View Full Version : Diva cup
kbarnard
02-25-2013, 15:15
I have been doing quite a bit of research on the diva cup and found a lot of questions answered except best ways of cleaning it while on the trail. I tried a diva cup for the first time last month and learned the hard way you need to use a certain type of soap so my specific questions are:
1. How do you keep it clean on the trail - wet wipes, alcohol wipes or a specific type of soap?
2. Do you boil it at the end of your cycle?
Any other specific usage tips would be appreciated :)
Nameless
02-26-2013, 20:54
Rinse with a bit of water from your water bottle (I don't want to stick unfiltered water into me) and replace. As long as you rinse they really keep quite clean. When you no longer need the diva cup rinse really well and keep in a cloth bag until you get to town. It does have to breath, keeping it in a plastic bag will make it nasty. Boil when you can, but it isn't absolutely necessary. Some cups can handle being wiped with alcohol for sanitation, I don't remember if the Diva is one. All can be washed down with an antibacterial soap in towns.
Bear Cables
02-26-2013, 21:45
Wouldn't it be easier to just pack out your tampons? Personally I wouldn't want to waste my good water cleaning a diva cup. Just sayin....
hikingirl
02-26-2013, 21:56
Im with you bear cables. Sounds like more work than its worth. I don't have much experience but planning on using tampons and carrying them out.
I used the Diva cup on my hike. I use it at home, too. I think it's great - and it's not that I didn't want to pack out tampons, it's that I don't like using tampons at all. Or pads...I've never been one for disposable things and paper goods. Not to mention, the tampons with plastic applicators...yikes, what a waste of materials and a clog to the planet.
Regardless, though, for whatever reason it is that you're using it - I'd suggest carrying babywipes. I would wipe mine clean with a baby wipe. Also, when I could, I'd boil it (can't hurt, and that super cleans it), also, I would clean it in town with antibacterial soap in a bathroom as much as possible. I carry Dr. Bronners with me, too, so sometimes I'd use that, but I'm not sure whether that is "okay" or not as far as soaps to use on it.
Hipcheck
02-26-2013, 22:38
I'm with Owf. I got mine for the trail but I'll never go back. Last month, for the first time in a year, I used a tampon(I was 3 hours away from home).. It felt absolutely disgusting.
I drove home.
On the trail, I used baby wipes to keep it clean.
I can't imagine having that garbage around.. HYOH but its nice not having anything to hide. I felt completely comfortable with friends(mostly guys) grabbing stuff from my pack if they needed it. The Diva Cup comes with a cloth bag that's pretty discreet.
Just pack out tampons.... lkke the compact ones ..seems like so much extra work waste of good water maybe unsanitary u have yoursanitizer, wipes but so much handiling when u empty u have to clean everytime after disposal I assume just doesnt sounds like a great thing to use beside the environment friendly
Just pack out tampons.... lkke the compact ones ..seems like so much extra work waste of good water maybe unsanitary u have yoursanitizer, wipes but so much handiling when u empty u have to clean everytime after disposal I assume just doesnt sounds like a great thing to use beside the environment friendly
It may seem like extra work, but I've actually found that using that cup is less work than tampons. When you're not using it, it's one permanent item in your pack. If you're using it...well, it's still only one item. For tampons, you have to be sure to have them, to restock them. When you're not using your tampons, they're stored in one place. Now, when you use your tampons, you have to pack them out, so now there are clean tampons and dirty tampons, and not to mention, wondering if you have enough tampons...are you carrying too many tampons? Should you carry tampons all the time? Or plan to make it to town to grab more tampons if you know your schedule. It seems like much more work to manage tampons. Honestly, it may also seem like more work to clean the diva cup...but it's not hard at all. No harder to clean out a diva cup, then to wrap up and store a used tampon and carry that around. Both take a small amount of effort I think, but the Diva cup even doubles as being environmentally friendly, which... isn't something I'd just shrug off.
kaypage07
02-26-2013, 23:29
The Diva Cup is the best thing that ever happened to my menstrual cycle! Once you get used to them, they are sooo much easier than tampons, both on and off the trail. And you only have to change it once a day, so cleaning is truly not a major issue. You just have to make sure you clean it and yourself a little before re-placing it in, but that takes about 2 minutes and it saves you from having to carry the disgusting waste of tampons for several days at a time. I just use a tiny tiny drop of biodegradable soap, and rinse with water from my water bottle away from streams to avoid contamination. I never use good filtered water to clean it...maybe that is gross (?) but I've never had any problems.
