DIY Baby Wipes (Cloth or Disposable)

I have already admitted I am not crunchy enough to cloth diaper. I'm just not that brave. (Bravo to you mamas who do cloth diaper!) But, I have been trying to avoid chemical and alcohol filled wipes and this recipe makes that goal super easy. 

What You'll Need:

1 Roll of paper towels, cut in half

   OR flannel squares for reusable cloth wipes

1 1/2C Distilled Water

1 TBS Coconut oil

1 TBS Castile soap

10 drops essential oil (I recommend Gentle Baby or Lavender)

1 gallon size resealable bag or large container for storage

OR 1 spray bottle for cloth wipes

1. Cut your paper towel roll in half. I used a serrated knife. A little messy, but it works.
*Cut your flannel to wipe size.

2. Place ONE half roll of paper towels in a gallon sized resealable bag or storage container of your choice. (Put the second half of the roll away to use another time.)
*If making cloth wipes, skip this step.

3. Combine distilled water and coconut oil. Heat on the stove top or in the microwave just until mixture is warm enough to melt the coconut oil.

4. Add 1 TBS Castile soap and 10 drops essential oil to the luke-warm water and oil.

5. Pour all of the liquid mixture onto your paper towels.
*Pour mixture into spray bottle. 

6. Let sit for a minute, then remove the cardboard tube in the center of the paper towels. The tube should slip right out and pull up your first wipe so it is ready to use.

 
7. Seal the reusable bag and use as needed.
*Spray, wipe, wash and reuse. 

* denotes cloth wipe instructions.

Simple enough, right?

Cost Comparison:

• The local grocery store has a 64 pack of conventional disposable wipes for $1.97 which breaks down to about $0.03 per wipe.
• My recipe made 88 wipes (I used the select-a-size paper towels and my roll had 88 sheets.) for $3.17. If I had used Lavender essential oil (which is slightly cheaper than Gentle Baby) the cost would have been $2.37. That means you can make homemade, chemical-free wipes for even less than the store bought price of $0.03 per wipe.

That, to me, is a no brainer. This family will be sticking to the homemade version. ;)