I have been meaning to make some DIY Thieves Wipes FOREVER and finally got around to it this week. I’m already loving my wipes and can’t believe it took me so long to get them done! Well actually I can…it required going to Walmart to get a container and I avoid Walmart as much as possible so that has delayed my project just a bit.
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Anyway, Thieves. I loveeeeeee my Thieves cleaner. I use it to clean just about everything – smells amazing, natural, no harsh chemicals, love it. I keep a spray bottle on the kitchen counter so I can grab it anytime, but I’ll be honest I do occasionally miss the convenience of cleaning wipes. Especially right now with a potty training child because I’m cleaning up our bathroom sometimes multiple times a day.
Those things are bad news bears though. When I was teaching I used the wipes to clean my classroom and I’d always wear gloves because I hated my hand touching the wipe since I knew it was full of nasty junk. They’re popular in church nurseries too for wiping down the toys after the babies chew on them but honestly, I’m less concerned about the germs and more concerned about the icky chemicals the wipes are getting on/in my baby! Yikes! So having a DIY homemade alternative makes me super happy.
And these couldn’t be easier to make. All you need are some paper towels (Viva are most cloth-like but a lot of people, including myself, have mold issues when using Viva so I recommend Bounty instead!), Thieves household cleaner, water, and a container (this is the one I used).
(NOTE: When I first wrote this post I had used Viva paper towels and less Thieves cleaner; I had mold issues as did some of my readers, as you’ll see in the early comments on this post, but after I switched to Bounty and increased the amount of Thieves cleaner I have not had any more issues.)
To make the wipes you cut the paper towel roll in half with a knife and set it down inside the container. Then take 2 cups of water plus 2 capfuls (Yes, capfuls. The cleaner is very concentrated so you only need a little bit and then you mix it with a lot of water. One bottle lasts forEVER!) of Thieves household cleaner and pour that over the paper towels. Easy as pie.
Actually, much easier than pie. Even including my super easy pie recipe.
I digress.
The cardboard tube will lift out easily from the middle of the paper towel roll once it’s wet and then you can start pulling the paper towels out from the middle just like with the store bought cleaning wipes.
I looked at several containers before settling on this one. The lid was my favorite part – I can lift up on that lever thingy with one hand and it releases the suction on the lid and comes right off. The others I looked at required unscrewing the lid or using some other latch that was more difficult and when I’m in the middle of cleaning up a mess I want it to be as easy as possible!
A fresh roll of the Bounty paper towels that I get are too large for the container so I have to take some of them off to get it to fit (I just use the roll for a couple of days until we’ve used up enough of it so that it’ll fit in the container).
I also love to use these on the go! Usually, for cleaning off high chairs or tables at restaurants I use my little bottle of Thieves spray. I love that stuff but that required finding and using a napkin or baby wipe or something to wipe with once I sprayed. Having pre-moistened wipes I can just grab and wipe with is so nice! I tore off several of the paper towel squares and put them in a Huggies Clutch & Clean container (I think that’s what it’s called) They’re made for holding baby wipes but they’re great for any type of wipe.
If you don’t have Thieves cleaner…well, you should get some. It’s pretty fabulous.
But if you don’t have it and want to make these wipes right now you could try doing water, a few drops of Thieves oil (tea tree, lavender, lemon, and/or orange would be other good options), and a squirt of castile soap. I haven’t tried it but that seems like it would work!
Happy cleaning, friends!
Is the container plastic? Since the thieves cleaner has citrus oil in it doesn’t it eat the plastic?
Yes the container is plastic. I don’t think the cleaner will eat through the plastic; I’ve been using the same plastic spray bottle for my spray cleaner (just Thieves cleaner and water) for over a year now and the bottle is still in great shape. So I’m not sure if the citrus is diluted enough so that it doesn’t erode the plastic or if the other components added in to the Thieves cleaner keep that from happening but since I haven’t had issues with my spray bottle I think it’ll be fine.
Theives is recommended to be used in glass containers.
Straight Thieves oil should definitely be used in a glass container but Thieves cleaner is totally fine in a plastic container!
I mean, thieves cleaner comes in a plastic container..so it is fine. I make my cleaner in a plastic spray bottle and have no issues
I know this post is old but just wanted to interject…use distilled water and add a few drops of tea tree oil (8-10) and you won’t get mildew/mold! To make distilled water, just boil it in your tea kettle but be sure to let it cool before using. I keep the boiled water in my tea kettle rather than dumping the leftover, that way I always have distilled water for my diffiser. Have a grace filled day!
Great idea!
My mom had a recipe for baby wipes that was similar. They were great except if you didn’t use them fast enough, they started to mildew. Have you had any issues with that?
I just made these for the first time this week so I haven’t had them long enough to know if they’re going to mildew or not. I’ll keep you updated once I’ve been using them longer!
Where did you get the container?
Walmart
What brand is this container? Also another suggest of storage for extra is to put in vacuum sealed container or bag and freeze. This should help prevent mildew and have extra on hand.
Are these safe to use on granite. I’ve also heard if you use distilled water instead of tap or spring, it will stop the items from mildewing.
