“I love to clean. I love to clean. I really love to clean.”
Maybe I should try clicking my heels together, while holding the dog? “Toto…”
“I love to clean. I love to clean.”
Nothing!
Despite my best effort, cleaning is simply not my “thing.” I realize it’s probably not many people’s “thing.” Very few people walk around dreaming about going home and breaking out the wipes, broom, and duster to spend hours cleaning every square inch of the house. Or is that just me? Maybe cleaning really is some people’s “thing.” If so, I have a room for you, and warm bread. Please say you’ll stay!
My “thing”? Well, I love my bed, fluffy pillows, and nap time. Ahh, the things that become your “thing” after embracing motherhood.
Anyway, we were talking about cleaning, not napping. Right? Let’s get back to the whole cleaning thing, because we have established it’s a “thing.”
Whether this whole cleaning love (AKA “thing”) is an inherited gene or inspired from browsing way too many Martha Stewart magazines, is still a great mystery to me. I love the benefits of a clean home; and I promise my family enjoys the benefits of a regularly (a word with many meanings) cleaned home. Nightly dishes are always tended to, clothes are folded when I’m not sidetracked by popsicle-making, and toilets are cleaned daily (four year-old boy, enough said). I diligently keep my house as clean as possible with an active family, eight chickens (they live outside) and two dogs.
Since the act of cleaning simply doesn’t fill me with warm little flurries of happiness, I’ve been trying to make chores much more of an enjoyable process. Something I look forward to, not just the end result, but the actual process of scrubbing around the potty (I mean, toilet) and wiping the counter for the umpteenth time. That’s a lot, incase you’re math challenged like myself; also not my “thing.”
Creating the Natural Kids’ Cleaning Kit convinced my kids cleaning was their “thing.” In fact, Londyn (2) can be found at random times during the day washing walls and spraying spots on the floor. True story. So, why can’t mommy fall in love with the cleaning process?
After much thought (time I probably should have spent cleaning) revelation came: I need to make the process appealing. “Appealing” was just the word I needed, the wheels turned and soon pretty pink washcloths were pulled from the back of the linen closet and vinegar was poured into a glass jar. This mom simply needed a change from the mundane white cloth and spray bottle.
Enter the simplest DIY cleaning wipes EVER.
DIY cleaning wipes have turned cleaning chores into my “thing.” Pretty magical, right? While these wipes aren’t really magical, they pack a powerful natural cleaning punch via pretty little towels that can be reused over and over again. When the toilet needs some TLC, simply grab a wet wipe and dance your way into that bathroom. Magical!
Whether cleaning is your “thing” or your wanna-be “thing,” DIY cleaning wipes will make your house sparkle and keep your budget low with only a few simple, natural ingredients.
Bonus: DIY cleaning wipes are perfect to use as homemade Swiffer pads! Simply attach a wipe to a standard Swiffer base and clean the floor.
DIY Cleaning Wipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup distilled water
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 15 drops tea tree essential oil
- 15 drops lavender essential oil
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Roll the washcloths and place in a jar.
- In a small bowl combine the water, vinegar, and essential oils.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the washcloths, pressing the washcloths down into the liquid. The washcloths should be wet. Depending on the size of your washcloths, you may need to add more vinegar/water as needed.
- Close the lid on the jar.
- Remove the washcloths from the jar as needed. Wash the dirty cloths in the washer, and repeat the process. Use the wipes within a week.
Notes
Hello!! Loving all your recipes and I’m venturing off today to buy more ingredients to start at least one DIY. My question is…. Why do all the containers have to be glass? Do the spray bottles have to be glass? Or can I use plastic containers. Just trying gauge where I would be better of buying products. I’m on a very tight budget. Thank you!!!! Also one last thing. I was only able to find Peppermint Castile Soap, is that ok for recipes.
Hey Jessica,
Thank you! I love your plan!
