you care for has incontinence, that you need to go all “diaper” with cloth.

Myth 2: Cloth Incontinence Products are Expensive

But consider that that product can be worn roughly 100-300 times, depending on the stellarness of your laundering habits. So let’s just do some quick math. We’ll average the number of uses at 150. 

That’s $.40 per use, which is considerably cheaper than the $1.31 per higher quality disposable.

Most reusable underwear costs between $25-$40.

So cloth is more expensive in the short term, but vastly cheaper in the long run.

A recent review on my shop, hit this issue spot on.

“…. I was hesitant to buy because of the initial upfront cost but now I’m sorry that I waited, these are so worth it and they are so CUTE!…”

But what if I can’t afford a bunch of cloth incontinence items at once!?

You don’t need to buy a bunch of items at once. In fact, I ALWAYS recommend to customers coming to me with product questions to only buy one item. Then, if it fits and functions like they need it to, they can buy more. 

Most places don’t allow returns for incontinence products due to hygiene concerns, so shelling out a bunch of money on an item you’re not sure will fit or work can be nerve wracking, especially since there’s some trial and error involved with figuring out a system that will best work for you. 

So if you can only buy one or two cloth products at a time, that’s okay! Just make sure to wash them every 2-3 days.

Myth 3: Cloth Incontinence Products Always Leak

I remember reading once somewhere that when in a verbal fight with someone, you should never say “never” or “always” as such labels are rarely true and only serve to pigeonhole someone in an untrue position. Just sayin.’

Cloth incontinence products don’t always leak, though they sometimes can.

But FYI? Disposables can leak too. 

In fact, back when I made diaper covers, I would often have customers tell me that they like to use a cloth diaper cover over a disposable to reduce unwanted leakage, especially at night.

So take that, disposables.

While cloth incontinence products can leak for a ridiculous amount of reasons, most often it’s due to 2 reasons.  Bad fit or not enough absorption. 

Okay, three reasons. 

Three, thinking you can wear one product all day without leaking. Unless you have mild incontinence and are wearing a heavy duty diaper, not changing enough will result in leaks.

If you read my article about period underwear, you’ll have heard all about my horror story with the customer who wanted a diaper that would last ALL DAY.

Let’s just say that if you don’t plan to ever use the toilet, one cloth item will never last you all day. I don’t even think there’s a disposable product that can accomplish that feat.

Anyway, if you have tried cloth incontinence before and had leaks, I want you to think back over the experience.

• • • Did it fit snugly around waist and legs?
    • Did you have enough absorption?
    • How long was it worn before it started leaking?

Chances are, one of the above will be the culprit for your leaky product. The only exception is if the item worked amazingly and then it didn’t.

The culprit for that would probably lie in your washing routine.

And that’s a whole other story.

These three common myths about cloth incontinence products may leave you questioning the viability of cloth incontinence products, but delve deeper and these myths have little to stand on.

If you’re wanting to make the switch to cloth, maybe one of these myths is stalling you.

While these myths are partially true, they are far from the whole story. Understanding how cloth products work can not only enlighten you, but can revolutionize your experience.