Wednesday, November 17, 2010

FancyCloth..On cloth wipes

I love cloth wipes. I will cover some basics about the fabrics I have used, wipe solution recipes, and storage. There are so many options to choose from it's incredible. My first creation on cloth wipes was 5 cut up baby towels given to me my sister in law. I was used to disposables so I just eyed that measurement, I turned out with sizes ranging from 4 x4 to 7 x6 to 8 x 8, serged edges, one-ply, and two-ply. to see what I liked. I didn't stop there I started getting fancy with the wipes and using my soft cuddle minky and cotton knit combos, they ended up being AMAZING lathering wash clothes because of the way I stitched them. I ended up using them to pamper myself.

I take a lot of time out of my life to make these cloth diapering items for my family and others because it's what I do. I have been sewing for 10 years and went to fashion design school, AND in school I thought I was going to France working in a Haute Couture house *end of tangent*

After the number of experiments we have our favorite household favorites.
-My husband likes 2 ply-cotton knit wipes. There are soft, wipe up well, and you can get them in the cutest prints ever!
-I have a couple of favorites 2 sided hemp knits & one side organic bamboo velour and cotton or hemp knit on the other. The knits are great for messy times! we both seem to like the size 4X8 too!

When I am done using the wipes I just toss in with the diaper pail..sometimes I pre-rinse in the toilet sometimes I don't it depends on what is going on at the moment.

WIPE SOLUTIONS
As far as wipe solutions, I haven't tried any special solutions on the market but I have thrown a few together with stuff around my house starting with my favorite at the top feel free to use this recipes for your wipe solutions too. I use a glass bottle or jar of some kind usually. I do not like plastic. Some people store in a spray bottle or peri bottle (like what dish soap nozzles look like)  I made using most of these using a 32 oz bottle.

Olive Oil TSP
Baby soap TSP
Water 32 oz

Tea Tree Oil (1-3) drops
Lavender Oil (1-3) drops
Water (32 oz)

Chamomile tea ONE TEA BAG SEEPED
Water 32 OZ
Olive oil TSP

Tips
*be careful with tea tree oil, it may irritate baby or you. If i get a good enough smell I will have a migraine for 2 hours.
*be cautious with any essential oil, it is potent stuff
*do not use A lot of soap it can dry babies bum
*Use 5-10 drops of tea tree oil in a old spray bottle for a great antibacterial spray..spray your diaper pail with it, spray your wipe storage with it, it's great to have around. I usually spray in my wipe storage before and after each change weekly.

 WET STORAGE

-OLD WIPE CONTAINER
-WIPE WARMER (I use this, but this is not neccessary for cloth wiping at all)

Put dry wipes in container of your choice, shake wipe solution, or make right in container, pour perfect amount of solution over wipes to absorb..don't drench the wipes, you don't want them to soppy, squeeze out excess if need be. I kind of have it down to a science and you will have to figure that out on your own with practice

DRY STORAGE

Keeping your wipes dry at all times and using a spray bottle or wetting them with water each change is a lot of work it seems, sometimes I do it, If I haven't made a bulk of wipes. This method also prevents any risk of getting moldy or smelly if they sat too long.

ON THE GO
I have a wipe size wetbag pouch that I easily store wet wipes to bring a long with me anywhere, no leaks ever. (or use a travel case for wipes) If you do a dry method maybe bring around a travel spray bottle. Then store dirty wipes with dirty dipes. use a ziplock bag or I make an amazing wetbag pouch..for that

Thanks for reading Next up I think may talk about washing, I would like to find some readers who will comment, or engage us with their experiences and tips on cloth diapering. I am just such an advocate...

Here are some DIY cloth wipes, Serged edges assorted fabrics, colors

1 comment:

  1. I love cloth wipes, too! We use them for baths as well as diaper changes. My favorite combo is either flannel/hemp fleece or flannel/sherpa..so soft! any kind of velour is great, too! I have a bunch of soft t-shirts I was thinking of dying and then cutting up and serging into wipes. I generally use just plain water or water with a bit of baby bath to wet them.

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