Good luck
Northern Lights
02-26-2013, 23:50
I like mine from the environmental standpoint. I also like that instead of changing out a tampon 4-6 times a day you change it once. I no longer have to stock regular and lite tampons, just a diva cup.
as for using good water to rinse it. It's not like you are giving it a full bath. You rinse it off and put it back in.
I used the Keeper in 2000 for my thru-hike and never went back to tampons. I used that same Keeper until 2010 when I got a Diva Cup. Once you get the procedure down it's super easy (and obviously much cheaper than tampons and/or pads!!!!). It's ONE item; it's light; it's small; you always have it; you don't have to worry if you're carrying enough supplies; you don't have any waste to manage & carry out (making it evironmentally friendly both at home and in the woods!!!!). When it was time to empty the cup, I'd just wash my hands, rinse the cup, re-insert and re-wash my hands (I sometimes cleaned myself with baby wipes which I did carry out, or I'd dig a cat-hole prior to "the emptying" and use TP to clean myself and then bury the TP). I'd clean the cup with some camp soap at the end of my cycle and put it in the cloth carrying case until I could clean it more thoroughly when I got to town. Not at all a waste of water, and again...super easy once you get the procedure down! I stayed much cleaner and actually considered this device a major life-changer: no fuss, no muss = LIBERATION!!!!!! (I can't give menstrual cups enough exclamation points to adaquetely express how I feel!!!!! My poor husband has had to hear about it over and over for the last 13 years!!!!!)
Special K
02-27-2013, 00:36
I stayed much cleaner and actually considered this device a major life-changer: no fuss, no muss = LIBERATION!!!!!! (I can't give menstrual cups enough exclamation points to adaquetely express how I feel!!!!! My poor husband has had to hear about it over and over for the last 13 years!!!!!)
Haaa, haaaa, haaa, haaa! My husband has heard all about it too! ONE OF THE GREATEST INVENTIONS EVER MADE!! Instead of changing a tampon every hour or so the Diva Cup lasts 12+ hours!!!!!! I stumbled upon it researching better alternatives for my upcoming hike in 6 weeks. Did not want to stop and drop the pack every hour to change (especially since I'll be hiking with my father). So glad I found this product! Change only in camp (baby wipes and boiling water) and I'm good to go. And, you can't even feel it when it's inserted properly.
Instead of changing a tampon every hour or so the Diva Cup lasts 12+ hours!!!!!!
This was usually true for me, too. But some women need to empty it more frequently. On super heavy flow days, I sometimes had to change it every 6 to 8 hours (still only 3 or 4 times in 24 hours (but this was rare for me)...so YMMV. But, YES, it is definitely "ONE OF THE GREATEST INVENTIONS EVER MADE"!!!!!!!! <-- there are those exclamation points again.
The second biggest life-changer was when I found the pstyle (a separate thread, but another product that I want to cheer ad nauseum...my poor husband is very patient).:banana
Rinse with a bit of water from your water bottle (I don't want to stick unfiltered water into me) and replace. As long as you rinse they really keep quite clean. When you no longer need the diva cup rinse really well and keep in a cloth bag until you get to town. It does have to breath, keeping it in a plastic bag will make it nasty. Boil when you can, but it isn't absolutely necessary. Some cups can handle being wiped with alcohol for sanitation, I don't remember if the Diva is one. All can be washed down with an antibacterial soap in towns.
Ditto!.........
Nameless
02-28-2013, 14:38
I love mine too. I just want to point out there are tons of other options than just the visible Keeper and Diva cups. I have a MeLuna myself, it fits me better (we aren't all the same size).
Far, far cleaner than tampons in the woods, and I don't have to carry out a bag of bloody trash and I don't get irritated from the bleach and stuff in other products. On the AT I have never felt wanting for water. If there is some water shortage, like in many of the parts of Alaska I hike it, you don't have to rinse before reinserting (though a towelette for your hands afterwards is advisable).
