Before disposable sanitary napkin was made available, menstruators used a cloth to manage their periods. Due to the prevalence of certain superstitions, the cloth that they used was not hygienically cared for. There is a widely prevalent belief that it is a bad omen for men to see a menstrual cloth drying in the open. Most women, therefore, were secretive about washing the menstrual cloth and they typically put it to dry in hidden corners of the house and under the bed. A cloth used in such conditions breeds germs and creates infections which when untreated leads to serious diseases. 

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And this was where the cloth got its reputation for being unhygienic.

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Disposable sanitary product companies used this information to market their products and suggested why disposables are a safer alternative than cloth. This is not true. Disposable products contain harmful chemicals such as perfumes, bleaches and dioxins that may lead to irritation and infections in the short term and lifestyle disorders and cervical cancer in the long term.  

When washed properly and dried in direct sunlight, the cloth is safe and 100% eco-friendly.