For recipes that contain vinegar (an acid) or essentials oils (and will be stored long-term), I use glass containers. Plastic is a choice for short-term products. If you use glass vinegar bottles for cooking, you can also recycle them to make spray bottles: https://livesimply.me/2015/07/29/make-your-own-glass-spray-bottle/. Plastic bottles will also work for the majority of cleaners on my site. I also use a lot of Mason jars and purchase them from the grocery store. A pack of 12 usually costs around $9, so that may be another affordable option. They work for cleaning, beauty, and food recipes.
Peppermint castile soap is great. Some people find that peppermint tingles their skin, so test it out in a skincare recipe first before using the full amount. You should be okay with just a few tablespoons of diluted peppermint castile soap in a recipe. For cleaning, peppermint is wonderful.
Hi, this sounds great but you mentioned using the rags once so you must go thru all 6 rags in one day?
Hey Ana, It takes about 1 week to go through the rags in our home. You can add as many rags as needed to your solution.
Hi Kristen, do you ever worry about mildew or mold building up in your cleaning rags. It seems to me that this is inevitable, then you are spreading it around when you thought you were cleaning. Just a thought. My son got very sick from living in a home with mold so I thought I would bring this across you. Thanks again for all your post:)
Hey Agricola, The rags are used very quickly–within a couple weeks. Once the rags are used, clean rags are added to the solution (a new solution usually needs to be added to the jar). I use vinegar to help take care of any mold or mildew that may pop up in our bathroom (along tea tree oil), so the vinegar should help keep anything harmful away.
I love this idea but I am terribly allergic to Tea Tree Oil. Do you know of a substitute for it? I make a lot of my own products because the oil is in so many things.
Hey Lori, You can definitely omit the tea tree oil from this recipe :).
Eucalyptus is a good substitute. It offers the same benefit needed in this recipe as the Tea Tree Oil.
Awesome, Joanna. Enjoy!
Do you have to use glass jars? Will plastic containers work?
Oh, how great idea! I have baby cotton cloths left from my daughter and they’re so beautiful I don’t want to trow them away, so I’m making cleaning wipes. I prefer cleaning with my homemade all-purpose cleaner, but I never thought of making reusable cleaning cloths. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome, Lola! Enjoy!!
I made the batch. Ran out of Lavendar. Due to the Shortage b/c of the corona virus. Anyhow, I used immunity essential oil with tea tree and lemon. My question is , can you use this on granite or marble counters?
That sounds lovely. You can’t use vinegar on marble or granite. Next time, you could use some water and a few drops of castile soap and the essential oil. That will work.
LS Team
I don’t suppose you ever see mold growing inside the jar?
Hey Joy, I use the wipes frequently, so a new batch goes in every few weeks. If the wipes sat for months, I think mold may grow.
I made these and LOVE them – they work great, and leave no sticky residue like those bleachy wipes you can buy… my question is, though, no matter how much EO I add, all we can smell for an hour after is vinegar. Any suggestions on that? I’ve learned to deal with it, but the rest of the family hates that smell. Thanks!
Hey Paula, I’m so glad you love the wipes! Yes, these have a strong vinegar smell. Truthfully, I’m not really sure how to take that smell away expect reduce the amount of vinegar called for in the recipe. Sorry, I’m not much help with the smell :).
Hi Paula, my husband also has a great aversion to the vinegar smell. I have found if I soak citrus peels in vinegar a couple weeks and then strain them out, I can use the resulting vinegar in cleaning solutions and it smells more of the Orange peels I used. Next time you are peeling an orange just put the peel in a jar and fill it with vinegar, put the lid on and let it sit a couple weeks. I’m not sure if it might color the cloths soaking in it or not but it does boost the cleaning power.
My kids also hate the smell of vinegar. I found out that if I use a name brand vinegar it smells much less than a cheap vinegar. I have heard it all depends on what they use to make the vinegar in the first place – don’t know how true that is. My kids hardly notice the smell though so it’s worth the slightly higher price.
Awesome, Katie! Great tip!
What is the shelf life of these? I would like to double the recipe, use a larger jar and more wash clothes. I can’t imagine even they wouldn’t all be used within a few weeks. Will they keep fresh?
