Pad Absorbancy

Today I set up pad absorbency testing. The idea was to add 2 more levels for higher absorbency using single and double layers of Zorb. Here is how it worked, and bear in mind that blood does not react the same way as water as it is thicker.

Each pad got it's own plate and sits on top of 2 squares of toilet paper because it shows moisture the most. They are all made with 2 layers of flannel on top and a layer of fleece on the bottom for moisture wicking. What is different about each is what's on the inside. The tea cup pad has 2 puffy layers of Zorb. The polka dot pad has 1 layer of Zorb. The floral has cotton terry cloth inside. The pantie liner, in space print, has nothing in the middle. Time to see what happened during the experiment.

We added water to the middle of each pad one teaspoon at a time with a dropper. They would likely hold more overall, but my period doesn't usually cover the entirety of the pad, so we focused the "flow" to one small spot.

First is the lightweight pantie liner. Adam adds water to the middle. We wait for about 30-60 seconds between each teaspoon in an effort to simulate a natural "flow".

The pantie liner held 2 teaspoons but soaked through before the third could be added. What we noticed at the end of the experiment was that the whole liner was wet, meaning it really soaked up all it could and spread across the whole cloth to do it.

Next up is the medium absorbency pad. This is the pad that we started the pad line with (not including the liners). This pad held 3 teaspoons (or 1 Tablespoon, or .5 oz) and then it was done. It is better than the pantyliner for holding liquid, but not by much. Here is where it gets better. The pad stayed mostly dry. The water did not absorb much into other areas. The benefit here is that you have 1 Tablespoon of absorbency in several places, so as your flow moves across the top of the pad you will continue to have absorbency.

Now we get into the new pads. The last 2 I am talking about are brand new, as in I made them today. It takes a bit for a brand new pad to draw water, so it took a little bit for the water to soak in from the first dropper full. The single layer of Zorb was the best by far and will be joining our inventory. It held twice as much as the terry variation with a whopping 2 Tablespoons (or 1 oz, or 6t). It did come out damp across the whole top so you know it won't let you down till it has nothing left to give.

Last and not quite least is the double layer of Zorb. The neat thing about this pad was that you could see how the inside stitching did in fact stop the "flow" from going right off the edge. It was also this pad's down fall. The water soaked through the stitching at only 5 teaspoons, 1 less than the single layer. The water stayed centralized and the rest of the pad was dry as the desert, which means it still has more to give. But with it's flat out bulkiness and less than great absorbency, it will not be joining the inventory till it has a serious redesign, if at all.

So, now that that is done, it is time to order more Zorb and get sewing. If you want to buy pads from The Crazy Elephant, check out thecrazyelephantboutique.com. Do you want to be the first to know when the single layer Zorb pads are available? Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/thecrazyelephant) or drop me a line in the comments section!