These are the original cleaning product I made. I decided to try making cleaning wipes as I found the scent of the ones I was using a bit overpowering, this lead to me researching and deciding that I had no idea what I had actually been using! No lectures here, if toxic contents don’t bother you that's ok but they bother me so along came my Dawn and Vinegar wipes which work really well. To make these follow the steps below but use this recipe instead:
Original Recipe
Makes enough liquid for 1 kitchen roll cut in half, placed in 2 separate containers...2 containers of wipes.
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of Dawn blue dish soap
Couple of issues with this mixture, if you don't use it quickly they can go off or mouldy as there are no preservatives and you are still using non-natural ingredients.
Homemade Cleaning Wipes
Makes enough liquid to saturate 2 halves of a kitchen roll. You can omit the enzymes, potassium sorbate, the essential oils and polysorbate 20 and they will work OK but not quite as well, they won't keep for as long and they won't smell as nice as there is no getting away from the fact that these smell of vinegar! As we are using vinegar you cannot use a fat that's gone through a saponification process as it will turn the soap back into a fat. As such you cannot use Castile soap or natural coconut soap (and others) as all you will get is a horrible greasy mess!
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3 Tbsps Decyl Glucoside
- 1/4 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- Empty and clean containers
Optional
- 1/2 Tsp Potassium Sorbate
- 2 Tbsps Enzymes
- 10 drops each Lemon, Lime Essential Oils
- 20 drops Polysorbate 20
Other items
- Measuring Spoons ¼ and ½ teaspoons, 1 tablespoon, 1 cup
- Glass or plastic jug/bowl
- Bread knife and board
- PH Testing strip
- Whisk
At the bottom of the blog I have placed some links to some of the suppliers of the products I use. I have no affiliations and I do not get paid to add these links. I add them to help you source the ingredients more easily rather than hunt around for them.
Directions
Gather your ingredients and cut the paper towel in half. Take the centre cardboard out of the cut roll.
Place the cut towels into the clean containers you have chosen. If necessary unwrap so they can be pulled freely when dispensing.
Add the water to the jug. Add the bicarbonate of soda, potassium sorbate (if using), the cleanser of choice and the enzymes (if using).
Add the vinegar, essential oils and polysorbate 20 (if using). Gently mix. I like to check to make sure my PH is good here otherwise they can be harsh on the hands and the preservative doesn't function properly if it's too off balance.
Pour the mixture between the two containers, if necessary press the paper down to absorb the liquid. That's it you are done!