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The Daily Insight

What can I do with unused tampons?

Author

Emma Newman

Updated on March 10, 2026

Before you toss them into the trash, take a look at these 6 great ideas to help you out!
  1. Add them to your first aid kit.
  2. Add them to your survival kit.
  3. Turn your tampons into art.
  4. Turn them into costumes or clothing.
  5. No party is complete without cake.
  6. You Could Always Donate Them.

Herein, where can I donate unused tampons?

Mail Donations to #HappyPeriod One of our fave organizations #HappyPeriod is currently collecting pads, tampons, soap, wipes, and unused underwear. You can even shop their Amazon wish-list and have the products sent directly to them.

Also, how long are unused tampons good for? about five years

Considering this, can I donate an open box of tampons?

Yes, as long as they are unused and individually sealed or in a sealed box. What kind of tampons or sanitary napkins do you accept? Any brand or size as long as they are individually sealed. I have an opened box of tampons or package of maxi pads.

How do homeless people donate tampons?

Instead of having them go dusty in the back of a bathroom drawer, donate the pads or tampons to a homeless shelter or women's shelter in your city. Shelters are always in need of menstrual products, as these are items people seldom think about donating.

Related Question Answers

What to do with unused feminine products?

You Could Always Donate Them These organizations are usually very accommodating to accepting your new and unused feminine care products, including disposable pads and tampons. Talk to your local donation centers, women's shelters, homeless shelters, etc. to find out if they're accepting feminine care products.

Can you get free tampons at Planned Parenthood?

When you walk into Planned Parenthood or a health center at school, they're free whether you're a guy or a girl. Wherever condoms are free, they're free regardless of your gender. Condoms and tampons are not the same.

What is Aunt Flo period?

Aunt Flo is a popular euphemism referring to the menstrual cycle.

Do you always donate pads?

For every Always Pads pack purchased in the U.S. between July 29, 2018 and September 8, 2018, Always will donate one pad to U.S. school girls through Feeding America. Total estimated donation of more than 15 million pads is based on expected sales in the U.S. and Canada.

Where can I donate Period products?

However, you can help by supporting organizations that donate menstrual products to people with periods who need them.

Here are 10 organizations dedicated to menstrual health you can help.

  • Freedom4Girls.
  • Conscious Period.
  • Cora.
  • Days for Girls.
  • A Woman's Worth Inc.
  • #TheHomelessPeriod.
  • Support the Girls.
  • #HappyPeriod.

Where can I donate sanitary products?

However, you can help by supporting organizations that donate menstrual products to people with periods who need them.

Here are 10 organizations dedicated to menstrual health you can help.

  • Freedom4Girls.
  • Conscious Period.
  • Cora.
  • Days for Girls.
  • A Woman's Worth Inc.
  • #TheHomelessPeriod.
  • Support the Girls.
  • #HappyPeriod.

Where can I donate nursing bras?

Contact your local nurse-midwife clinic Occasionally, midwife clinics will run drives seeking post-partum items like nursing bras to serve local women in need. Contact clinics near you to see if they're looking for these kinds of items, which they then will pass off to women who deliver their babies there.

What can I put in share the dignity bag?

The essentials needed in each bag are:
  • Pads/ tampons.
  • Shampoo.
  • Conditioner.
  • Toothbrush.
  • Toothpaste.
  • Roll on deodorant.
  • Soap or Body wash.

What is the red box project?

The Red Box Project is a community-based, not-for-profit initiative, which aims to support young people throughout their periods by providing red boxes filled with free period products to local schools.

Can you donate menstrual cups?

Donate a menstrual cup to someone who really needs it. By donating a menstrual cup you can help young girls and women who doesn't have access to menstrual protections and help them get a better quality of life. Donate a cup today and we will make sure that it goes to someone who really needs it!

Do incontinence pads expire?

But many perhaps don't consider the fact that pads and tampons do expire, and the use of them outside that date can do enormous damage. “They do expire, it's usually after five years,” Dr Brad McKay, GP and former host of Embarrassing Bodies Down Under, tells Mamamia.

Where can I donate tampons UK?

You can donate sanitary products to a Trussell Trust foodbank - find your local one here. The Homeless Period has a petition to provide free sanitary products to homeless women, and you can also donate tampons and towels.

Do tampons take your virginity away?

Tampons work just as well for girls who are virgins as they do for girls who have had sex. And even though using a tampon can occasionally cause a girl's hymen to stretch or tear, it does not cause a girl to lose her virginity. It may take some practice putting in a tampon for the first time.

Can tampons get stuck?

It's not possible for a tampon to get lost inside you. It'll stay in your vagina after you have inserted it. The only other opening is through your cervix at the top of your vagina. But even if the string is inside you, you'll usually be able to feel the tampon and pull it out.

Do tampons break a hymen?

Tampons can be inserted through the opening of the hymen without changing the hymen as well. Sexual intercourse may stretch the hymen to make a larger opening or may cause a tiny tear or change in the shape of the hymen – sometimes this is called “breaking” the hymen, but it doesn't really break, it just stretches.

Do tampons make cramps worse?

Other reasons why using tampons may be painful‍ While the medical data may say that tampons don't cause period cramps, other conditions might cause tampon insertion to be painful.

Can tampons kill you?

Toxic shock syndrome is a sudden, potentially fatal condition. Toxic shock syndrome affects menstruating women, especially those who use super-absorbent tampons. The body responds with a sharp drop in blood pressure that deprives organs of oxygen and can lead to death.

Where should tampons be stored?

To be on the safe side, always store your tampons in a cabinet in a cool, dry place. While the bathroom may be the most convenient place to keep them, it's also the most likely breeding ground for bacteria.

Why do tampons hurt?

Sometimes tampons are inserted incorrectly (usually they're not in far enough) and they feel weird. The fact that it hurt when you pulled it out is because tampons are designed to expand in your body. When you pull out a dry tampon that's only been in your vagina a short time, it can be uncomfortable.

Can you leave a tampon in for 9 hours?

I still haven't determined where that eight-hour timeline originated, but manufacturers warn that wearing a tampon for longer than eight hours, increases the risk of toxic shock syndrome [TSS]. So, death by forgotten tampon is theoretically possible but highly unlikely.

Can you pee with a tampon in and keep it in?

Here comes a big sigh of relief for a lot of people out there; you can pee with a tampon in. Peeing with a tampon in won't harm you or do anything to disrupt your period, all it'll do is make the string of your tampon wet – and you can just move the string to the side before you pee.

Are feminine hygiene products necessary?

Feminine hygiene products are defined as: tampons, menstrual pads and sanitary napkins, pantiliners, menstrual sponges, and menstrual cups. The Bill classifies feminine hygiene products as medically necessary, and proposes they be added to the existing list of tax exempt medical devices.

How do I donate to period poverty?

There are lots of things we can all do to help the thousands of women who are struggling and show you give a f*ck about period poverty.
  1. Buy your own products from brands that give back.
  2. Donate to charity.
  3. Go on marches.
  4. Sign petitions.
  5. Raise awareness.
  6. Donate period products.
  7. Educate yourself.

What do you give a homeless woman?

If you don't want to give cash, here are a few other options
  • Grocery Store Gift Cards. Grocery store gift cards are a great way to give someone access to all the essentials that they might need, whenever they most need them.
  • Socks.
  • Hand Warmers.
  • Unscented Baby Wipes.
  • Tampons.
  • Garbage Bags.
  • Toilet Paper.
  • Water Bottles.

Who makes U by Kotex?

Kimberly-Clark