Author Topic: Ditched wipes  (Read 2476 times)

aneel

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Ditched wipes
« on: October 25, 2016, 04:53:45 PM »
We recently adopted a 3 year old boy. When we visited his foster home we were advised to "buy stock in wipes". You can use them for everything of course!

Well it seemed wasteful to us, so we've implemented a cloth napkin system. We use a napkin for 1-2 days and throw it in the wash. 5 napkins at the thrift store for $1 vs the ongoing cost and waste if wipes? Winning

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Ditched wipes
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2016, 06:02:18 PM »
Good for you.  Those baby cloths are great in the bathroom for those bathroom types of mess as well.

screwit

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Re: Ditched wipes
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2016, 02:00:32 AM »
We use wipes just for diaper changes and otherwise bought a bunch of cloth wipes 5 years ago. They live in a drawer next to our kitchen table and we use at least one a meal. The kids go straight for those when they want to clean something and we often just wet them a bit for hands and face wiping at the table. It's been a great system and there's something meditative about folding 30 square bits of cloth after washing :)

mrsbabs

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Re: Ditched wipes
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2016, 02:52:04 PM »
We do something similar... but... for adults!

I know what you're thinking, but this can work for adults too! I got addicted to the Cottonelle wipes when they came out. I think 95% of Americans did as well. Those things sell like hotcakes. Anyway, I got sick of paying $7 or $8 for a package - of even the Walmart brand - so I decided to DIY. I figured adult poop is no more disgusting than baby poop, and most of it is gone with plain ol' TP anyways.

I cut cotton flannel (you can use printed flannel) from Joann Fabrics. If you get it on sale it's about $1.50 for a half-yard. I cut them into 4x8" rectangles with pinking shears so it wouldn't fray, and popped them in the same container the Cottonelle wipes came in. Make a mixture of soap to water - I use an old sauerkraut jar and put about 2tbsp of soap in there and fill the rest with water, shake, and moisten the wipes in the container. You can use tea tree oil castile soap if you're concerned with germs. You can use these just like the normal wipes and throw them in your hamper when you're done. Bleach the literal s**t out of them in the wash with your towels and sheets, and you're good to go. The printed cotton flannel hasn't bleached out for me- which is awesome.

No one in my house has ever gotten pink eye, staph, or MRSA. :D


 

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