homemade cleaning wipes

I will admit it. I love Clorox wipes. I'm slightly ashamed of this, given the harsh chemicals and the fact that I'm just adding to the landfills every time I throw one away. So, I decided to make my own cleaning wipes, that are re-usable, and made out of non-harsh chemicals.

First I posted on C-U Freecycle looking for some empty diaper wipes to use as my containers. I got a TON of responses. Apparently there are a lot of parents on Freecycle! Then I went to Meijer and picked up some Flour Sack Towels to use as the wipes, and some vinegar and baking soda to make my cleanser out of.

First, I cut up the towels into the size of diaper wipes so they would fit in the container. I didn't hem them or anything, so we'll see what happens after their first trip through the washer...

Then I mixed the cleanser. I used 1/4 c. vinegar + 1/8 c. baking soda + 4 cups of water, and stirred it up until the baking soda was dissolved. Then I poured the cleanser over the cloths and just let it all soak in. I labeled the container, and done! Easy as pie. After using one of the wipes, I can just toss it in the washer with other rags, and they are reusable for next time by just making more cleanser. (I have two containers, one for clean dry cloths and one for wet ones).

We cleaned the bathroom with them today, and they worked great! Though, I will say that you shouldn't use them on the mirror, b/c the baking soda makes it streaky. If you used plain vinegar and water, the mirror wouldn't be streaky.

All in all, this cost me about $8 for everything. I got 5 towels, a gallon of vinegar, and a box of baking soda. That will get me a LOT of cleaning wipes, that won't harm the environment. For that same amount of money, I could buy about 2 containers of Clorox wipes, that would end up in landfills. Good decision? YES!