I have used these wipes as well as the Thieves cleaner in a spray bottle on my granite counters for the last two years and haven’t had any issues so I’d say they’re safe!
I hadn’t heard that about using distilled water but that’s great to know! Thank you for sharing :)
Just made these with Costco brand paper towel (one that I’d used for a while, cause those are huge rolls) and it worked like a charm. Used a Kirkland brand disinfectant wipes container that we’d emptied at work. I did have to cut the whole bigger at the top as the paper towels shredded when the top was just slits.
I made these just a couple weeks ago in this exact container and there’s mold growing in them. Has anyone elsewhere this happen?
I have heard of this happening to some people so I contacted product support. Turns out I was not using enough Thieves cleaner per the dilution ratios. I need to update the recipe to reflect the correct amount of Thieves cleaner (should be a 30:1 ratio so this recipe needs about 1/2 ounce of cleaner which I believe is two capfuls instead of the one that I recommended) and also distilled water is recommended since tap water often already has nasty junk in it. If you try again using the stronger solution please let me know how it works for you!
Thanks for this post. I am thinking about making these to put in kids back to school supplies. Are you still happy with the recipe? Since the teacher will be receiving several packages of wipes, I worry they might dry out or the opposite mold if she does not use them right away. Have you noticed if either of these happened? Thanks for your help!
Yes, mine had mold growing on them within just a couple weeks. I had to throw them away. I don’t think I’d send them to school because you never know how quickly they’d get used. I was so disappointed this happened. Oh well.
I have heard of this happening to some people so I contacted product support. Turns out I was not using enough Thieves cleaner per the dilution ratios. I need to update the recipe to reflect the correct amount of Thieves cleaner (should be a 30:1 ratio so this recipe needs about 1/2 ounce of cleaner which I believe is two capfuls instead of the one that I recommended) and also distilled water is recommended since tap water often already has nasty junk in it. If you try again using the stronger solution please let me know how it works for you!
No issues with them drying out but some people have had problems with mold. I contacted product support to see if they had any suggestions…turns out I was not using enough Thieves cleaner per the dilution ratios. I need to update the recipe to reflect the correct amount of Thieves cleaner (should be a 30:1 ratio so this recipe needs about 1/2 ounce of cleaner which I believe is two capfuls instead of the one that I recommended) and also distilled water is recommended since tap water often already has nasty junk in it. So if you make them I’d definitely try the stronger solution to be on the safe side!
I also had issues with mold but saw the comments above and will try again. Has anyone else tried with more thieves and distilled water? I hate to waste more precious thieves cleaner for it to happen again! Haha. Love this post and idea, my wipes were awesome while they lasted!
Can you repost the video. It has been lost. Thanks!
Love this, but I just made some about 1 week ago and they are starting to have some mildew on them!! How do I stop that???
Did you use Viva paper towels? I’ve heard some people say that they had mildew issues with Viva but not other brands like Bounty. I had issues withe my first set; the second set I made I added some vinegar and some extra drops of Thieves and had no problems. Next time I make them though I’m going to try a different brands of towels and see how that does.
A penny in the container works great against mold/mildew too!
Oh cool! I’ve never heard that – thanks for sharing!
Nice container! Font used?
Magnolia Sky
These won’t be too burning for a baby’s bottom, will they?
I would not use these for a baby’s bottom. If you’re wanting to make your own baby wipes I’d make a solution of water + Young Living Seedlings wash or Kidscents wash, or water + castile soap + your favorite EOs for baby.
Excited to try this! So after you make your water/thieves solution, do you just dump in on top of the 1/2 paper towel roll while its in the container? Is this a stupid question??
Not a stupid question! But yes, that’s exactly what I do.
Where do you get the thieves cleaner?
Through Young Living essential oils! I’m a distributor and would be happy to help you order. You can order here: https://mychocolatemoments.com/order-essential-oils/ or email me (caitlin@mychocolatemoments.com) and I can help you get started.
With your edit about the mildew problem, what did you increase the thieves amount to?
2 capfuls
Thank you for the recipe. I am going to make them this weekend. I am curious what font you used for the thieves cleaner that you have on the container.
Magnolia Sky
I haven’t tried thanyheives cleaner version yet but I have made my own with distilled water, Castile soap and thieves oil. Works perfectly just like you suggest!
Do you know the ratio if using thieves oil instead of cleaner?? I’m sorry if the question has been answered, but I didn’t see it.
I made these wipes about a month or so ago. I added some tea tree oil and another oil but can’t remember what it was. I keep them in my car and use them on the buggy when I have to shop. The tea tree is antiviral so that was the reason for me adding it. Use them for my hands and anything else that needs wiping down. I have not had a problem with mildew but the weather has not been too hot yet. Fixing to make another batch. Great recipe!
Question,
How do you have travel wipes?
What kind of paper towels do you use to go in the travel wipe container?
I use the same paper towels from the large wipes container to go in the travel container.
Just made these today and I’m so excited! For the travel wipes…are they safe to use on skin? Just wiping hands off, etc.