Cloth Wipes: What and How

Posted on 18. Feb, 2011 by admin in Cloth Diapers

My husband was all for cloth diapering but somehow the idea of cloth wipes made him squeamish. I found, after conducting several in-home demos, that he was not alone. I began to notice a similar pattern among some folks (men and women alike) when I mentioned the idea of using cloth wipes as an alternative to disposable wipes, I see eyes glazing over. Hmm, I wonder why?

Are you already using cloth diapers? Are you considering more eco-friendly natural diapering products? I invite you to give cloth wipes a try. They are easier than you may think and you can save lots of money by using cloth wipes. Also, if you are a 2 The Root (2TR) diaper service client we offer a very convenient and economical cloth wipes service add-on. I personally love that cloth wipes can be what you need when you need it. Cloth wipes aren’t just for bottoms – they are for sticky faces and finger, and you can fold a few wipes together to quickly boost your diaper’s absorbency.

What are cloth wipes?
They are a one or two-ply absorbent fabric (cotton, bamboo, hemp) usually cut and sometimes sewn into rectangular or oval shapes. They range in size from 6″ to 9″. They can be as simple as cut up old jersey cotton t-shirt (no sewing needed because the jersey knit doesn’t fray). They can be luxurious two-sided organic cotton/hemp fleece and organic bamboo velour.

And yes, you can just use baby washcloths.

How to use them (these are just my suggestions feel free to experiment)
on the go…

• Add a few dry wipes to your diaper bag with a small squirt bottle filled with my homemade solution to moisten as you need.
• Place a few dry wipes in a plastic bag then add solution then shake and seal the bag. Carry the sealed bag with you for quick access to pre-moistened wipes.
• Toss soiled wipes in your wet bag take home

at home…

• Store cloth wipes in an old “sposie” wipe container or another plastic container. Either pre-moisten with wipe solution or wet as you go using a squirt bottle.
• For warm wipes sans the wipe warmer, you can use warm water when making your wipe solution and store in a dispensing Thermos container. Then squirt the warm wipe solution on the dry wipes as needed.
• Toss soiled wipes in your wet bag for home laundering or if you aren’t ready for home laundering just yet, toss in your 2 The Root (2TR) diaper pail/laundry bag for us to launder for you.

Here is my favorite homemade wipe solution

• 16oz distilled water
• 1 tsp of your favorite liquid baby soap
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/8 tsp distilled white vinegar or 1 drop of tea tree oil (just ONE drop)

Have a really sensitive baby? Just use plain ‘ol water on your wipes.

Shake the above solution and store or use any in of the methods listed above.

I’d love to hear from you. How do you use cloth wipes and what is your favorite wipes solution?