Make Your Own - Laundry & Diaper Care Cleaners

wipes solution . An endlessly adaptable baby wipes recipe for your baby's needs.

deodorant disks . Simple recipe to make deodorant disks that tuck into the top of your diaper pail.

no-rinse woolwash . Recipe to make a nice, big jug of eucalyptus woolwash for your wool diaper covers. Doesn't contain lanolin, but you could add a small amount of lanolin to your wash. Be sure to melt it first and swish well to keep it from gumming up on the wool fabric.

Make Your Own Baby Wipes Solution

Why pay for chemical wipes then throw them away? Make your own cloth wipes easily by cutting up old towels or washcloths. You can help these last longer by zigzagging or serging around the edges.

Keep the wipes next to your changing table either dry, in plain water, or in a simple solution.

You can easily adapt the following to make your own recipe.

1 cup of distilled or boiled water
up to 1 tablespoon vegetable-based soap (Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, for example)
1-2 teaspoons vegetable-based oil (apricot, olive, grapeseed, almond)
1 teaspoon 100% aloe vera
a drop or two of essential oil

Learn the properties of various oils and choose something appropriate to your baby. For example, jojoba oil, calendula oil, tea tree oil, or lavender oil might work. Test your baby on less sensitive skin before wiping on their bottom. Use enough solution that the wipes are just damp. You can also keep the solution in a spray bottle by the changing table and keep only water on the wipes so you can use the wipes for a quick face wash as well as bottom wiping.

Make Your Own Deodorant Disks for the Diaper Pail

Most diaper pails have a place for a deodorant disk in the lid. You can make those disks yourself either by soaking heavy paper (preferably with rag content) in oil or by using a caked baking soda base. The baking soda disks will become very crumbly, at which point you can add them to the wash and put a new disk in the pail lid.

For baking soda disks, you will need:

distilled or boiled water
baking soda
your choice of essential oils
a muffin pan
paper muffin cups

Add a few drops of essential oil to a small amount of water. Mix the water with 2 cups of baking soda. Mix well. Gradually add and mix more water until you have a thick paste. Press about ½" of paste into each muffin paper and let dry 24 hours. Tear the paper off. After you've used each disk for a month or so (however long you find it effective), crumble the disk into the diaper wash. Baking soda deodorizes and softens the diapers.