With us already doing cloth diapers… it just made sense for us to also use cloth wipes! Less waste and cheaper, kind of a no-brainer… besides the fact that the wipes that we had been using have been linked with hormone disruption, organ toxicity, and even cancer!

But don't just take my word for it… Here's the EWG listing for –> Huggies “Natural” Care baby wipes. They are labeled as “fragrance-free”, which is great… but there are certainly enough other ingredients thrown in to make you realize they aren't so “natural” after all… pretty misleading don't you think?

Other than the ones we obviously don't want… there are some non-toxic wipes that are available, but they can be pricey. If I was going to purchase some right now, I would buy either these Water Wipes on Amazon or “Honest Wipes” from The Honest Company. Both got a ZERO rating from EWG, and they are two of the cheaper options for non-toxic wipes.

You can also make your own disposable wipes if you prefer.

I really like these dry bamboo wipes, although being able to re-use our cloth wipes is much more preferable cost-wise. If anyone else knows of any other good dry-wipe options, I'd love to know about them!

As for making the actual solution to use with your wipes…

There are so many DIY diaper wipe solution recipes floating around the Pin-ternet, but I had some vital criteria points that narrowed it down specifically with ingredients we feel safe using. For instance, some of the recipes call for Johnson's baby oil which has some potential health hazards like organ system toxicity, or Johnson's baby wash, which, unfortunately has even less desirable ingredients in it (here's the EWG rating). These are things that we definitely want to avoid in Everything we use on our skin… let alone precious little baby cheeks! 😉

The recipe I use has been adapted from several different recipes that I've tried and ended up sort of using a combination from different tips and ideas! I've tried Wellness Mama's version of Homemade Baby Wipes. And I took note of all of the various suggestions from this post on wipe solution recipes from Diaper Divas. There are a few other useful tips from Easy Green Mom. And this is basically the same concept from Whole New Mom.

All of these recipes are great, and essentially call for the same basic concoction:
Water, Soap, & Oil (and some other stuff if you want)

Here's why I came up with THIS recipe…

Because we go through our wipes in about a week, I was pulling out all of these ingredients (jars, bottles, etc) to use a tablespoon here or there to make these wipes… and it got old… real fast. So I thought, why not just make a bottle of the stuff, leave out the water (which is primarily what can make it go bad faster), and that way I only have to pull out all the ingredients like once every few months?? Um, yes please!

It's worked great for us, so I want to share my recipe with you, so you can be encouraged that making your own non-toxic diaper wipes is super easy and totally not a hassle!

I use a re-purposed 8 ounce glass container that had previously held fermented cod liver oil, but I also like these 4 oz glass bottles – you'd have to use 2 (out of the 12-pack)… or cut the recipe in half… OR you could have one for yourself and one to gift! So many options! 😉

I actually store it in the fridge, just for longevity's sake. However, if you leave out the aloe vera (not recommended, but optional), this should be safe to keep at room temperature.

Recipe for DIY Non-Toxic Cloth Wipes Solution

Ingredients:

~ 1/2 cup liquid castille soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap)
~ 1/4 cup witch hazel (I use Thayer's because it's alcohol-free)
~ 1/8 cup aloe vera
~ 1/8 cup fractionated coconut oil (or almond oil)
~ Essential Oils of choice – optional, but recommended! It depends on my mood when I'm making it, but I've used lavender, wild orange, or even roman chamomile… all soothing to baby bums! I usually add about 80 or so drops of whichever blend I'm choosing for the whole 8 ounces, OR you could add about 10 drops to your final mixture week by week… is that sufficiently confusing?!

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup (like my favorite one here…), then you can easily pour it into the bottle for storage. And, unless you have super steady hands, you'll also need a funnel to transfer the solution to your glass container.

Directions for using Cloth Wipe Solution

Mix 1 Tablespoon of wipe solution in 1 – 1 1/2 Cups filtered water in a glass measuring cup.
*also now would be the time to add your essential oils, if you haven't already added them to the main solution.

Place your disposable or cloth wipes in a reusable container (like the recycled one we use, shown above) or a plastic shoe-box. Pour the water/wipe solution over the wipes, soak all the way through… and, Voilà! Ready to use, easy-peasy, non-toxic wipes… fun for the whole family! 😉

We always go through our wipes in about a week… but there was one time that I discovered some I had made in a different container after about 3 weeks and they sorta started to get a funky smell. I would suggest either soaking only enough wipes to last you a week or so, OR being sure to use boiled or distilled water to make them last longer.

That's really all there is to it!

What do you think? Will you try making your own non-toxic cloth wipes with this easy recipe?