Make Your Own Cleaning Wipes
Let's face it - those ready-to-go disinfecting cleaning wipes can be so handy around the house, but so very expensive on the pocketbook! When you can't find them for cheap, or your stockpile is running low, consider making your own!
Here's what you'll need:
(1) roll Bounty paper towels (these seem to hold up the best; I've also heard that Viva towels do pretty well)
(1) Rubbermaid #6 square container & lid, or other similar size (10-cup) container with tight-fitting lid
(2) cups water
(1) ounce Lysol all-purpose cleaner (according to the bottle, this 1:16 dilution will give you hospital-grade disinfecting)
You'll also need a long serated knife (like a bread knife), an electric knife, or a small hacksaw. (I use a long serated bread knife.)
Begin by cutting the roll of paper towels in half, so that you end up with two shorter rolls. (It may help if you cut down through the paper all the way around until you hit the cardboard tube in the middle, and then cut through the cardboard tube.) Brush any loose "fuzzies" off the cut ends, and trim any large clumps with scissors if desired. You'll only need one half of the roll right now; save the other half.
Add the water and Lysol in your container, and swirl to mix (do not shake - you'll make suds).
Next, turn your half roll with the cut side down and gently fold in the sides of the cardboard tube in the middle of the paper towel roll until you can pull it out of the center. It will pull up the inside end of the towel roll with it, and that's just what you want.
Place your roll cut side down in the container with your cleaner and water mixture, and close the lid. Allow the paper towel roll to soak up all the liquid (about 30-60 minutes). Then turn your container upside down for 1-2 hours so that the cleaning mixture can saturate all of the roll. Once it's done, turn it right-side up and you're ready to go - just grab the towels from the inside of the roll, tear off as many as needed, and replace the lid.
Depending on how quickly you go through these, you may need to add just a little water periodically to keep the towels moist.
You can, of course, substitute other brands of cleaners if you'd like. Just be careful that you don't mix different cleaners together. Or if you would rather stay away from the chemicals in the Lysol, you can try this recipe for the cleaning mixture:
1 tsp baking soda
2-5 drops dish soap
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
2-3 cups water
Be sure to label all containers and keep out of reach of small children.
Make Your Own Baby Wipes
You can use the same method for making your own cleaning wipes (see previous post) in order to make your own baby wipes as well (with different ingredients, of course).
Here's what you'll need:
(1) roll Bounty* paper towels (or a half roll left over from making cleaning wipes)
(1) Rubbermaid #6 square container or similar
(2) cups water (distilled or tap, depending on your preference)
(2) Tbsp. baby wash or baby shampoo
Optional: (1) Tbsp. baby oil or baby lotion
Prepare the same way as you would the cleaning wipes.
I usually just used tap water, and I left out the baby oil/lotion. But you can use distilled water or boiled tap water (which has cooled to room temp before using the wipes) if you want. Adjust the amount of water based on how relatively wet or dry you prefer your wipes.
As before, you may need to add a few drops of water periodically if your wipes start to dry out.
If you also make your own cleaning wipes, make ABSOLUTE SURE to label each container so that you (or anyone else in your household) don't accidently mix them up!
*I've found that Bounty works really well. You'll want to use a paper towel that is quite thick and is not prone to giving off a lot of lint.
