The 1st experiments: re-usable disinfectant wipes

I love disinfectant wipes. We go through about 5 packages of the disposable ones a month, which adds up in the long run. Especially when I also have all of the cleaners I could possibly need under the sink. I just like the  convenience of whipping out a wipe, cleaning up the mess, and tossing the dirty thing! But, as I am trying to go cheaper and more natural with my cleaning solutions, I figured I needed to ditch the disposable wipes.

I was really sad to think though that every time my daughter spilled something sticky on the table, I was going to have to get out a spray, a rag or sponge, clean up, and then rinse the rag/sponge and put them and the cleaner away again. I want my easy wiping power! And that is where this recipe comes in!

Using just these few ingredients, I can have my natural cleaning power, and my quick wiping convenience! The original post was pretty approximate in measurements, but here are theirs, and then I will give you the ones I used!

• 1 C water
• 1 squirt castille soap
• 1/4 C vinegar
• 3-4 drops tea tree EO
• 3-4 drops lavender EO
• 2 of Hubby's t-shirts

My wonderful hubby was super-kind and gave me two of his old t-shirts to use in this experiment. The front panel of one was covered in a puffy printed graphic, but the rest was usable. So I used not quite all of 2 large men's shirts, cutting them into irregular shapes in varying sizes. Going with how much we like the adjust-your-paper-towel-size paper towels, I made the rags in small, medium, and large sizes to suit any job. 

I then put them into a large, air-tight Tupperware where I had already added in the above mentioned ingredients. I could immediately see that it wasn't going to be enough liquid, so I sort of doubled the whole mixture. In the end, I used this much of everything:

• 2 C water
• 1/3 C castille soap
• 1/2 C vinegar
• 8 drops tea tree EO
• 8 drops lavender EO

This was enough to dampen all of my rags, and when I used one later on our dining table, it worked great. then I just threw it into the laundry pile, and forgot about it! Brilliant!

I say these are totally worth making! They hold up better for scrubbing than the disposable too, and they smell great! Another experiment success!

**Update**
I am still in love with these. They are the perfect size for mess clean up, I can use them on the tables, the floor, the bathroom sink, and even in the kitchen sink on my dishes and pans. After I use one, I rinse it with water, wring it out well, throw it in the dirty clothes, and wash it in the next load. Then, I just add the clean dry rag back to the bottom of my bucket. I have yet to have to replace the solution mixture, although, I notice it is getting more difficult to get them thoroughly saturated, so I may add another half mix of solution this weekend.  I still totally recommend these!