Cleaning products, especially disinfecting products, have become really hard to come by recently thanks to the COVID outbreak. This week I worked on a homemade version for disinfectant wipes that I thought I’d share with everybody!

They are easy to make and you don’t need bleach or rubbing alcohol to make them.

I used paper towels for my version, but if you are short on paper towels you can use old rags soaked in the liquid also. Just keep them in an airtight container so they don’t evaporate!

Homemade Disinfectant Mix

While everybody has been hoarding rubbing alcohol, I swung by my liquor store and grabbed a few bottles of Everclear. It’s 95% alcohol instead of 99% of rubbing alcohol and it is a different type of alcohol, but both types are effective disinfectants so no worries there.

The only worry about using Everclear is you have to make sure that you do the math as you don’t want your alcohol percentage to fall below 60% in your final mix or it will lose effectiveness. I actually kept mine closer to 70% just to err on the safe side.

Basics for wipes.

Because the grain alcohol, you just need some vinegar, water, dish soap, and essential oils if you have them. They aren’t essential but do help remove some of the strong smell of the mix. I added some lavender to mine!

How to Make the Disinfectant Wipes

I decided to use paper towels, but one paper towel was a bit big for the bags I was using (quart-sized plastic bags), so I cut my paper towel roll in half with a serrated knife.

Cutting paper towels in half.

My original thought was to SOAK a roll and then somehow get it into an air-tight environment (to prevent evaporation) and then be able to pull a piece off at a time.

That didn’t really work. Instead I found that the best method is to tear off the paper towel pieces and interweave them, folding them over one another, so that when you pull on one, the next one comes up! If you’ve ever pulled a baby wipe out of a wipe container, this is the same idea although a bit more, ummm, rustic!

Fold method for homemade wipes.

I stacked 25 paper towel sheets (half sheets actually) and this would be one of my wipe containers.

Stacked up wipes

Place the wipe stack in your airtight container (I used plastic bags but you could also use a large mason jar or something. Then pour in about half of your disinfectant mix. Make sure to distribute the mix evenly in the bag so it soaks all the sheets.

Adding disinfectant mix.

Then seal the bag of disinfectant wipes! When you need to open a bag of them, just cut a slit in the side and you can easily pull a wipe out!

Disinfectant Wipes

If you aren’t going through these really fast (I just use a few a day to wipe doorknobs and stuff), I recommend sealing the bag with a piece of tape to prevent evaporation. The one downside of using alcohol like this is that it evaporates really fast if you leave it open.

Hope you are all being safe out there. STAY HOME!

Homemade Disinfectant Wipes

4.01 from 180 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 50 wipes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 10 minutes
These homemade disinfectant wipes take just a few minutes to make and keep really well. Use paper towels or old rags. No need for bleach or rubbing alcohol for this version!

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup 190 proof grain alcohol
  • ¼ cup distilled water
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid soap
  • 8-10 drops essential oils, optional

Instructions

  • Stir together all ingredients really well in a mixing bowl.
  • If you are using paper towels, cut a roll in half with a serrated knife, then tear off individual half sheets and fold them interweaved so when you pull one sheet out, the next one will follow. Fold 25 paper towel sheets into a stack.
  • Place stack of wipes in a quart-sized plastic bag. Pour in half of the alcohol mixture. Try to distribute the liquid on all sides of the bag so it soaks evenly into the wipes.
  • Seal bag. When ready to use, cut a small slit in the face of the plastic bag so you can pull a wipe through the whole. When not using, seal the bag with a piece of tape as the wipes will evaporate quickly since they are high in alcohol content.
Course: Misc

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crunchtimekitchen

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