Cloth Wipes

When I started cloth diapering I was told cloth wipes would make everything easier. But being the Up & Up disposable-wipe-lover that I was, I didn't believe it. It took about a month, but I finally realized that using disposable wipes was a pain in the butt!  When using disposable wipes with disposable diapers you just roll the wipe in the diaper and toss the whole thing out. Well, with cloth diapers I was still rolling the wipe up with the cloth diaper then putting them in the diaper pail. When it came time to wash diapers I had to sort the wipes from the diapers and have a bag to put them in to toss them out. Occasionally I would miss one, which would then lead to me having to clean the wipe fibers out of the hook and loop (velcro) of my diapers, also a pain.

Depending on the material you want your wipe to be made of you could spend as little as .25 cents or $2-3 on cloth wipes. I didn't really want to spend the money so I made my own. I used flannel receiving blankets. I cut them into 6 by 6 squares then used a serger to finish the edges. I do not own a serger, but my mother-in-law was gracious enough to let me use hers.

You can purchase wipes at your local cloth diaper store, an on-line store, etsy or even a local grocery/department store. They don't have to be marketed for cloth wipes. You could just go find some cheap large pack of wash cloths. Walmart has 4 packs of baby wash cloths for around a dollar. Dollar stores always have packs of wash cloths as well. You'll want 2-3 dozen wipes.

I store my cloth wipes in a hard plastic wipes case. You know the ones you purchase the disposable wipes in. It works perfectly. All you have to do is wet them, ring the out a little, then put them in the case and they are ready to use. You could also add a couple drops of tea tree or lavender oil and if you wish, a small amount of castile soap. I usually put 2 drops of lavender oil in the empty wipe case, add warm water, swish it around then dunk the wipes. I then ring them out and separate each one before putting it back into the container, which makes them easier to get out.

Since I have switched to cloth wipes my washing routine has been much easier! No more sorting! Plus, I made my wipes, which didn't cost me anything, and I don't have to buy disposables. Win-win!