How to Make Homemade Cleaning Wipes

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Make cleaning a breeze without all those harsh chemicals. Make your own homemade cleaning wipes at a fraction of the cost of store-bought brands!

Make cleaning a breeze without all those harsh chemicals. Make your own homemade cleaning wipes at a fraction of the cost of storebought brands. #homemadecleaningwipes #homemadecloroxwipes #homemadelysolwipes #nontoxiccleaningwipes #diycleaningwipes #frugal #makeyourown

Homemade Cleaning Wipes

We are getting into that time of year where germs are everywhere, cold and flu season. I’ve always been a fan of the ease of products like Clorox Wipes or Lysol Wipes just to have easily on hand to wipe down doorknobs, handles, and other frequently touched surfaces. But since we’ve moved on from toxic cleaners and started making homemade cleaners and using natural cleaners, we got rid of all the store-bought wipes we had.

Now I know it’s not that hard just to grab a spray bottle of cleaner and wipe down those surfaces but if you want cleaning wipes, it turns out that it’s not that hard to make your own homemade lysol wipes either! Learn how to make your own cleaning cloths with this easy picture tutorial.

How to Make Your Own Cleaning Cloths

Start with a roll of paper towels. I don’t normally purchase paper towels since we use all cloth but I grabbed this at a local discount store for $0.40 for the roll. You can also easily find them at the dollar store or order them with Subscribe and Save on Amazon.

Using a bread knife, carefully cut the roll of paper towels in half.

—Make your own DIY Cloth Napkins and Un-Paper Towels


Remove the cardboard from the center of the towels and pull out the middle paper towel.

Pull the toweling up from the middle of the roll.


Place the roll inside an old container, plastic bag, or whatever can be air-tight to seal the moisture in.
Pour in a cup of your favorite cleaner. It can be homemade or store bought, but you’ll just want to make sure you use an all-purpose cleaner.

—Here are some of my favorite DIY Recipes For Homemade Cleaners That Actually Work


Let the container sit in the container with the cleaner for a little bit so that the toweling can soak up the cleaner. After at least 30 minutes, flip the container over to soak the other side so the towels so they get fully soaked through.

–You can save the other half of the paper towel roll for the next batch of homemade cleaning wipes or you can use it to make some Homemade Baby Wipes.

Since the homemade cleaner I used on these made the cleaner cost minimal, I really spent just $0.20 on these DIY cleaning wipes. That’s a much better price than what these cost in the store and they are non toxic!

You can use the towels as needed and just like you would use store-bought cleaning wipes. If they start to dry out slightly, you may need to add in a little water to re-soak the towels.

Now, if you really want to stay away from disposable towels you can also make your own cleaning cloths using this same idea but with cloth rags. Just stick all the rags in a bag or container just as you would the towels to keep them moist and ready to grab at a moment’s notice.

Looking for more homemade cleaners? Here are a few you might want to try:

Homemade Carpet Cleaner
Grapefruit Bathroom Cleaner
Homemade Jewelry Cleaner (Frugal!)
DIY Recipes For Homemade Cleaners That Actually Work

Find even more DIY projects on Little House Living!

If you are looking to simplify your life even further, you may want to check my eWorkbook, 31 Days to Simpler Living! In it, you will find 79 pages of daily challenges, info and advice, and printable worksheets and checklists to keep you on track along your journey.

Do you already make your own cleaners? Have you ever tried to make these cleaning wipes?

This post on Homemade Cleaning Wipes was originally published on Little House Living in October 2012. It has been updated as of October 2019.

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24 Comments

    1. I agree Lori! I’ll add a bag or two of these to my emergency utensils and paper products box.When cleaning up after sick family members it is nice to have a throw-away wipe to prevent cross contamination and germ spreading. I use cloth most of the time but you can’t beat the disposable version in certain instances. Thanks for this idea 🙂

  1. What sort of non-toxic cleaner do you use for these? I want to get away from
    chemicals/toxins as much as possible. I’m sure you’re busy, but I would appreciate it if you could respond. Thanks.

