Cloth wipes are a trusty sidekick to a fluffy cloth diaper stash. I’m using cloth diapers on our baby’s behind, so it just makes sense to use cloth baby wipes too. I’m already doing cloth diaper laundry, so adding in a few wipes is no problem. I won’t even start on the cost savings of using cloth wipes to disposables. Here’s how to best use cloth baby wipes.
How do I make cloth wipes? Before Summer Elizabeth was born, I purchased our stash of cloth diapers and kindly convinced my seamstress mother to stitch up a couple dozen wipes. I wasn’t too surprised when I unwrapped the package to find a slew of flannel “I love Grandma” wipes staring back at me. I should’ve known. Disclaimer: you definitely don’t need to have a sewing machine to make cloth wipes work for you.
There are oodles of cloth baby wipe tutorials floating around online to make the task easy. Here’s one to get your started. Don’t for a minute disregard the pile of soft cotton swaddle blankets either. Cut up those baby blankets and serge or stitch around the edges to make all the cloth wipes you’ll ever need.
What if I don’t sew? Handmade cloth wipes are great, but to be honest, a simple baby washcloth or square of soft well-loved t-shirt fabric squares cut with pinking shears make for great wipes too.
Handmade wipes by Blessings by Lauren
Where can I buy cloth wipes? Etsy is a great place to start! You can also pick up organic terry cloth wipes here.
How many wipes will I need? This question depends mainly upon how often you want to launder your diapers. We wash about every 2-3 days and get by very well with about 3 dozen wipes. At most changings, you’ll only need to use one wipe, but for the occasional bomb of a diaper, two.
How do I use cloth baby wipes? The simplest way to use cloth wipes is to store them dry and dampen them under the faucet with warm water at every change. You don’t really need to use fancy wipe warming devices or store them damp, though when you’re still dealing with nighttime changes, keeping a few freshly dampened wipes in a hermetic container next to the changing area speeds things up. Another option is to keep a spray bottle handy and spray the dry wipe or the baby’s bum and wipe the diaper area clean.
I’ve used both methods, but prefer faucet-dampening, unless our baby has a rash. In that case, I mix up a special three-ingredient diaper wipe solution and keep it in the spray bottle for diaper changes. I spray directly on the bum and wipe clean.
How do I wash cloth wipes? It’s easy! Just toss them in with your cloth diaper laundry and line dry.
Any more questions? If you’ve got any questions about using cloth wipes or diapers, please ask. I’m happy to help.
Read more: 3-ingredient diaper wipe solution recipe.
Cloth wipes are awesome! The few times I tried using disposable wet-wipes, I was really grossed out at the perfumed chemical SLIME they left all over my baby and my hand.
For moistening, we kept water on the changing table in a bottle with a pop-up spout. It was a little faster to use than a spray bottle.
My son is 8 now and still uses his cloth wipes for nosebleeds, so we are really getting our money’s worth! 🙂
I used a cloth wipe to clean my baby’s runny nose today. They’re great as hankys, aren’t they! Glad to find someone else who appreciates a good cloth wipe. Thanks for stopping by, Becca.
what a fun post–it brought back memories of my 6 babies–now adults with babies. 35 years ago ‘wet wipes’ had not been invented. I used a wash cloth and warm water to wipe their little bums. I made my cloth diapers out of ‘diaper flannel’ do they have that any more??
disposable diapers were the new trend but I could not afford them and the quality was poor. I must say I was happy to get rid of the diaper pail!
Now I have a stack of white cloth wipes for little faces when they visit. Their mothers all carry wet wipe and disposable diapers. It’s not a battle I care to visit. So many choices as a mother today–it’s good to have choices!
Great post. I have a fun post on my blog of some homemade burp cloths I made using cloth diapers and fun fabric. a simple project that makes agr eat baby shower gift.
Keep up the good work. 4 of my 6 children served 2 year missions for our church. My boys served in Brazil and Texas. My daughter served in Australia. They were life changing. Service is the key to happiness.
Thanks for sharing about your experience with diapering, Cindy. I imagine that disposables have come a long way, but nope, they’re certainly not for me either. I’ve never heard of diaper flannel, but there are all kinds of cloth diapers on the market now, and probably a flat diaper would be most similar. You’re right, serving others is extremely fulfilling. Most of us go, hoping to change lives, and find that our own are the most impacted in the end. Thank you so much for visiting my little blog!
Cool post! I don’t have a baby but I think this is cool. I’ll share it with my mama friends!
Great, Olivia! I sure hope they learn something new and maybe venture into green parenting!
Using baby wipes are pretty much expensive especially that you have to use a lot of sheets per day. And this cloth baby wipes is a good idea for me to save much on buying baby wipes on the grocery.
I completely agree. We have saved tons of money on cloth wipes, and they’ll double as cleaning rags when we’re all done with babies too.
I’ve debated using these and may have to try them, thanks for the tips!
I took pictures this morning to add to an unpublished post I wrote on using cloth wipes. Funny timing on coming across your post! I love using them too!
I have been cloth diapering almost 2 years, now two babies in cloth, and haven’t ventured into cloth wipes. I just don’t understand puting big clumps of poo in your washer? Or do you have to rinse them separately from the diapers?
Presently, I use liners to catch my toddler poo, so I’m not even rinsing diapers. I can’t imagine adding wipes to it. Just curious how you make it work? Thanks!
Hi Cara, good question! When baby is small, the breastfed poo isn’t chunky yet, so it washes well off the wipes and diapers. As they get older and begin to eat solids, I generally get most of the poo in the diaper or first smear it off onto the clean part of the diaper. This way, the wipe doesn’t get too dirty. Generally I try to shake the poo from diaper to toilet before tossing the diaper in the wet bag, making the laundry cycle a little less poopy. If you’re interested in trying cloth wipes, my suggestion is to pick up an inexpensive package of a few baby washcloths (the thin single layer type) and just give it a try. If it’s not your thing, that’s okay. You’re still doing a great job for the earth and your family’s budget by using cloth diapers.
This is a great post thank you for sharing! Just wondering, how/where do you store the used/soiled wipes until you’re ready to throw them into the laundry machine?
In a wet bag with the dirty diapers.