How to Make DIY Disinfecting Wipes

Making your own DIY disinfecting wipes is cheap and easy. Use paper towels, rubbing alcohol or Everclear and vinegar to make this alternative to Lysol or Clorox wipes. You can use these homemade cleaning wipes to disinfect surfaces like tables, counters and even your cell phone.

DIY disinfecting wipe recipe

I recently shared a recipe for homemade hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is one of those things I didn’t think I’d ever have to create a DIY tutorial for. It’s readily available and really cheap- at least it was until last week.

The COVID-19 virus is starting to take over my little town. It’s really bad just south of us near Seattle where I have some family member who are in the red zone. Pretty much all of our community activities that involve 10 or more people have been cancelled.

The elementary and high schools are still open for now. We already missed a bunch of school because of snow days during the winter so hopefully they can stay open.

We are washing our hands like crazy and trying to keep things as clean as possible.

Supplies like hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, gloves and masks are almost impossible to find. Unless you want to order them online for $500.

Because supplies are scarce I came up with this recipe for DIY cleaning wipes. You can easily make these wipes and stash them in your car or pantry for those times you need to disinfect something quickly.

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Supplies for DIY cleaning wipes

Paper towel roll.
Water proof canister (old coffee can works well)
Sharp knife.
1 cup cleaning vinegar.
1/2 cup water.
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol or Everclear.
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap.
10 drops essential oil (optional)

A note about the alcohol. You need to use alcohol that is 60% or higher for the disinfectant properties to work, according to the CDC.

Isopropyl alcohol is scarce at the pharmacy these days so I used Everclear. You buy it at the liquor store. I used it the 120 proof but if you can find the 151 it will work better.

We used to have a special permit to buy the Everclear saying that we were going to use it to clean engines on our farm, but we would actually drink it (well not really me, just the rest of the family). Because the laws in Washington state changed we can get it without the permit now.

Check out this video on how to make DIY disinfecting wipes

Directions for DIY house cleaning wipes

First, cut the paper towel roll in half with a serrated knife.
Then, mix the ingredients together in a bowl or jar.
Place one half of the paper towel roll in the water proof canister.
Next, pour the liquid mixture onto the paper towels.
Wait for the paper towels to soak up the liquid.
Once they are saturated pull the cardboard tube out of the center.
Pull the wipes from the center of the paper towels.

To use, pull out a piece of the saturated paper towel and wipe down the surface that needs cleaning. Then, toss the wipe in the garbage or compost bin.

Alternatively you can also use my recipe for homemade bleach to pour onto the paper towels.

DIY cleansing wipe FAQ

Are cleaning wipes safe?

Yes, they are very safe. Just don’t do anything stupid like put them in your mouth. They are fine for giving your hands a quick wipe but don’t wipe your, or your child’s face with them.

A disinfecting wipes effective?

Yes, they are up to 99% effective but only after the first use. You cannot reuse them.

Can you use wipes on your phone?

Yes. Use them on your phone, your shopping cart, clean the steering wheel and dashboard of your car, wipe down any surface that you want to kill germs.