How to Make Disinfecting Wipes

I am sharing tips for how to make DIY Disinfecting Wipes also known as sanitizing wipes!  These are so super easy to make and also cost-effective.  Keep reading for all the details below.  You should also check out my posts about how to make Hand Sanitizer, Foaming Hand Sanitizer, and DIY Disinfecting Spray.

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Disclaimer: I am not claiming that this DIY Disinfecting Wipes recipe will kill bacteria or viruses.  This recipe does, however, contain rubbing alcohol which is isopropyl alcohol.  Isopropyl alcohol is a widely used disinfectant.  (You can learn more here.)  However, due to the nature of any DIY, I can not guarantee the percentage of alcohol in the final product you create and as such, I am not claiming any percentage of alcohol will be contained in it nor the possible benefits.  Alcohol can harm some surfaces so please do your research and ensure that you only use this on surfaces safe for alcohol use.  Do not use these on yourself or your children.  They are disinfecting wipes, not baby or hand wipes.  Please note that this recipe is NOT SAFE for consumption.  Seek medical treatment if consumption occurs. Simply Designing and its owners are not responsible for any outcomes of making, storing, ingesting or using this product in any way shape or form.  Please consult my privacy policy for more use of site terms.

How to Make Disinfecting Wipes

Disinfecting and sanitizing wipes are hard to find right now and I have some friends who have asked me how to make their own.  After a lot of research, I feel confident that this recipe will completely disinfect and sanitize any surface you use them on.  And here is why...

Disinfecting vs Sanitizing vs Cleaning

We often interchange the words disinfecting and sanitizing, but they are slightly different.  So let's talk about some definitions before we begin today.

According to the CDC, CLEANING physically removes germs, dirt, and impurities using water and soap. 

SANITIZING lowers the number of germs on a surface by either cleaning or disinfecting it. (But it is typically more gentle than disinfecting.)

DISINFECTING kills germs on surfaces, although it doesn't necessarily remove them.  (see https://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/cleaning.htm)

So ideally we would remove germs from surfaces by CLEANING.  DISINFECTING is great to kill the germs when cleaning isn't possible.  (Just like the CDC recommends with our hands.)

Yet we all still have a desire to disinfect everything!  Am I right!? 

But let's dig in a bit more... 

So should we clean, disinfect or sanitize our homes?

Most of the time, I personally believe that we can simply clean the surfaces in our home using your favorite household cleaner.  (Mine is Thieves Household Cleaner).  This is why the CDC says that washing hands is BEST, and using a hand sanitizer is ok when washing hands is not an option.  

Let me repeat that, the CDC recommends we wash (in other words CLEAN) our hands instead of using sanitizers when possible.  

Removing germs from surfaces is also a great way to help prevent the spread of germs from surface contact. 

We should wash surfaces in our home regularly to help curb the spread of germs.

Disinfecting is a great way to kill germs.  But when you disinfect, the germs (although dead) still exist on the surface.  You can still transfer these dead germs from surface to hands etc.  So I personally prefer to remove germs by regularly cleaning my surfaces and disinfecting only occasionally. (That is my personal preference though, so please use your own best judgment here.)  

How should we disinfect our homes?

When we reach for store-bought disinfectants, we often end up exposing ourselves to harsh chemicals and toxins that have shown negative consequences such as harming our lungs. (check this out here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5397199/Cleaning-bad-womens-lungs-20-cigarettes-day.html) 

Unless you work in the medical field, constant disinfecting, in my personal opinion, is not really necessary.  Clean your surfaces often using soap and water, or a household cleaning solution and water in order to REMOVE the germs from your surfaces.  

When you really want to disinfect a surface, you can actually make your own disinfecting wipes with products that are better for you then often come in commercially bought packages.

Where should I use disinfecting wipes?

Not on people.  Seriously.  These are not for use on people.  

Alcohol can harm some surfaces so please check manufacturer instructions first. 

But I personally have found that these are safe for most hard surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, cart handles, phones, remotes, fridge door handles, front door handles, etc. 

They may dry your hands so use with gloves or wash and moisturize after.  (I prefer to use gloves if possible.)

The best way to clean and disinfect your home

1. Disinfect your surfaces to kill germs on the surface using a better alternative like my homemade disinfecting wipes.
2. Clean your surface to remove germs (both dead and alive germs) using soap and water, or a household cleaner and water.  This will also remove any alcohol residue on your surface helping your surfaces to stay safer for your family. 

Is it possible to make your own disinfecting wipes?

Yes, it is.  We are going to use mostly Isopropyl Alcohol when making these wipes for maximum disinfecting ability.  Commercial labs often use straight 70% Isopropyl Alcohol for cleaning surfaces in their labs.  And while Isopropyl Alcohol can be harsh on your hands and carries a few concerns with its use, it is generally much better than using commercially-bought alternatives. 

Learn more about cleaning with Isopropyl Alcohol here and learn about concerns here. 

Having said all of that, we are going to make our own disinfecting wipes using rubbing alcohol as the main ingredient.

We are also going to use a tiny bit of soap to also help CLEAN the surface so these wipes will clean and disinfect in one scrub.  Woot woot!

What if I can't find rubbing alcohol?  What can I sub for rubbing alcohol?

Rubbing alcohol can be difficult to find.  A great sub is to use drinkable, grain alcohol (aka ethyl alcohol) like Everclear or Vodka.  Look at the proof and cut that number in half, that is the perfect of alcohol in the bottle.  So if you are using 140 proof alcohol, that will be equivalent to 70% alcohol which is the minimum % of  alcohol you should use for this recipe.

What is the best homemade disinfectant?

The best homemade disinfectant will be one made with mostly Isopropyl Alcohol.  That is because isopropyl alcohol will kill germs on surfaces and disinfecting means that we are killing germs.  If you add soap and scrub, it can also clean the surface. 

What ingredients do you need to make disinfecting wipes:

• Paper Towels
• ½ cup 70% or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol) or 140 proof or higher grain alcohol like Everclear or Vodka
• ¼ teaspoon Castile Soap
• 20 drops Thieves Essential Oil
• Leak-proof Container

Let's talk about why we want these ingredients in homemade disinfecting wipes for a minute:

Rubbing Alcohol - disinfects surfaces, aka kills germs

Castile Soap - can help clean surfaces, aka help to remove germs

Thieves Essential Oil - will make them smell amazing, plus check out the benefits of this oil on the PubMed site here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3346404

How do you make natural disinfectant wipes?

1. Cut paper towels to fit your leak-proof container and place paper towels into the container
2. Pour alcohol into a glass bowl
3. Add Castile Soap
4. Add Thieves Essential oil
5. Mix well and pour over paper towels
6. Seal the container and shake until all paper towels are wet
7. Leave in the sealed container until ready to use
8. Remove one wipe at a time and use as needed to clean and disinfect your surfaces

I would love it if you would take a moment to PIN my post!  Thanks!

You might also want to check out these posts too: 

DIY Disinfecting Spray

How to Make Hand Sanitizer

Foaming Hand Sanitizer

Homemade Sugar Scrub