Last Updated on May 11, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster
This DIY Hand Sanitizing Wipes post is sponsored by Viva® Vantage® but all opinions are my own.
How do you make natural disinfectant wipes? It is as easy as combining witch hazel, aloe, and essential oils in a tub and adding paper towels. These easy DIY hand sanitizing wipes keeps hands clean on the go!
Table of Contents
Stocking up on hand wipes
Often, I get into a rut when we go to the grocery store. I bring home the same crackers for the kids, the same dinner ingredients we know they like, and even the same paper towels. Usually, I shop with half my brain....I'm rarely paying attention to what I grab to put in the cart.
One of the things I pick up when I go to the grocery store are natural saline wipes. Why? Because even though I don't have babies, I still keep a pack of hand sanitizing wipes in my car. I can't stand the smell of gasoline on my hands after I leave the pump so keeping wet wipes in my car is a must.
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Since I prefer to avoid the harsh chemicals if I can, I pay extra for the all natural ones. That can get to be pretty expensive. I decided that making my own DIY hand sanitizing wipes would be a better plan!
How to Make DIY Hand Sanitizing Wipes
It is incredibly easy to make your own disinfectant wipes! These DIY All Natural Disinfectant Wipes are made with just 4 simple ingredients. Unlike conventional hand wipes that are usually full of questionable chemicals. Here are the supplies you need to make these homemade handi wipes:
- 1 roll paper towels
- Plastic container with lid
- 1 cup water, boiled and cooled
- 2 tablespoon aloe vera gel
- ¼ cup witch hazel
- 10 drops essential oil of your choice
To make these diy disinfecting wipes with essential oils:
The hardest part of this project is just cutting paper towels small enough for the wipes. Other than that, homemade hand wipes require no time at all to make!
- Combine water, aloe vera, witch hazel and essential oil in a glass bowl
- Tear paper towles off the roll and lay them on top of each other. Cut the stack in half for smaller wipes
- lace the paper towels in the plastic container. Pour liquid over them. Seal and let sit, flipping over to soak top layer, too.
- Drain off the excess liquid and reseal container.
These DIY wipes will last 2 to 3 weeks before needing to be replaced. Store them in a cool, dry location. To use, just grab one, wipe your hands well, and off you go. Of course, if you CAN wash your hands, soap and water is the better option. But, when no sink is around, keep hands clean with diy natural antibacterial hand wipes instead. Check out the CDC for tips on proper hand washing techniques.
NOTE: Please read regarding these DIY Hand Wipes
This post has gotten a TON of interest this month and I want to clarify a few things:
- I am not a doctor and do not claim that these wipes kill any specific organism. However, I have a degree in Microbiology and am a Nationally Certified Pharmacy Technician. I will share my research into hand wipes and germ killing as best I can.
- This recipe uses witch hazel which has not been studied against this particular virus. Do not assume that these DIY hand wipes kill everything. You can read about witch hazel and its' antiviral properties on Plos One. Here are other options to try if you can find them:
-
- Hydrogen peroxide: Does hydrogen peroxide kill viruses? According to several studies, like the one on ScienceDirect.com and The Journal of Hospital Infection it does. I quote from the JHI article: "Hydrogen peroxide was effective with a concentration of 0.5% and an incubation time of 1 min." Standard Hydrogen Peroxide in the brown bottle from the drug store is generally 3%. Dilute it with water to 0.5%. Don't make it up in bulk, it will degrade in water.
- Rubbing Alcohol: Use at least 60% alcohol accroding to the CDC.
"If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry."
Easy DIY Hand Sanitizing Wipes
How do you make natural disinfectant wipes? It is as easy as combining witch hazel, aloe, and essential oils in a tub and adding paper towels. These easy DIY hand sanitizing wipes keeps hands clean on the go!
Materials
- 1 roll paper towels
- 1 cup water, boiled and cooled
- 2 tablespoon aloe vera gel
- ¼ cup witch hazel
- 10 drops essential oil of your choice
Tools
- scissors
- Plastic container with lid
Instructions
- Combine water, aloe vera, witch hazel and essential oil in a glass bowl
- Tear paper towles off the roll and lay them on top of each other. Cut the stack in half for smaller wipes
- lace the paper towels in the plastic container. Pour liquid over them. Seal and let sit, flipping over to soak top layer, too.
- Drain off the excess liquid and reseal container.
Notes
These DIY wipes will last 2 to 3 weeks before needing to be replaced. Store them in a cool, dry location. To use, just grab one, wipe your hands well, and off you go.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time. You can learn more about her HERE.
sarah
Love this recipe and love these paper towels. After a major cleaning (and some major scrubbing) in our home reno, these towels held up like a pro and were ready to take on more. You can't ask for more than that!
Diane
They really are very durable!
Erica Hecht
Hi! Is there any substitute for the Aloe Vera...EVERYONE is out of stock. I have all the rest of the ingredients. Thanks!
Diane Hoffmaster
All the aloe does is help moisturize hands. I would say leave it out and just use hand lotion more often
Mary
When my children were small we made baby wipes by cutting the roll in half (with serrated knife) , removing tube, placing roll into a Rubbermaid canister, and adding baby cleanser mixed with boiled water. No tedious cutting.
Diane Hoffmaster
Great tip! Definitely easier than cutting them all.
Lisa
In place of aloe gel, try vitamin E oil.
Maybe just not as much.
Diane Hoffmaster
that is a great option, too. Thanks!