DIY: Homemade Windex Wipes

rebeca  Friday, September 23, 2011

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I was visiting a friend the other day and I couldn’t help but cringe when my 12 month old made a mess on her glass table. But she assured me it was no big deal and pulled out a package of Windex wipes. I remember thinking how handy they were, but wondered just how expensive that would get. (You know, because I’m a big tight wad!) So, I got to thinking about how I could create some homemade wipes that would cost less, but still be convenient. Below is what I came up with.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 roll of select a size paper towels (I used Brawny, and found that they were the PERFECT size)

1 Rubbermaid Bread Keeper (I found mine at Meijer for $10)

1 cup Windex (or your favorite window cleaner)

3 cups water

Here’s what you do:

Take one roll of paper towels and place it into the bread keeper.

Mix 3 cups water with 1 cup window cleaner and pour over the paper towels. I made sure to pour some down the middle and some on the sides, though I’m not sure you really have to do that.

Place lid on the container and shake liquid around.

Let sit for 15-20 minutes turning every 5-10 minutes.

Once the liquid is fully absorbed, you can pull the cardboard spool out of the center and pull the towels up for use.

Now, I know there are tons of other tutorials on the web for diy cleaning wipes, but most of them require the use of cloth rags. I’m a big fan of limiting waste, but once you get into the process of using rags, you lose the convenience factor. Plus, my friend isn’t the type to mess with something like that. She needs something easy…and this is easy!

I also found this recipe, which called for the roll of paper towels to be cut in half and placed in a baby wipes container. After trying it, I found a few flaws with this recipe. 1. When you have little ones in the house, it’s very easy to mistake this new window cleaner for the wipes you’re supposed to use on bums. 2. When cutting the paper towels, you get a frayed edge that tends to leave lint droppings. I’ve read that you can use an electric knife for a smoother edge, but I don’t have one of those. I thought about asking hubby to cut them with his circular saw…but decided to move on to the other method instead. 3. The half size towels aren’t as good as the full size. 4. It’s not as easy as my method.