March 16, 2011: All Purpose Cleaner –Cleaning Wipes

Are you looking for a good, all-purpose cleaner that you can carry around the house with you instead of having to tote a bunch of different products or formulas? Then, this recipe is your answer! It works really well on any surface except glass (it isn’t streak-free) or wood (it will dry out any real wood furniture). But other than that, you can use it almost anything. It’s great in the kitchen and bathroom, in particular.

This one recipe is perfect to either put in a spray bottle or to make cleaning wipes.

All Purpose Cleaner

1 cup baking soda
1 cup liquid Castile soap
½ cup water
1 T. plain white vinegar
Few drops tea tree oil

Mix all ingredients in a spray or squirt bottle. Shake before using.

All Purpose Cleaning Wipes

Start with a container. I used a plastic tote as pictured above, but you could also use a large, empty baby wipes container or make one that works more like the commercial version with a covered plastic box that has an “X” slit cut into the top to pull the wipes through.

Mix all the ingredients in the above recipe in your container. You will have to add a bit more water, about 1 cup or more.

Cut a double roll of paper towels in half horizontally. Place one half of the paper towels in the cleaning solution. Let it sit for a couple hours or overnight, then remove the wet cardboard core. If all the cleaning solution has been soaked up, add a bit more water; if you put too much water in and your wipes are too wet, just pour off the excess. To use, just pull out the most interior paper towel; keep pulling from the inner area where the cardboard core used to be.

Voila! You’ve got all purpose cleaning wipes that cost a mere fraction of those expensive ones at the grocery store.