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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

DIY Natural Cleaning Wipes

The lovely new-momma Jessica of Krrb recently asked me if I had any tips for making natural cleaning wipes. I'm a spray and wipe kinda gal, so I didn't have any.

I did end up trying this eventually. Here's a picture to prove it!

I took to the internets in search of DIY tutorials that readers loved and discovered one at Homemade Ginger: cut up old cotton t-shirt + diluted Dr. Bronner's + old wipes container  = cleaning wipes. Brilliant! Lots of Ginger's readers suggested adding antibacterial tea tree oil to keep the wipes from getting moldy. That seems like a good idea!


As a bonus, cotton cloth cleaning wipes can be cut up and composted once they are worn out. This isn't true of most cleaning wipes, even the groovy Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes my boyfriend likes. A commenter at Fabulously Frugal's DIY cleaning wipes post suggested sewing the edges of cloth with a zigzag stitch so they don't get ragged as quickly. If you have a serger, that'd probably work too. Cloth wipes can be laundered along with other cleaning rags.

One of Ginger's reader's commented that you can make potty/baby wipes out of a mix of olive oil, Dr. Bronner's, a few drops of tea tree oil, and water.

I wondered if it was possible for homemade wipes to pop-up the oh-so-convenient way purchased wipes do. I found a solution on Cincy Savers t that uses paper towels. Don't get turned off by the gross Pine Sol. You can use your preferred green all-purpose cleaning solution and the brand of recycled paper towels you like best too.

Good luck, Jessica and whoever else tries this!

Update: I did eventually try this with paper towels. I thought they felt gross and flimsy. Like I said, I'm a spray and wipe kinda gal.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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2 comments:

  1. Hey Olivia! I made my wipes! They turned out good, except perhaps they were a little too wet. I didn't measure or anything, but I used 1 part vinegar and 1 part water. I didn't have any oils so I poured a bit of this product, which is amazing by the way, (http://krrb.com/posts/8394-natural-home-care-products-handmade-in-brooklyn) in for a nice smell and now I'm super happy with my cleaning wipes.

    I'm definitely going to make them again and again.

    Next up, bum wipes for the babe!

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    1. Oh, I love Haven! I haven't actually tried their products but I adore Kasey and her mission. She uses her grandparent's recipes as a foundation for her products. It's so awesome!

      I'm glad you are happy with your wipes! DIY wipes seem to be an internet sensation. Which is awesome cuz the store bought ones are kinda pricey.



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