After having 4 babies in 5 years, I grew frustrated with the expense of disposable baby wipes.
Even purchasing them by the case taxed the bank account. Researching homemade wipes opened up a whole world of opportunity. In general cloth baby wipes can be broken done into two categories: disposable and reusable.
Disposable Baby Wipes
A. Prepackaged
These are the most commonly used and the most expensive. These can be purchased at almost any store and join disposable diapers in the landfill by the millions.
B. Homemade Paper Towel Wipes
Many moms have had success with making wipes using a soap solution and rolls of paper towel. Paper towels are a very thin wipe and it necessary to use more than one to take care of messy cloth diapers.
Both of these methods involve waste, as they are discarded in the trash. They also present a serious drawback to the cloth diaper user. If the wipes accidentally join the diapers in the wash, a mess can result. The fibers will fill Velcro tabs.
Reusable Cloth Baby Wipes
A. Wash Cloth And Water
This is the simplest method, as it involves only a cloth and water. It requires trips to the sink and if soap is not used, there is the potential for a rash to develop.
B. Cloth Wipes and Homemade Solution
This is a simple combination of cloth baby wipes and a soap solution. It can be easily stored in a wipe warmer or any container with a tight fitting lid.
The following recipe was taken from The Urban Homemaker catalog.
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp Dr. Bronner’s soap
- 3 drops tea tree oil
- 3 drops of lavender oil
Cotton fleece wipes, knit terry wipes or flannelette washable wipes can be purchased to use with the solution.
Baby washcloths work well, too. A stack of cloth wipes sit in a basket beside the container of wipe “juice”. Keeping the wipes immersed in the water tend to make them slimy. Using more water can cause an unpleasant odor if the “juice” isn’t used fast enough.
The cloth wipes can be easily tossed in with the cloth diapers for washing. If you are out and about, you can soak a few cloth baby wipes and put them in a resalable plastic bag, such as Ziploc for easy use on the trip.
GUEST BLOGGER
Caron Norton is the mother of four Godly, but rambunctious, children, and the wife of an even more Godly, but rambunctious, husband! Aside from being a mom she is seeking a director’s license to tutor for Classical Conversations: a home-centered education movement. She has been cloth diapering for 5 1/2 years.
Bryana is the owner of 
Becca is a part-time Spanish Teacher and part-time Stay-At-Home-Mom. She's a cloth diaper expert who enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and selling her wares in her very own
Julie is a mom to three kids including a set of identical twins. Through cloth diapering her twins she developed a passion for the industry and is an avid cloth diaper advocate. You can also find her on her blog
I use cloth wipes that I got from a WAHM on Diaperswappers. My son is allergic to ANY wipes solution & all sposie wipes, except for Sensitive varieties. We keep the basket of clean, dry, cloth wipes in the top drawer of our changer & a container of clean water on a side table. The container has a TINY hole that my hand just fits in & we keep it inside a HEAVY flower pot (that is decoupaged to match our nursery). While DS is non-mobile its ok there, when he gets mobile, we’ll have to find a different place to store the water. (Cross that bridge when we get to it!) Anyway, when out & about, I use dry wipes. If I NEED a wet wipe, I just wet it in the sink.
I’ve always been curious about using cloth wipes, but I’m hesitant to try them. This sounds like a strange question for a cloth diaper user, but how do you clean them? When my son poops, I use flushable wipes, so I just scrape the diaper off into the toilet – wipes and all – and toss the diaper into the pail. Only the messiest diapers get rinsed. A cloth wipe seems like it would be messy enough to need rinsing every time, and that seems like a lot of extra yuck work to scrub it out and then clean the sink, too. We’ll have a newborn to diaper soon, too, so I’m debating whether to make the switch. What is your usual routine for cleaning cloth wipes?
the best thing for wetting wipes is the rinsing bottle they give you at the hospital. I guess any sports bottle with the pop up top would work, it allows you to squirt and go and fits easily into a diaper bag for on the go!
I love my cloth wipes! I got 3 from my registery but needed more, so I made a few and then I won a giveaway of more wipes!! We just use luke warm water, DD has very sensitive skin and the pediatrician said to use only water (she breaks out in a really bad rash when we use sposie anything). The cloth wipes with water have been working well for us!
Our routine is to get the diaper and wipe, wet the wipe and change her, then I just throw the dirty wipe and diaper in the bag for washing. DD is still on breastmilk, so we don’t have to flush waste just yet. I’ll probably just use some toilet paper to remove the waste if it doesn’t shake off.
I use cloth wipes and I made them from old receiving blankets that I didn’t like the pattern on…I stitched the edges to keep them from unraveling…but that got a little exhausting when you are stitching 72 wipes (I got 12 wipes per blanket) so I just used them unstitched and they do unravel a little and I just throw the strings in the trash…no big deal for free wipes. I make my wipes solution and keep it in the old peri bottle I go from the hospital so it closes tight and travels well. Give it a try…what have you got to lose?
I use homemade cloth wipes–I basically just cut a couple of t shirts into squares. I use a spray bottle of plain water–my daughter has sensitive skin and using a wipe “solution” gave her a rash. And I don’t dunk them–anything solid enough to need to be flushed will always stays in the diaper, anything that gets on the wipe “comes out in the wash.” :)
Caron, I feel a *teeny* bit inspired to give up my disposable wipes. It’s always harder when financially you are able to buy disposable items. I know that not only is it better environmentally but health wise as well. Afterall, our bodies are a temple and we *should* honor that.
I tried using cloth wipes (I used the Gerber washclothes I got for my shower – don’t like them for the bath but perfect for wipes!) but I am having a hard time finding a solution that doesn’t give a rash! Was told to try witchhazel and lavender oil with water. I’m afraid to just use water because there will be some poop residue left over if i don’t use a cleansing agent…any ideas???
I bought flannel wipes from a local lady who sews them herself and I stuff as many folded wipes as I can into old wipes containers (I have two containers so that I can run one through the dishwasher when the other is being used). My wipes solution comprises of 3 tbs olive oil, 3 tbs of baby shampoo (I make myself from olive and coconut oils), 10 – 20 drops each of lavender and tea tree oil and 3 cups of filtered water. It works great for my son, who gets reactions from commercialbaby wipes. I find they definitely come clean in the wash, which musst be due to the addition of the soap :-)
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