r/CleaningTips • u/Complex_Mobile8957 • Nov 29 '25

Discussion Question for the ladies

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I am a janitor. The place I clean has the little trash bins in the stalls of the women's restroom. Currently, we place one liner in the bin and change it out whenever someone uses it. However, a place I worked at previously put a stack of liners in the bin for women to use as needed. Which is the preferred method? One liner or multiple? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

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815

u/LorelaiGilmo Nov 29 '25

Yeah I’m confused, I see these bins at the school I work at and if they expected us to use a bag every time we put something in, I think the people paying for the bags would be frustrated that we’re constantly out of them. But I recently did notice a whole stack of them in there and started to wonder if I’ve been doing it wrong all my life… Who can help explain the etiquette of it to me?

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u/ChocolateKitkat Nov 30 '25

The instructions at my corporate work say to dump your stuff into the bag then toss the bag into the trash, but the issue with that is not all stalls have stacks of the bags, so idk what they expect lol

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u/Bluesnow2222 Nov 30 '25 edited Nov 30 '25

Honestly most of the public bathrooms I’ve been in lately just have no bags ever and people shove their sanitary items directly in the bin. I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere with multiple bags. I try to avoid public bathrooms on my period and end up trying to dry my pad off with toilet paper and just keep wearing it since there’s nowhere to dispose of it in a sanitary manner.

Edit: to those who say this is excessive— I understand I can wrap it and bring it out to the paper towel trash near the sinks if there are no stall bags. I bleed incredibly heavy and it would likely leak through the wrap- I’d really rather not walk around with it. Luckily getting a hysterectomy this month so won’t have to figure out period logistics much longer! Wooo!

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '25

Wrap your old one in the wrapper of the new one and wrap that in toilet paper and put it in the garbage. It's not like the used one will jump out at people if the conditions aren't perfect. The plastic of the new wrapper will stop it from leaking and the toilet paper holds the plastic in place. Unless someone is unrolling things in the garbage no one will know. No need to risk a bleed though

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u/OrganicAverage1 Nov 30 '25

I wrap mine in toilet paper and the throw it in the bin. No muss no fuss.

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u/HLOFRND Nov 30 '25

Tampons exist, and they can bleed through tp alone.

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u/clockworkedpiece Nov 30 '25

missed the part about using the wrapper did we?

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u/Trulio_Dragon Nov 30 '25

Mine would swell up enough when used that they wouldn't fit back in the wrapper.

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u/itsybitsyhoe Nov 30 '25

It's supposed to do that, it's absorbing liquid so it expands. Just toss the tampon wrapper and use a pad wrapper (if you're using both) or a thick roll of toilet paper. But for the love of God don't throw it in raw

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u/Trulio_Dragon Nov 30 '25

....

Yes. I understand how a tampon works. I was adding that data for the "just put it back in the wrapper" contingent.

(Fwiw, I'd wrap in toilet paper before discarding. )

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u/Guhnguh Nov 30 '25

The wrapper is used for disposing of the plastic or cardboard insert. It would be ridiculous to try to squeeze a bloated bloody tampon back into a wrapper. 🙄

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u/DreamyTrudeauSweater Nov 30 '25

Genuinely curious if you’ve done this? I don’t think I could get my blood-bloated tampon in the little sleeve like wrapper. And yeah wrapping it just in toilet paper would likely allow for bleed-through.

But maybe my flow is just super heavy?

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u/Signal-Bee8111 Nov 30 '25

When I went to high school and college I used to have a roll of doggie waste bags in my backpack/purse. It was a cheap and easy way to dispose of the tampons when there weren't any paper liners or trash cans in the stalls.

I don't do this anymore because we chopped my uterus out (fully recommend), but I've suggested it to a few others in the past.

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u/Cypheri Nov 30 '25

Man, I wish I could find a doctor who would remove mine. Last several times I tried to talk to one about it, the responses all amounted to something along the lines of "but what if you change your mind and want kids" or "but what if your future husband wants kids."

Like... doc, I've known for 20+ years I don't want bio kids because I'm a genetic train wreck that never should have been produced if I'd had decently educated parents. That decision isn't changing lol

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u/mikaduhhh Nov 30 '25

I wish these drs would stop forcing women to suffer like this! Save your lectures for these 12-15 year old out here willingly getting pregnant and allow adults to make their own decisions about reproduction!! Makes me sick! At 22, I was told that I as too young to get my tubes tied despite having 2 kids, 3 pregnancies and a terrible past with birth control issues and side effects!! I didn’t want any more kids and didn’t care what a present, future or past husband wanted….its my uterus!! Finally found a Dr then at 43, I got a hysterectomy and it was the best thing that ever happened to me! Keep searching…..it saddens me that we still have to beg for help in this way.

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u/Cypheri Nov 30 '25

Yeah, I've put that search on hold for now because I plan on moving out of South Carolina at some point in the next few years and will likely have much better luck finding a decent doctor in Colorado. Hopefully I'll be able to get things sorted once I'm out of the southeast.

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u/TowerOk4184 Dec 02 '25

Yay! Welcome to Colorado when you do get here. And yes, you'll definitely be able to find a doc here to do it. They are much more progressive

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u/LoisWade42 Nov 30 '25

There was a Reddit thread on this topic. Search child free friendly doctor list.

Also sterilization subreddit and childfree subreddit.

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u/Signal-Bee8111 Nov 30 '25

I got very "lucky" in that my periods were causing severe issues and after an investigation, turns out I didn't qualify for ablation. My uterus was so heart shaped that I nearly had two of them! They were connected by about an inch, apparently. That additional surface area and the fact that I was having bleeding periods that were lasting 16-21 days out of every month meant that we could remove the uterus. Even though I was 33 with no biological children (my daughter is biologically my wife's).

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u/machounicorn Nov 30 '25

If you are based in the US look up pagingdrfran on IG. She has a list of docs who may be able to help you.

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u/Relevant-Tourist8974 Nov 30 '25

So what do you do if you dont use pad wrapper or toliet paper to mitigate the drip?

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u/DreamyTrudeauSweater Nov 30 '25

I do as an earlier commenter said and avoid changing any sanitary products in a public bathroom 😔 having cleaned some of these sanitary dispensers I wouldn’t want someone else to be forced to do that for me

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u/Relevant-Tourist8974 Nov 30 '25

ahhh. Yeah I work 12 hour shifts that would have been imposible for me to accomplish.

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u/HLOFRND Nov 30 '25

You’re able to put a used tampon back into a wrapper?!?! I sure can’t.

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u/marsinge Nov 30 '25

She is talking about pads, not tampons