Homemade Wet Wipes

I'd been meaning to make some wet wipes for quite some time, and just hadn't gotten around to it.  We've had simple, homemade cloth wipes since Sam was born (flannel squares that I just zig-zagged the edges of), but we've always just gotten them wet in the sink, which can be kind of a pain.  When I came across this simple recipe for making your own wet wipes, I decided to finally give it a go.  It was so easy that I've been whipping up a batch every few days.

Here's what they recommend:

• 3 cups warm water
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 drops of lavender essential oil (or scent of your choice)
• 2 drops Tea Tree Oil
• 2 T baby wash

The first time I made some we were out of that unscented baby Dr. Bronner's, so I just swished some natural bar soap around in the mix.  But then I whizzed it all up in the vitamix, which made quite a frothy mess!  The later batches with Dr. Bronner's (which is non-sudsing) were much more successful.  I mixed it in the blender so the oil would emulsify and not just end up on the top wipes.

 

I first tried reusing this container, but the cloth wipes are too thick to pull through easily.  Now we just use a Pyrex container with a lid. I've tried a few different essential oils.  I really like including tea tree oil; I feel like it keeps them fresher longer.  Another fantastic trick I discovered is putting a few drops of antiseptic essential oils (tea tree, lemon, clove, mint etc.) on a dry wipe and dropping it in the bottom of the empty diaper pail.  Then when I go to wash the diapers they're way less stinky; it's amazing!  And give the wipes a try; they're so handy to have around and it only takes a few minutes to whip up a whole bunch.