Hey Lynn, I recommend using distilled or boiled water for long-term use. I think the wipes should last a couple of months in the solution.
Looking good! Thank you for the tip! I think my mom would be ecstatic to learn about this technique. When she first heard how hotels and restaurants have been using industrial fabric dyes to freshen-up their towels and table linens, my mom decided to recycle ours instead of buying new ones; so began the life of healthy living for us. Anyway, good job on the blog, keep it up!
Awesome, Bruce! Thank you so much. I hope your mom enjoys the cleaning wipes!
I love this idea!! I use a lot of those Clorox wipes for the bathroom, and occasionally other surfaces. Most of the time I use old towels or cut off t-shirt rags with vinegar in a spray bottle. My only concern is the acidity of the vinegar. Can the cloth get weakened by sitting in that solution? Thanks 🙂
Hey April, I’ve been using these wipes for about nine months now and so far the towels aren’t showing any signs of being weakened. I bought terrycloth wash towels, so I’m not sure if the material makes difference with a towel vs. t-shirt. The towels usually only sit in the vinegar solution for about 3 weeks, before they are all used and washed, then returned to the jar with vinegar.
I know this post is a little old now but do you still use the glass jar? I’m looking for something glass to store damp cloth baby wipes in for diaper changes and this looks like it could work. So after a few months is the glass container still convenient for you?
Hey Lis, I still love my glass jars for cleaning and floor wipes. They are easy to clean and hold up very well. I just saw a few in the dollar section of Target this week and thought about buying a couple more :).
I LOVE this recipe! My mom made me a bunch of pretty crochet dishcloths a while back that I had sitting around in a drawer. I finally found the perfect use for them. Thanks so much!
That’s awesome, Kristine! What a great way to use the dishcloths.
Hello there! Great idea, will definitely give it a try here!
Thank you. Enjoy, Earl.
Excited to try this!
Are the essential oils just for fragrance or do they have some anti-bacterial effect?
And also what size jar do you use? Is a three-cup one enough? Or 5-cup to leave room to draw the towels in and out?
Thanks!!!
Hey Emily, The EOs provide cleaning power (known for their antibacterial properties) and also mask the vinegar smell. I would go with the 5 cup jar just to be sure you have enough room for the towels. Enjoy!!!
Any advice on where to purchase the 5 cup jars? Preferably online? Looking forward to trying this out as I try to reduce my waste footprint in 2015! Also, any particular wash cloths you recommend?
Hey Allison, I always have good success finding large jars at Target. They can usually be found in the kitchen/cooking aisles. I usually purchase terrycloth washcloths (in packs of four) at Target as well. Enjoy!!
Thank you for this super idea! I just received my oils and was looking for a recipe to test them on and I found this. I made it and it works great. Thank you!!
You’re so welcome, Heather! Glad you got to make and use them so quickly!
Genius! I go through way too many paper towels, using a similar homemade cleaning recipe. Why didn’t I ever think of just keep a jar of cloths soaking?! Thank you for your brain! 🙂
Thank you, Megan! Light-bulb moment :)!
Hi there! Awesome idea, will definitely give it a try here! One question though…once you use one washcloth on the countertop or around the toilet seat…do you put it back in the jar to reuse or just toss in the hamper?
Hey Chrissy, Thank you. Once a cloth has been used for cleaning I toss it in the washing machine and dryer. Once dry and clean I add it back to the cleaning solution, until more solution is needed to wet the washcloths.
Just for clarification – the washcloths are dry when put in the jar?
Hey Bonnie, Yes, you’re correct. The washcloths are dry before putting in the jar and then pouring the vinegar mixture over top. Enjoy!
Hi Kristin! What an awesome idea! Especially with children around! I love this! I have so many jars and rags; this will work for me! Blessings from Bama!
Hey Felecia, Thank you! The cleaning wipes work so great particularly with kids around the house. Enjoy!!
Could this solution be added to a spray bottle and used as a surface spray?
Hi Pam,
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not!
LS Team.
Hi I’m in n bama also