DIY Natural Disinfectant Wipes

I have been wanting to make my own natural "Lysol" disinfectant wipes for quite some time now. Between children, pets, and my baking habits, our disinfectant wipes are among the first of the cleaning products to be usurped and bought again.

I am no expert in natural cleaning products or what goes into regular Lysol wipes, but I know that I would much rather make a more cost-efficient product with ingredients I am familiar and comfortable with using in my kid and pet-laden home.

I based my recipe off this one (from doterrablog.com), but added vinegar and a different blend of essential oils. I also used a larger glass container and a smaller amount of paper towels.

Natural Disinfectant Wipes (and extra cleaning solution!)

1/3 of a paper towel roll (instructions below!)
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar
2 c. water
1 Tbsp. fractionated coconut oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions:

Before you begin, find a glass container and a larger glass mason jar. Glass works best for this, since essential oils can break down plastic.

Using a serrated knife, cut a paper towel roll (mine was even partially used!) into thirds. Many recipes say to cut it in half, but I tried the super-frugal third to see if I can salvage more of my paper towels. I simply put the other two-thirds of the paper towel roll back in the kitchen where I normally keep them for later use.

Remove the cardboard roll from the center of the paper towels. This can be tricky. Try finding the edge where the cardboard has been glued and pulling upward. It should slide right out, and the paper towels should spiral upward.

See that little fold inside on the cardboard? Use that to help you peel it out!

Insert the paper towels into your large mouthed glass mason jar.

Warm the water and vinegar in the microwave for thirty seconds to a minute. The mixture just needs to be warm.

Plain ol' white distilled vinegar straight from the local grocery store shelves.

Add your oils. No need to mix. Pour the mixture directly over the paper towels in the mason jar. Cover and allow the mixture to soak through for about five minutes.

For those of you who are new to this and wondering: it's $13 from Amazon. :) 

Peppermint and Lemon have natural disinfectant properties. How cool is that??

Making certain the lid is on tight (you might even do this over the sink!) flip the jar over so the mixture can further soak into the paper towels. Soak for five more minutes.

Turn the container right side up. Remove lid and drain the excess mixture into another glass jar for later cleaning use! I may end up sticking it in a spray bottle and using it as a disinfectant spray! :) (Don't forget to use a glass container if you do this!)

Place lid tightly onto the large mason jar with your new wipes and use as you would regular disinfectant wipes! My wipes really got saturated, so you may want to squeeze out some of the excess cleaning solution each time you pull one out. I did that with regular Lysol wipes anyway!

This is for certain my first try, so have mercy on my little experiment! :) If you're a naturalist or essential oil expert, feel free to chime in! I love hearing how others use natural ingredients for everyday products!


. . . and now, to make a cute label! (So everyone knows I'm not wiping off my table with Casa Mamita Mild Salsa.)