DIY - Cleaning wipes

When you want to adopt a more responsible lifestyle for the sake of the environment and your health, there are sometimes a few old habits that are hard to break. The main reason we reach for certain products is their convenience! And what could be more convenient than grabbing a cleaning wipe to clean a dirty surface? The trouble is that, from an environmental point of view, cleaning wipes are a real disaster. They combine single-use waste, chemical ingredients, plastic packaging... Convenience comes at quite a high price — for the environment and for your wallet! But it doesn't have to be this way. It's perfectly possible to make reusable cleaning wipes at home. They're just as handy as the shop-bought kind, easy to make, budget-friendly, and kind to the environment.

How to make your own cleaning wipes

What you'll need

5/10 water

4/10 white vinegar

10 drops of Tea Tree essential oil (per litre of solution — adjust quantities accordingly).

Microfibre cloths (or old scraps of fabric...)

1 jar

1 glass bottle (1 litre, optional)

1 funnel (optional)

Method

You have two options: either prepare a litre of cleaning solution in advance and store it in a bottle. This has the advantage of having a ready supply so you don't need to make it too often. Alternatively, you can just as easily prepare the solution directly in your jar — it works just as well, you'll just need to make it a little more regularly!!!

Place your clean cloths in the jar, then soak them with the cleaning solution. Give it a good shake and leave to rest for a few hours. That's it — it's ready!

Preparing the cleaning solution

It's quite straightforward — simply mix the water, vinegar, and tea tree essential oil together. For a jar like the one in the photo, 5 drops of essential oil are enough.

How to use your homemade cleaning wipes

Simply take a wipe out of the jar, wring it out back into the jar to retain the solution, then apply it to the surface you want to clean. Rinse the wipe under clean water and leave it to dry before storing it with the rest of your used wipes ready for washing.

A few tips for using your homemade cleaning wipes

You can keep a stack of clean wipes close by and pop a fresh one straight into the jar if there's enough cleaning solution left. If you went for the bottle option, you can top up the solution little by little as needed.

There you have it — it's not that complicated! These wipes are perfect for cleaning your hob, your bathroom sink, or even the toilet bowl. So, are you ready to ditch your disposable wipes for these?

If you enjoyed these homemade cleaning wipes, feel free to share them on social media or pin them on Pinterest.