DIY Disinfectant Wipes

As part of my move to green living, I am trying to get away from disposable items. For example, we have a basket of rags and washcloths that we use instead of napkins and paper towels. However, sometimes you just need something with a little more cleaning power. Instead of picking up those Clorox or Lysol wipes, I decided to take a stab at making my own. These work great, and once you use up the container, wash the rags and make a new solution!

DIY Disinfectant Wipes

6 flour sack towels, cut down into quarters
4 c distilled water
1 c vinegar
1 c alcohol
20 drops essential oils (optional)

If you do not have distilled water on hand, just boil 4 cups and allow it to cool. The essential oils are not required, but they will improve the disinfecting power of your solution. My default is 5 drops each of lemon, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary. All 4 of these have antibacterial properties, but you could use any oils of your choice that have disinfecting properties, or that you enjoy the scent of.

Stuff your 24 cloth pieces into an air tight jar. Combine all your liquid ingredients, and pour over the towels. Allow the solution to soak into the towels. Keep your container well-sealed to keep the cloths damp in between uses.

For a neat dispensing feature similar to the commercial wipes or tissues, lay out your cloths in a line with the ends slightly overlapping. Make sure you overlap the same way with each piece (for example, always set the next piece to the left and on top). You will now have a makeshift strip that you should fold in half lengthwise. Stuff this strip into your container, starting with the sole cloth that was not tucked into another (for example, the right most piece). Now when you pull out your cloths, the next one will be tucked inside and pop up for easy grabbing next time.

Grab a towel as needed to wipe down counter tops and more. Do note, you need to leave the surface wet for at least 10 minutes in order for the solution to truly disinfect. After 10 minutes you can air dry or wipe up (for a streak-free finish).

I keep my wipes on the counter next to my sink, along with my basket of dry rags/napkins and homemade dishwasher detergent. What I love about all of this, is that I can just toss everything into a hamper and wash it all once full. I keep a hamper under my counter for used wipes, rags/napkins, and towels. It's convenient for everyone, saves some money, and is generally more eco-friendly (minus the laundry, but I can get by with washing all of this every 2-4 weeks, depending on how active we've been--we are only 3 adults though, so if you have little ones, you can probably expect to do the wash more frequently).