Homemade Disinfectant Wipes: Cheap, Effective Recipes
by Reader Contributors

Make homemade disinfectant wipes with the same cleaning power as the store brands for a fraction of the price with recipes from our frugal readers.
Dear Dollar Stretcher,
I just love those Clorox clean up wipes for bathrooms and other areas in the home, and now it seems they will become a household staple for most of us, but I hate the price. I was wondering if anyone had any recipes for “homemade” disinfectant wipes that they could share.
Kristin
Recipes for Homemade Disinfectant Wipes?
We asked our frugal readers to share their favorite recipes for homemade disinfectant wipes. See if one of their suggestions below can help you save money.
Editor’s note: Not all of these options we received from readers are disinfectants, so if you need a disinfectant wipe, be sure to use one of the recipes that use a disinfectant product or substitute your own favorite disinfectant. Just always take great care when mixing any cleaning products, as some can create toxic fumes.
Inexpensive Homemade Clorox Wipes
I, too, thought the price on the clean-up wipes was way too expensive in my area, so I modified my homemade baby wipes to make my own clean-ups.
Cut a roll of Bounty paper towels in half, and remove the cardboard tube. In an airtight container add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup of cleaner. I use an old 5-quart ice cream bucket and Mr. Clean Anti-Bacterial. Place roll of paper towels in and seal with lid. Turn upside down until all liquid is absorbed in paper towels. To use, pull each piece of paper towel out of the center. I figured I spent about 75¢ for 100 wipes. Quite a savings! They work great for wiping down the bathroom and kitchen.
Layne
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Transform Baby Wipes into Disinfectant Wipes
For years I have been using cheap baby wipes and alcohol. Just buy a container of baby wipes and pour a bottle of alcohol into the container. You then have a disinfectant cleaner wipes at 1/2 the price.
Sandy
Homemade Disinfectant Wipes is a Time Investment that Saves Money
The Clorox wipes are basically paper towels in a bleach water solution. It’s easy to make your own if you don’t mind a little time investment. Buy a good quality paper towel and tear the sheets apart. Cut them to the size you would like. Get a container to store your wipes. An old baby wipes container works great. Add 1/4-cup bleach to 1-gallon water. Pour half of the liquid in the container, then add your towels. Pour the remaining liquid over the towels. Let this sit overnight and you’re ready to go!
Cindy
A Very Frugal Alternative to Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
Tell your reader to take an empty spray bottle and fill it with a solution of 1/10 parts bleach to water. Spray on surface and wipe with paper towel. Or if you’re really frugal then cut up an old frayed towel into 12 inch by 12-inch squares and use these.
Heather
A Variety of Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
I’ve tried a few different recipes to replace Clorox wipes. I use Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels and fold them into thirds. Put them in an old Huggie wipes box. Mix 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons baby lotion, and 2 tablespoons baby bath. Pour over the paper towels. You can adjust the recipe if you like your wipees’ wetter or drier.
For each of the following, I use Bounty or Viva paper towels, because neither one of these turns to mush. I take a roll of paper towels, cut it in half, and take out the cardboard inside. You won’t need it for anything. You’ll pull out the sheets from the center. I keep each of the following in a Rubbermaid container big enough to hold half a roll of paper towels:
- Kitchen Face Wipe: 2 tablespoons Johnson & Johnson Baby Bath and 2 cups water
- Bathroom Disinfectant Wipes: 2 cups Pine Cleaner (your choice) and 2 cups water
- Bug Wipe: 1 cup Avon Skin so Soft and 1 cup water
- Window Wipe: 1 1/2 cups Glass Cleaner (your choice) and 1/2 cup water
All of the above save me some time and money, and they get used a lot here! I’ve marked the tops of each with exactly what is inside, and the same container gets used over and over again.
Bridget
Reviewed October 2021
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