keeper

[grrlyparts.livejournal.com]

so there's been a lot of talk about the keeper lately (maybe constantly, and i've just been noticing it lately) and i've had a keeper for 2 years now and love it like a child (haha)

here's my question though: has anyone else had experiences with not having a place to rinse it in public? i usually will use a handicapped stall with a sink if i'm in this position but sometimes there just isn't one.

i AM pretty open about it and have been known to just rinse it out in the normal sinks but it's a bit hard to make it a non-messy situation. When i saw Bitch and Animal last year on my birthday in October, i had to rinse it out in the bathrooms and there was no stall with a sink so i just yelled (very Cunt of me) "hey, i'm rinsing out my keeper so close you're eyes if you're gonna call it gross!" then tugged down my skirt and went out. Well EVERYONE looked and no one said a nasty word to me (i actually wrote down the website for a lot of women that day)

thing is, that was really liberal crowd. it makes me nervous to just do that in any old public place.

Comments

[cassiopia.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty lucky in that my flow is kind of light. I can usually go all day without emptying it (meaning from the time I leave for work until I get home) The few times I did need to empty it in public I've just dumped it out in the toilet, wiped as much of the blood off as I could and put it back in, cleaning up as best I could with toilet paper then washing my hands. This was a bit messy, but the only option open to me at the time.

Rinsing in the sink is not 100% vital, at least not in my experience.

[uwerenocasanova.livejournal.com]

Ick, what about germs?

[purpleboots.livejournal.com]

You mean "what about germs" referring to keeping it in all day, or "what about germs" referring to not rinsing it out?

Either way, it is made to stay in for up to 12 hours (which was completely possible when I was on the pill, but not so possible now that I am not). It is not vital that you rinse out the Keeper every time you take it out to empty it. If it touches your vagina, your (clean) fingers, and a paper towel, I don't know why you would be worried about germs. I would also say that if you are digging around in your vagina (inserting/taking out a Keeper, tampon, etc.) you should wash your hands before you go to the bathroom, too. I am a chemist, so I am in the habit of washing my hands before going to the bathroom (I can't imagine what chemicals are on my hands that I don't want in my vagina), but maybe that's unrealistic for people besides me. Actually, if have found that if you have no (clean/sanitary) ways of wetting/lubricating the Keeper before re-inserting it, it makes it easier if you don't really clean it at all...emptying is usually enough.

[cassiopia.livejournal.com]

What she said ;-)

Thanks. That is exactly what I was going to say.

Re:

[uwerenocasanova.livejournal.com]

I meant 'germy' about not washing it, after touching it to empty it out. I never wash my hands before I go into a stall (unless I'm at work as well) so I was thinking about all the millions of germs that would have a nice warm breeding ground.

[purpleboots.livejournal.com]

I would just be careful about washing your hands before going to the bathroom if you anticipate needing to empty your Keeper (and using a paper towel to open/close/lock the stall. I am not too terribly germ-a-phobic, but I don't like to do any Keeper-dealings without washing my hands. There is only 1-2 days a month that I need to empty it during the day, so I just deal with it on those days, or wear a pad as extra protection. I don't find it to be a huge problem.

[wynterfall2002.livejournal.com]

A trick that I used to use with my Dayquil/Nyquil cup - what a comparison, I know - when I had to take a dose nowhere near a sink, was to use a tissue or napkin to wipe out the inside. Maybe you could remove most of the blood before even leaving the stall, then wash it out properly.

I don't use a keeper so I'm not sure if this is even possible. Thought I would throw it out there, just in case.

Otherwise, the company should hire you to do these public bathroom announcements often because it obviously got them some attention and possibly even sales!

[purpleboots.livejournal.com]

This is what I used to do:

When I would have to empty my Keeper at work, I would go into the bathroom, wet a couple (usually 3) folded paper towels and take them into the stall with me. I would empty out my Keeper into the toilet, use some toilet paper to wipe out anything that was still stuck in it, and use one or two of the paper towels to wipe the inside and outside (at least the outside) of my Keeper. The last paper towel I would use to clean up my fingers a bit to make the buttoning/zipping easier.

This is what I do now (since there is never anyone else in the bathroom at work):

I go into the bathroom and take a couple paper towels into the stall with me. I take out my Keeper, dump the contents into the toilet, and fold my Keeper up into the paper towel (it can be cleaned up a bit in the stall with TP or the paper towel if needed). I take the folded paper towel to the sink and rinse out my Keeper, and return to the stall to put it back in. The bathroom is set up so that I would be able to hear someone coming in before they could see what I am doing at the sink anyway, so it would be easy to conceal if I needed to. I am pretty open about everything at work, anyway, so if anyone came in, I would probably just tell them.

I am a big fan of yelling a warning through stall doors, though. Frankly, at most places where there are lots of people in the bathroom, most people have to go so badly anyway that they don't even pay attention to what you are doing if you don't announce it. Oh, and I make sure to rinse everything down the sink/wipe the sink with a paper towel as not to gross anyone else out. Not that I think it is gross, but other people think that it is.

[uwerenocasanova.livejournal.com]

I would freak out & it's not because I am ashamed of my body; I just think blood is especially gross. But as long as you don't parade to the sink with full cup in hand and leave your clots sitting in the drain (loL! i hope this has never really happened), who would even really notice?

[knkdyke.livejournal.com]

I was going to say - what about those wipes that you use at the doctor's office when you have to give them a urine sample, but I don't know how readily available those are. Then I thought - what about keeping one of those small packets of baby-wipes in your purse or pocket?

I don't know (a) how effective they are at killing germs (though they must be pretty good since we use them on baby's bottoms) or (b) whether wiping off the keeper with them (like the paper-towel suggestion) would leave behind any chemicals or residue (but again, we wipe of baby's bottoms with them, so it seems like they wouldn't be too harmful, doesn't it?).

I have kids, so I've been using baby-wipes for years, for all sorts of things. All of my kids have outgrown diapers (long ago), but the baby-wipes still come in handy often. The little pocket packages are very handy for picnics or outtings to the fair (where someone is inevitably going to get something sticky all over them and there will NOT be a sink nearby).

Which I guess would also be a good place to have these in your pocket or purse - at the fair - where the only restrooms are port-a-potties.

Again, not sure of the above questions, so I'm not entirely sure if this would work, but thought I'd make the suggestion.

[bola-de-fuego.livejournal.com]

I used to live in a dorm where the whole floor of women (20 or so?)shared two shower stalls, two sinks, and two toilet stalls... so much fun taking a shower and stepping out of the water for a second because someone yelled "flushing!" Hahaha. Anyway...
I'd just empty out my Keeper in the toilet, wipe it down with TP, head to the sink to rinse it out, and go back in the stall to pop it back in. I figure anyone who makes a big deal about it is just asking for some education, anyway. ;D

[serpina.livejournal.com]

Hey, just wanted to say that I read that bit about you yelling out to the crowd of women and just going out there and practically cheered out loud. That's really brave and cool!

I haven't tried using my Keeper again since the first time, though, when I had some difficulties, so I can't contribute any stories about use in public restrooms.