Here is how you make the best antibacterial DIY cleaning wipes for your house that smell amazing! Make them reusable or not to clean up all the spills and eliminate germs in your home.
I was kinda’ done buying them in bulk to use around the house to clean up spills. I finally got around to making these DIY cleaning wipes that work great and save me a ton of money too! (originally published 5/18, affiliate links present)
If you’re like me you use a lot of wipes! I haven’t had children in diapers for over 8 years but every room has wipes for sure. I have them in my car, some in my purse, and literally in every room of the house I feel.
- Of course I still have small packages in my car and purse but around the house I didn’t really need prepackaged wipes. I felt like making them myself was the way to go there!
In addition to saving money (which I love) I was able to add amazing scents using essential oils which I love.
** Note, all of these products should be kept away from animals and children for safety reasons.
These are great for a lot of reasons. If you are a teacher and in need of cleaning desks at the end of the day, or a parent, they work great.
I always suggest using items you already have around the house as far as the jar and ingredients go. If you don’t have everything I will provide links to purchase them online as well below.
- I use them when I work through our monthly cleaning schedule checklists here.
- If you have a bit of time on your hands, or want a feasible way to work through every room in your home, I suggest printing those out.
Homemade antibacterial wipes
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup rubbing alcohol (at least 70% strength)
- or if you just want to clean and not necessarily disinfect you can use vinegar
- 1 tbsp liquid detergent or dish soap
- Micro fiber cloths
- A large air tight jar, spray bottle, or size you’d like to use
- 6 drops lavender oil
- Double or triple these amounts to make as much as you’d like.
- Submerge cloths in liquid, secure lid and shake.
- Take out and use one at a time, or spray mixture and use cloths to clean surfaces.
Yes you can add a few drops of essential oils to this mixture for scent as well. That part is entirely up to you but I like the addition of one.
The above “recipe” is great for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. I also have a 2nd method using bleach if you want to use thick paper towels instead of cloths.
The second method if you have these ingredients on hand at home:
- Thick paper towels
- Bleach
- Distilled water
- Tea tree oil
- Wipe container
Time needed: 15 minutes
Homemade Antibacterial Wipes
- Cut paper towels
Use a serrated knife to cut thick paper towel roll in half.
- Mix ingredients
In another bowl mix 2 tbsp. bleach, 2 cups distilled water and 3 drops tea tree oil. Then pour this over the cut paper towels so it can absorb.
- Soak
Allow paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible, then remove the middle piece of cardboard.
- Package
Put roll of soaked paper towels into a container and pour liquid left in a bowl over the top. Seal container so they stay moist and don’t evaporate.
Homemade hand sanitizer
- 1 cup of isopropyl alcohol
- should be 91% pure
- ½ cup of aloe vera gel
- 15 drops of tea tree oil
- this is known as an antibacterial essential oil
- I was late to the game when it came to using these little bottles.
- You can read my essential oils 101 post about my journey here. I will say they work amazingly well with these do it yourself cleaning cloths.
Of course it is totally up to you which essential oils you use, this one is probably my all time favorite!
DIY cleaning wipes
The recipe below is not necessarily antibacterial and germ fighting, rather primarily focused on cleaning surfaces.
- 1 glass jar
- 4 cups warm water
- 2 tbsp. castile soap
- 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil – or any other combo of oils you desire
- Reusable cloth wipes
Directions to make homemade cleaning wipes
- Add 1/2 your water to the glass container
- Add your soap
- Add 10 drops of each oil and mix well
- Cut your reusable wipes in half
- Roll each one up and put into your container standing up as seen in pics above
- Add the rest of your water
- Close the lid tightly and shake well
- Use, rinse, put back into container and reuse over and over again!
If you go ahead to make these diy cleaning wipes let us know what scent you added and if you did anything differently!
Looking for more around the house ideas? This is how to get rid of gnats naturally with household items under your sink!
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Sherry Peterson
Saturday 28th of November 2020
I love these wipes. I use an empty plastic coffee can for my wipes. If I use bleach, I always use a large glass canning jar. I started out with paper towels, then moved on to old washcloths or microfiber ones. I use 1 or 2 and let them dry, then wash all with my whites. The alcohol and bleach will dissipate. I have used Everclear alcohol when I couldn't find any alcohol in the stores. This past summer when all things went back in stock, I would buy 1 or 2 bottles every shopping trip. This virus or the flu or any other virus will always be around. May as well get used to "the new normal" I also make the mix into a spray bottle and spray my fabric masks. Take care of yourselves.
Cathy
Saturday 5th of September 2020
I'm curious about using the bleach solution with "thick paper towels". I've tried using bleach with paper towels before (Brawny-type towels), and they turned to mush. The link to the "thick paper towels" is broken, so can you tell us more about what kind you're recommending? Could the bleach solution be used with microfiber cloths? Could the alcohol solution be used with the paper towels? Thanks!
The Typical Mom
Monday 7th of September 2020
yes you could flip flop the two depending on which you prefer, I fixed the link to one that is now available
Linda
Wednesday 8th of July 2020
can i use peppermint oil instead of lavender oil? would it still be the 6 drops? thank you
The Typical Mom
Friday 10th of July 2020
Yes, depending on how strong of a scent you wanted that would be up to you
Linda
Monday 27th of April 2020
Thank you so helpful
Julia
Tuesday 21st of April 2020
I use white wash cloths I buy at Costco for cleaning and wash them with my whites and bleach. They don't stay white but I don't care they are for cleaning.