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Confession: when I was a new mom I used a ton of disinfecting wipes. Especially when we were in the thick of being sick (yet again).
Then I learned about the ingredients in most disinfectant wipes. I can’t even pronounce most of the ingredient names.
Thankfully the EWG has a great site that helps you know the toxicity ratings of your products so it was easy to find out that most disinfecting wipes all score very poorly.
Thus I said goodbye to disinfectant wipes. I switched over to spraying everything with my all-purpose cleaner. It’s incredibly easy to make and works well (I also love using it to disinfect our toothbrushes!)
However, it’s just not as quick as grabbing a wipe and swiping over everything. Plus, while I hate to admit it… the all-purpose cleaner is just not perfect when it comes to disinfecting. Don’t get me wrong, it does a good job… just not 99.99% good.
So I’m back to disinfecting wipes but I’ve learned a thing or two. One: I can make my own and thus avoid crazy ingredients and costs! Two: I can make reusable disinfecting wipes!These DIY reusable disinfecting wipes are easy to whip up, cost pennies to make, and they are reusable so you aren’t killing any trees!
DIY Reusable Disinfecting Wipe Ingredients
Rubbing Alcohol – this is just a nice cheap disinfectant. It also dries very quickly.
Distilled Water – water really is just there to help dilute the solution and provide the mass needed to help spread the disinfectant around. You could use regular water but using distilled water helps ensure that mold and mildew do not become a problem.
Castile Soap – soap helps cut through and gunk and grime you may have. I prefer to use castile soap as it’s free from any nasty ingredients that are often lurking in dish soap (which is what many other diy recipes call for)
Essential Oils – Most essential oils are disinfectant to some extent which means you could use pretty much any essential oil and still increase this solutions disinfectant properties. That said tea tree is an age old classic when it comes to disinfecting with lemon and lavender close behind.
DIY Reusable Disinfecting Wipes
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
1 c. distilled water
2 tbsp. castile soap
20 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops lemon OR lavender essential oil (this is to help scent the wipes)
reusable wipes (amount needed will vary by thickness)
glass container for storing disinfecting wipes
Directions:
In a bowl (or a pint size mason jar!) mix together the rubbing alcohol, water, castile soap, and essential oils.
Place reusable wipes into the glass storage container. (I have mine in a 3 cup mason jar)
Pour disinfecting solution over the wipes and allow solution to soak into the wipes.
Seal with lid and rotate jar around to ensure wipes soak up all the solution.
Use as needed and toss in the laundry when dirty/used.
Need more germ killers?
DIY Natural Hand Sanitizer
