Many women prefer pads and for them there are many options. There are different cottage industries marketing cotton sanitary pads in every shape, size, colour and thickness possible. Most of them have a covering with wings to snap around the panty or a G-string arrangement and have a folding removable liner that allows for thorough cleaning and quick drying. There are smaller width pads available for young women. Different absorbencies of pads allow for individualizing the set of pads to suit your need.
Some women use the cup during their heavy flow and cotton pads at other times.
The key to keeping the pads from staining is soaking them. This makes washing easy. There is no rush to get them into the washer. The time is limited only by the number of pads you own. An automatic washer does a great job getting them clean and they hang dry overnight, although an automatic dryer will fluff the cotton fibres more.