With Lysol and Clorox wipes in short supply, your go-to cleaning supplies may be running a bit low. With a little ingenuity, you can create your very own effective disinfectant wipes.
What are some important things to think about? Well…
- The two most common disinfectants most people have in their homes are rubbing/isopropyl alcohol and bleach.
- Bleach loses effectiveness over time and when diluted enough to be suitable for disinfectant purposes will only last about 24 hours. For this reason, and because bleach is both really harsh and tends to stink, we recommend the alcohol version.
- 70% isopropyl alcohol is ideal for disinfectants. If you have a higher concentration, you’ll have to dilute it – here’s how: https://www.ehow.co.uk/how_6879329_do-alcohol-70_-rubbing-alcohol_.html
I hear you out there asking what about vinegar?
- Vinegar is probably only really effective as a disinfectant in food preparation situations, and the amount of time it takes to disinfect hard-core germs is 30+ minutes which means you’ll spend all day cleaning. Read more about this here: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a31264367/is-vinegar-a-disinfectant/
If you just want to make cleaning wipes that do not necessarily disinfect but do remove gunk and grease, there are a TON of recipes out there – and a lot like finding your favorite cookie, it’s going to take some trial and error.
You can use a set of reusable cloths (microfiber is pretty nice for this job) or you can use paper towels as the wipes. When you’ve got your alcohol prepped, pour enough in a clear, airtight container to submerge your cloths or paper towels.
Wait about 5 minutes for the roll or cloths to soak up the alcohol. From there, you’re ready to start cleaning!
Make sure to close the container lid and store it out of the sunlight and away from heat to prevent the alcohol from evaporating. It should go without saying, but don’t use or store these near an open flame.
Because alcohol at this high of a concentration can be a skin irritant, you may want to use gloves while cleaning or be sure to pamper your hands afterward.
Unlike bleach, alcohol wipes just require that you wet the surface completely and then allow it to dry. Once dry, whatever you were cleaning will be disinfected.
Stay tuned next week for our recipe for at-home all-purpose spray cleaners, and if you have questions that we can help you out with, please call us – (970) 215-2224!
Laura @ All Star