Reusable vs disposable incontinence underwear: which suits your routine?

What do we mean by incontinence underwear?

In this guide, incontinence underwear means the pull-on kind, often called pull-ups, pull-up pants or incontinence pants. These are absorbent products that are pulled up over the hips in a similar way to regular underwear. We are comparing washable or reusable pull-on underwear with disposable pull-up underwear.

We are not comparing tab-style all-in-one products, separate pads or guards, booster pads or other continence products. Those are different formats and may suit different needs.

What is reusable or washable incontinence underwear and how is it used?

Reusable or washable incontinence underwear has absorbent protection built into a garment designed to be washed, dried and worn again.

Reusable products are not all the same. Absorbency, construction, fit, intended use, care instructions and replacement guidance differ from one garment to the next.

If you are considering reusable underwear, absorbency is only part of it. You also need to work out how many clean pairs you need, whether washing and drying are straightforward, how long the garments take to dry and what you would do with a used garment if you had to change while you were out.

Continence Health Australia lists reusable pads and pants among the available continence products and notes that choosing the right product depends on factors such as the type of incontinence, physical ability, lifestyle and budget.

What is disposable incontinence underwear and how is it used?

Disposable pull-up incontinence underwear is a single-use absorbent garment that is pulled on over the hips and disposed of after use.

Disposable products differ just as much. Different pull-ups may be designed for different levels or patterns of leakage, body shapes and situations.

The word disposable does not tell you how a product will feel or perform. Fit, absorbent-core construction, containment around the legs, breathability and how a product behaves during movement can all differ from one product to another.

Can reusable and disposable underwear be used at different times?

Yes. Choosing one format does not mean you have to use it for every situation.

Some people may prefer reusable underwear as part of their usual routine at home, then use disposable pull-ups for travel, longer outings or situations where washing and carrying a used garment would be less practical. Others may use disposable underwear most of the time and keep reusable options for particular situations.

An ACT Government continence-aids resource notes that a combination of reusable and disposable products may be practical in some circumstances. It also points out the trade-off: reusable products can reduce waste, but they require additional washing and handling.

Using both formats does not automatically make the routine cheaper. You may still need enough reusable garments to maintain a rotation while also purchasing disposable products for the situations where you use them.

How do absorbency and capacity figures compare?

Capacity numbers can be useful, but they should not be compared without also looking at what the manufacturer says the product is designed to manage.

Current Australian products illustrate how different those descriptions can be.Depend Men Washable Incontinence Underwear  States an absorbency of up to 100 mL and positions the product for drips and dribbles. StayDry Women’s Reusable Full Brief is offered in 250 mL and 400 mL variants. Conni Ladies Classic is described for small bladder leaks and Conni directs people looking for full-void protection or nighttime use towards its Pull-Ons range or a bed pad.

These examples should not be treated as a definitive Australian reusable-absorbency range. They are examples of how individual products are described by their manufacturers.

Absorbency or capacity figures from different brands or product formats are not automatically comparable unless the test method and definition of capacity are the same.

If you are managing larger or repeated leaks, full bladder voids or overnight leakage, look beyond the number alone. The product’s intended use, fit and changing routine matter too.

Changing away from home

Changing away from home creates a different kind of planning for each format.

With reusable underwear, you need a clean replacement and a plan for the used garment until you can wash it. In the Australian guidance we reviewed, we did not find one standard clinical instruction for transporting a used washable continence garment, so it is better to follow the care instructions for the garment you are using rather than assume one storage method suits every product.

Continence Health Australia recommends planning ahead when travelling, including taking enough continence products and spare clothing for the time you will be away.

With disposable underwear, you still need clean replacements and somewhere appropriate to dispose of the used product. Disposal facilities are not always available in public toilets. Continence Health Australia’s BINS4Blokes initiative exists specifically to improve access to disposal bins in male toilets.

There is also the supply side to think about with disposables. Running low, travelling somewhere where your usual product is difficult to buy or waiting for a delivery can all affect the routine.

Neither format is automatically easier away from home. They simply create different things to plan for.

Washing, drying and keeping enough pairs in rotation

Reusable underwear adds a washing and drying routine, but the practical issue is not only whether you are willing to do the laundry. It is also whether you have easy access to it.

Shared laundries, limited drying space, not having a dryer, relying on a carer or support worker for washing or having to dry garments where other people can see them may all affect how workable the routine feels.

Care instructions also differ between garments. Some washable products use absorbent layers and waterproof or laminated materials, so washing temperature, detergent, fabric softener and drying instructions should be checked for the specific product rather than assumed to be the same for every brand.

How many pairs would you need?

There is no single number because it depends on how often you change, how often you wash and how long the garments take to dry.

As a simple illustration, someone using two pairs a day and washing every third day would already have six pairs in the wear-and-wash cycle before allowing for drying time or a clean spare.