Ditto about the abundance of water on the AT! However, I was also able to use my Diva Cup on the CDT in areas with very little water by being a little more creative and planning better...important on the CDT for many reasons!
kbarnard
02-28-2013, 18:01
Thanks for the feedback everyone! Since trying it out I have decided it is the best option for me even with my bad experience. Love the idea of no waste and little effort.
I just couldn't resist commenting.. I just got one for my hike and I freaking LOVE this thing!!! I have never been able to wear tampons because of the way they fit and the chemicals made it really painful to wear them, so pads, which smelled and.. Ugh. But the divacup is amazing, I wish I'd had this about eight years ago, I even can forget I'm wearing it, SO worth the investment! Good advice for keeping it clean on the trail, thanks
hikingirl
03-03-2013, 21:37
Ok, you girls are talking me into trying one. Can you only order them online or are there stores that sale them?
Check amazon, you ought to be able to find them for a bit less that in a store. As nice as it is to support local business, some places you just can't find them, really depends on how hippy of an area you live in. :)
hikingirl
03-03-2013, 21:56
Thanks Rhanis, will do.
moose717
03-04-2013, 14:31
When I first started reading these posts, I was a little grossed out, but intrigued. Now I think I'll try one. I do a lot of long weekends and section hikes and there is nothing worse then when I'm hiking with my period. Just have a few questions though ... where do you empty it? Do you dig a cathole? Is it stinky, like with a pad? If I use biodegradable wipes (not sure if there is such a thing, but I'm sure there is), would I have to pack them out? Thanks!
Special K
03-05-2013, 03:11
I heard that it was a good idea to practice using the Diva Cup a couple of times before you actually head out on a long hike as there may be a small learning curve. So when it arrived in the mail, I cleaned it by boiling it then waited for my period to arrive. When the day finally came, I looked at the Diva Cup again and couldn't imagine that this big ol' cup was gonna fit up in my "nether region", easily, so I decided to watch a couple of videos first. After watching the videos I felt much more confident so up in the bathroom I went to see what all the fuss was about. Although the product reviews were all GREAT I still was a little sceptical. The videos also mentioned trimming the stem if necessary? Trim the stem? To me, it didn't really seem necessary to trim the stem since I was used to a looong string hanging down before with a tampon. (Sheessh, I hope there aren't any guys are reading this.:o)
Anyway, I folded it, inserted it and freaked out a little bit because I pushed it so far back the stem was GONE!!! Then I told myself to calm down, I've had a couple of kids for pete's sake...you can't really lose anything up there anyway! What worked for me (while holding the stem and after it was inserted far back), was to give it a small turn or use a side to side motion. This seemed to unfold the cup faster and allowed the cup to "seal". Needless to say, my pushing it far back is perfect for me and allows no stem to stick down and allows me to not feel the cup at all.
As far as what I plan to do while on the trail, I bought wipes especially made for the cup (indivdually packaged). I plan to dig a hole, empty the cup, wipe it out with the wipes, reinsert it, then boil the cup periodically when I get to camp at night in the privacy of my own tent. And, I will also clean it when I get to town. Be careful to read the manufacturers recommendation on cleaning your particular cup as certain soap products cannot be used to clean it.
Too much information I know, but hey, what can I say....I LOVE THIS THING!!!!!!!
Special K
03-05-2013, 03:16
Is it stinky, like with a pad?
Nope. Not stinky at all! :)
Hipcheck
03-08-2013, 16:24
I just got an email from lunapads.com (where I bought my Diva Cup).. 20% off this weekend
My best friend, a 42 year old female who has had 4 children, swears by this! Laura says she will introduce her youngest child - a 2 year old and the only girl- to the Diva Cup as soon as she starts. My friend said her husband last week actually commented that the "Diva Cup" was saving a bunch of money (he is the grocery shopper in the family.)
Since I have had a hysterectomy, I have no need for this and can't advise....
I used my diva cup for the first time this week, and I feel so free! I wish I had this sooner.
I have a lunette cup and I love it! I change it when I wake up and go to bed, but I could probably get away with less. It's made from silicone, super easy to use, and easy to clean. I think it's less picky about cleaning than other models and I'm pretty sure it's non-porous. Easy and environmentally friendly!