    Rita at [email protected]

      1. I love this idea! I did it with baby wipes but hadn’t thought of all-purpose cleaning wipes until my husband suggested it the other day as a way to cuts costs. I, too, love Bio-Kleen products. Did you know that their Bac-Out now uses toxic ingredients?!? I found out just by looking it up on Amazon (to buy in bulk) the other day. Found a review stating this and then headed to the Environmental Working Group’s website to check it out. Crazy.

        Off to make my own wipes! Thank you. 🙂

  2. Excellent tutorial – and simple enough a kid could make it. I think I have our next homeschool project….thanks!!!

  3. We made home made baby wipes the same way. (only with baby oil and baby shampoo instead of cleaning soaps) They are fantastic, much less expensive, and do not include any yuckies!

  4. I might have to try these I was just thinking we gave up papertowls mostly (1 roll lasts 3+ months) but I can’t seem to get rid of the Clorox wipes though we don’t use many but they are the easiest thing for toilet seats, doorknobs and light switches.

  5. I personally like them for door handles. I know it’s just as easy to grab a rag but for some reason I just like the ease of grabbing a disposable wipe for them!

  6. The Folgers coffee cans are perfect storage for these wipes. I make my own wipes for the bathroom and my kids can use the containers very easily. They are plastic with softer easy to pop on lids and have handles too. they can accommodate the extra big rolls as well. Half a sheet size towels, select a size, works better, I found that out.
    We don’t drink the folgers, because we prefer organic coffee, but neighbors or friends are happy to collect some cans for us. They are great for kids storage, or dry food (oats, cereal, flour) storage also.

  7. I started using Lemon & Lime Peels, Orange Peels, and White Vinegar – (you can add stuff into a large glass jar and let soak for a week or so, then pour into a spray bottle, or make wipes.

    I’ve been using this for my “all purpose cleaner” since I found it on Pnterest last year, and love it!

  8. I have been doing homemade wipes for about a year now. We do baby wipes, glass-, bleach-, hand sanitizing- wipes. I put them in Folger’s tubs and I cut an X in the top for dispensing just like store bought wipes. Wonderful! I’m sure people wonder why I have Folger’s tubs everywhere including by our toilets (3yo who likes a wet wipe for #2, lol) and in or car (hand wipes). I am always happy to explain! 🙂

    1. I would love to know more about the hand sanitizing wipes and of course, more about the baby wipes (as I am now a Nana). Thank you for posting. I am always trying to find a way to save money.

  9. What an awesome post! I recently came across a disposable baby wipe tutorial that used paper towel rolls cut in half and placed in a Rubbermaid #6 container(with homemade wipe solution of course).

  10. I went to the dollar store & bought 4 packs of handy wipes, cut them in quarters, folded them in half & stacked them in an old baby wipes box(from the beginning of my decision to sink deeper into my crunchiness). I made my own cleaning solution with rubbing alcohol, tea tree oil, sage eo, & lavender eo. After pouring enough of the solution in to thoroughly wet all of the wipes (a little asst a time, until they stopped soaking it up), I poured the rest of the solution into a spray bottle, to user on upholstery, carpet, & mattresses.

    Lol, it took almost 6 months to go through all of the wipes, so 4 packs was a little excessive. Then, as they were used, they went into the wash, then got folded up & put back into the tub – but on the bottom, so the excess solution would gravitate to them. Its working beautifully for us. I even use them to clean the refrigerator.

  11. From Australia, sorry, what are handy wipes, the ones Carla bought from the dollar store. Probably called something different here. Are they already wet or dry wipes. What was their initial use?
    I love this idea though. I switched to liquid Castile soap a year ago and for wiping down the kitchen,bathroom, doorknobs etc., I water it down by a quarter and its still so sudsy. I then add about 30 drops of essential oil to a 250ml spray bottle (eucalyptus is cheap over here and very antibacterial and safe around pets and kids). My kids have always liked wipes in the toilet after a number 2, lol… so i will be making this with my liquid castile, EO and just water. A great post, thanks Marissa

  12. hmmm, I wanted to stay away from paper towels also, hate that they are so handy! lol I think I will try this using “handy wipes” which are cheaper than paper towels, hold up better and can be washed several times.
    I think you can make your own cleaner using Dr Bonner’s soaps.