That is an illustration, not a recommendation. A useful way to think about it is:

pairs used between washes + pairs still drying + clean spares you want available

How long does washable incontinence underwear last?

Replacement guidance and durability claims are not the same thing.

Continence Health Australia advises replacing reusable pads, pants and all-in-one products every 6 to 12 months. Individual manufacturers may describe durability differently. Depend, for example, states that its washable underwear maintains peak performance for up to 50 washes.

That does not mean one statement contradicts the other. One is replacement guidance and the other is a manufacturer durability claim, so they are describing different things.

Comfort, clothing and movement

Comfort is not determined simply by whether underwear is reusable or disposable. Construction, fit, bulk, materials, breathability and how the product moves with the body can differ from one product to another.

Someone who wants the look and feel of regular underwear may value one kind of construction. Someone managing larger leaks or frequent changes may want something quite different.

If heat, bulk or restriction during movement are important to you, our guide to what makes continence underwear feel bulky, hot or restrictive explains those factors in more detail.

Skin comfort and product choice

Current evidence does not show that one absorbent product category is automatically better for skin.

A 2023 scoping review of absorbent containment products found insufficient evidence to support one product category over another for maintaining skin integrity in people with urinary or faecal incontinence.

The reusable or disposable label alone is not a skin care strategy. Product performance, moisture exposure, fit, changing frequency and the individual person’s skin all matter.

Persistent redness, soreness, broken skin or a new change in skin condition are worth getting medical advice about rather than switching product categories and assuming the problem is solved.

What does each option really cost?

Reusable and disposable underwear create different kinds of ongoing costs.

Reusable underwear usually costs more up front because you need enough garments to keep a rotation going. Washing, drying and eventual replacement also form part of the cost.

Disposable underwear is purchased repeatedly, so what you spend overall depends on the product price and how many you use.

Continence Health Australia reports that people using pads, liners or pull ups spent an average of $1,835 per year on those products in the Australian data it cites. That figure is not a comparison between reusable and disposable underwear and it should not be read as what every individual will spend. 

Using both formats may suit your routine, but it can also mean paying for both. You may need enough reusable garments for a rotation while still buying disposable products for particular situations.

Some people may also be eligible for help with continence product costs. For 2026/27, the Continence Aids Payment Scheme provides up to $739.40 per eligible person. Eligibility rules apply. 

What about sustainability?

Single use and reusable continence products create different environmental impacts.

Disposable products create waste after each use. Reusable products can reduce the amount of continence product waste going to landfill, but they also require washing, drying and eventual replacement. The ACT Government’s continence aids resource makes this same distinction, noting both the waste reduction potential of reusable products and the additional washing and handling they require. 

A life cycle assessment by Willskytt and Tillman found that a partly reusable continence product system reduced global warming potential by more than 50% compared with the corresponding disposable system in the study. Matching products more closely to individual needs reduced environmental impacts by at least 20% across the categories studied. 

Those findings need context. The research was conducted outside Australia and examined broader continence product systems. A partly reusable system is not the same thing as washable incontinence underwear, so the results should not be read as proof that every reusable garment is environmentally better than every disposable product.

Sustainability therefore depends on both the product chosen and how well it matches what the person actually needs.

When pull on underwear may not be the right format

Sometimes the bigger question is whether pull on underwear is the right format at all.

Another type of continence product may be more practical if someone has very limited mobility, needs substantial help with changing, manages regular or unpredictable bowel leakage or needs extended overnight support. The way a garment comes off can also matter when someone is assisting with a change. Reusable briefs are generally taken down over the legs, while many disposable pull ups have tearaway side seams.

For more detail, see our choosing for someone you care for guide and daytime vs overnight continence products guide.

Where Svelte may fit

If you have decided that disposable pull-up underwear suits part or all of your routine, Svelte is one option designed for everyday wear.

Svelte is disposable unisex pull-up continence underwear designed around a soft, fully breathable construction and a discreet, less bulky feel.

It is not intended to be the answer for every continence need. Someone requiring substantially higher-capacity support, another changing format or a different type of continence product may be better suited to another option.

If disposable pull-ups are the format you are considering, our guide to choosing disposable continence underwear explains what to look for in fit, absorbency, comfort and everyday use.

Four questions to help you decide

Rather than asking which format is better overall, ask whether it works for your needs and your routine.

1. What does the product need to manage?
Look at the type and amount of leakage, how often you are likely to change and what the manufacturer says the product is designed for.

2. What will changing look like during your day?
Think about whether you usually change at home or away from home, whether someone helps you and what happens to the used garment or product afterwards.

3. Can the routine around it work for you?
With reusable underwear, that includes washing, drying and keeping enough clean pairs available. With disposable underwear, it includes maintaining supply, carrying spares and having access to disposal.

4. What matters most to you in everyday wear?
Fit, bulk, breathability, movement, discretion and cost may matter differently depending on your routine.

The right choice may be one format, the other or a combination of both at different times.

Frequently asked questions