FallingAngel
05-22-2013, 18:08
I am in LOVE with mine!!!!! I've just written a review about the Diva Cup and using it while on the trail. Check it out on my website www.backpackingengineer.com (http://www.backpackingengineer.com). I'm also giving away one free Diva Cup to a lucky fan! Be sure to enter for your chance to win! :)
I... learned the hard way you need to use a certain type of soap ,,, :)
My friend who uses it on a regular basis (monthly - not just on the trail), uses any type of soap. She does wash it daily at night. She has never boiled it, and this July will mark one year since she began using it.
NCn8chrgrrl
10-31-2013, 13:36
Glad to read all the positive results from using the Diva on the trail! I've been using it for a year and was wondering how it would do on my planned 2015 hike. Thanks, ladies!
Thanks guys, didn't even know about this product. I have been kinda worried about the issue.
Is this something you can sleep in? That's the main reason I'm still on tampons vs pads.
Yes! You can sleep with it in. You just take it out 2 times in a 24 hour period (or more if your flow is really heavy), empty the blood and rinse/clean it and put it back in...super great! I usually just emptied it in the morning and before I went to bed.
That's great! After some research, I really want to try the SheCup! While the Keeper Moon Cup pulls a close second by having basically the same dimensions, I'm a sucker for pink (plus it seems less likely to show, uh, staining over time). Does anyone know if the SheCup Is still available to order? Everywhere I've looked so far that ships stateside appears to be sold out.
This might be a stupid question, but what do you boil the diva cup in on trail? It seems like it wouldn't be sanitary to boil it in a pot...
theinfamousj
01-08-2014, 01:01
I don't boil mine, ever (even at home; I have used it exclusively for nearly 8 years now with no yeast or bacterial infections). It gets thoroughly washed with soap and well rinsed once a day, and that can be done near the cat hole. That is the sum total of its maintenance. If I cannot trust my soap-and-water washing to be thorough enough for the cup, then how am I trusting that of my hands for insertion and removal?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
theinfamousj
01-08-2014, 01:03
My post should be amended to say, "*at least* once a day". In truth, I soap and water wash it every time I change it unless dire circumstances prevent it.
And in 8 years, those fire circumstances have happened all of three times, ever.
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Hipcheck
01-08-2014, 02:27
J, have you been using the same one for 8 years?? I soap/water wash mine every time, admittedly not like really scrubbing.. but after probably exactly 2 years, I feel like I need to order a new one.. Or do the whole boil thing.
ams212001
01-08-2014, 03:22
This might be a stupid question, but what do you boil the diva cup in on trail? It seems like it wouldn't be sanitary to boil it in a pot...
Boiling water causes whatever is in the water to be sterilized, so the pot would be sterile as well. It is more of a mind over matter thing. There would be no harmful bacteria/viruses left in the pot because they all would have been killed in the boiling process.
This might be a stupid question, but what do you boil the diva cup in on trail? It seems like it wouldn't be sanitary to boil it in a pot...
..... Read posts #26 and #30 for more information.
Enjoy your hike!
LindaJesse
02-10-2016, 00:21
The Divacup is one of the most popular menstrual cups of all brands .Clean your cup between uses while on your period,Remove stains from your cup,Store the cup in a clean, small space.What not to do is never use a lubricant to insert the DivaCup. The DivaCup should not be stored in a plastic bag or airtight container as it is impossible for moisture to evaporate without air flow.For more info visit cupissima (http://www.cupissima.com) .
RedwoodRoots
02-22-2016, 19:30
A little late to respond but most "natural food" stores carry them. Whole foods even carries them. But it's also super easy to just order on Amazon etc
squeezebox
02-22-2016, 19:58
Can the Diva cup be used as birth control the same way as a diaphram?
Traffic Jam
02-22-2016, 20:18
Can the Diva cup be used as birth control the same way as a diaphram?
No. Its not an effective contraception method.
I know of only one menstrual cup that can be worn during intercourse.
The Diva Cup would be quite painful to the male due to it's design. In that regard, I suppose it's effective.
Traffic Jam
02-22-2016, 20:20
No. Its not an effective contraception method.
I know of only one menstrual cup that can be worn during intercourse.
The Diva Cup would be quite painful to the male due to it's design. In that regard, I suppose it's effective.
The softcup that can be worn during intercourse is also NOT effective contraception.