I thought some of you with babies in diapers would want to try this out. It might save a few dollars if you buy baby wipes. When bugs are going around, I like to carry a zip loc bag in my purse with anti-bacterial hand wipes and also keep a container of handwipes in our car. A friend gave me this recipe for baby wipes. I found some Bounty Select-a-size paper towels on sale for two dollars. Since I had all the other ingredients, I decided to try out this recipe. They work fine and seem as good as the store bought ones. I wonder if I should add some Clorox or alcohol to them to make them anti-bacterial?
1 roll of Bounty Select-a-size paper towels, cut in half (I used a long sharp knife)
1 3 qt. round Rubbermaid container
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons baby oil
2 Tablespoons baby wash
Put 1/2 of paper towel roll in Rubbermaid container. Bring water,baby oil and baby wash to a boil. Pour over paper towels, replace lid on container. Let sit for 4 hours. Remove cardboard core and first wipe. They’re ready to use.
recipe by Fran Norris
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March 16, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Laura
Wow, these look pretty easy to make, and definitely cheap. *tucks away in her file*
I’m no scientist, but for what it’s worth, I don’t think you can replicate antibacterial products by adding bleach or alcohol to your handwipes–if you did mean chlorine bleach by “Chlorox.” I would think that’s a no-no because the warning label says to avoid prolonged exposure to your skin. And alcohol dries out your hands so badly (thus creating cracks and chapped areas where bacteria get in much more readily)—the commercial products usually have aloe or some sort of moisturizing agent to counteract that. And you’d want to be sure you had the right ratio of alcohol to water/soap to get the benefits of a hand sanitizer without destroying your skin. I really like the Purell stuff with aloe, which now many store brands distribute for less $.
March 16, 2009 at 11:41 pm
kamelda
Susan what a great idea. Have you ever seen the TV show Monk? He has this thing where he always needs a wipe after he shakes someone’s hand :-) I know Rose (PrudenceBlue) is planning to make her baby wipes (and diapers) from her blog.
Laura, do you think you could add the Purell stuff straight to the wipes?
March 17, 2009 at 2:51 am
Laura
Hm…yeah Heidi, I guess you could, the question is just how much. But then you’re diluting something that has been formulated to sanitize, so it will be less effective in the wipes, and a half-effective sanitizer is precisely what encourages super-bugs to grow (I forget the exact reason, but something about the environment being not hostile enough to kill all the bugs, so the ones who survive “learn” how to reproduce germs that are immune to that agent). So, I don’t know. I think I’d just use the Purell.
March 18, 2009 at 2:20 am
virginiasusan
Heidi, No I haven’t seen that show. He sounds like a real germophobe! Bill’s Granfather was a doctor and he wouldn’t shake someone’s hand if they had a cold because he got pneumonia so easily. I’m sure people thought he was odd.
One thing I wondered with the baby wipes is if they will keep without getting moldy. I noticed the commercial ones have lots of added chemicals. If you don’t use them quickly, it might be a good idea to make smaller batches.