But I look on the back of my Clorox wipes and read, "PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS: HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS."
That is not something that I want to clean my home with, or use around my children (or my dog)!!
I've been thinking about making homemade pre-moistened cleaning wipes for a while, but just wasn't sure exactly how I would do it. Finally I took the time to make my own and I am really happy with what I came up with!
I used one of Jer's old white t-shirts and cut it up into squares. I got 24 wipes, some small and some bigger, out of one t-shirt. I'll probably cut up another t-shirt just to make sure I have enough wipes on hand at all times. I put them in a disposable baby wipe container that I kept to use for something like this. I didn't fold them or make them look organized, I just threw them in the container. I mixed about a cup or so of water with a good squirt of castile soap
, some tea tree oil, and some white vinegar. I didn't measure, I just put kind of poured them all in, mixed it up and poured the solution over the wipes. Both tea tree oil and vinegar have disinfecting qualities and the castile soap is just for a little extra cleaning power. The tea tree oil and castile soap cover up any smell of vinegar, so Jer will use them too!! (If you've read any of my previous natural cleaning posts, you know that my hubby *hates* the smell of vinegar.)When I use one, I just throw it down the stairs into the laundry hamper that I use for the rest of my rags. (Or really I just leave it sitting on the corner of the kitchen counter until I have a few rags in the pile and then just throw them all down together.) :) They get washed with the other cleaning rags, so it's really no extra work for me.
I am loving this convenient, natural, homemade, reusable, and frugal alternative to Clorox wipes!!
This post is a part of the Natural Housecleaning Carnival at Passionate Homemaking. Check it out for more great natural cleaning ideas and tips!
You can read more of my natural cleaning posts here.
What do you use for natural cleaning around your home? Do you have any convenience cleaning products that you just can't live without? Have you come up with alternatives for any of them?
Came here via Passionate Homemaking - GREAT idea!! My friend has made home-made baby wipes with a paper towel roll before, but I've never seen reusable wipes of any sort before! Thanks for the inspiration, and you're clever!! :)
ReplyDeleteCheap cheap cheap cheap wash cloths can be used as baby wipes (Kmart, sells 12 for $5 or something). Cheap paper towels are rough, and I didn't want them on my children's body.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a baby, and my 2 siblings, they didn't make baby wipes, so my mother just used wash cloths, little baby soap and voila! And if you cloth diaper, just throw them in w/the diapers.
Travel?... plastic bag!
@Tina and @Danielle - Yep! I actually make baby wipes for my sweet babies' bums too! I use cheap baby washcloths like Danielle says and a solution of castile soap and tea tree oil and wash them with my cloth diapers.
ReplyDeleteThese cloths that I made are for cleaning and I wanted to make sure they were disinfecting. I wouldn't use these to wipe hands or bums, just counters, sinks, floors, etc. :)
Great idea!
ReplyDeleteQuestion - I decided I was going to make some of these, but I am curious if you let them just sit in the solution and squeeze them out before use? Or, did you pour the solution over them, let them sit, squeeze them out, and THEN put them in the wipe container? I know it sounds like a silly question, but I am all about the details :P Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHey Em, Just curious if you have ever tried your own laundry detergent? I'd be curious to hear what you think... Hope you're doing well :) Post new pics of the kids soon - they are both too cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea I love this idea. Will def. be trying this. I will sharing your link on my blog for this article.
ReplyDeletethank you
@Tina - I just pour the solution over the wipes in the container. I usually try to use the right amount of solution so the wipes are not soaking or too dry, but just wet enough to wipe well. I start with about a cup of water and if that is not quite enough to get them all wet then I will just pour a little bit more water over them.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually have to squeeze them out before I use them, but if they were too wet, that is what I would do. They sit in the container for a few days before I use them all up and have to make a new batch, so some of the moisture evaporates. I would rather have them too wet then too dry. I hope that makes sense. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Do you know of a good and affordable place to get tea tree oil?
ReplyDelete@Courtney - I get my TTO at Target. It cost me $7.99 for 2 oz. You can find it in the aisle with the vitamins. I'm not sure if that is the best price, but it is convenient for me and the bottle lasts for a really long time because you use such a small amount at a time. I currently use TTO in my baby wipes solution, with castille soap and water for a multipurpose cleaner, and in the solution for these disinfectant wipes. A little goes a long way!
ReplyDelete