So my 'one small change' for January was to Make my Own Baby Wipes and I'm pleased to announce that I did not purchase any baby wipes for the entire month of January!
And yes I'd like a standing ovation for this because I have four children under five with two still in nappies; so this was kind of a big challenge for this family!
I made a few batches throughout the month and tried a few different techniques which I'll now explain. It's riveting really. You might want to grab a coffee and settle in for a while.
Since my first batch I've experimented a little with cutting the paper towel in different ways. The thing with the original batch
(shown here) was that the wipe itself was quite small, and well, my little Joseph has a big butt (for a 2 year old!) and so I needed a bigger wipe. Also I wasn't happy with the actual paper towel that I used initially, it was way too thin and broke too easily (it was a cheap brand).
So instead of cutting the paper towel width wise, I cut it length wise, so it looked more like a standard baby wipe. (Don't cut through both sides, just one). I ended up with wipes that are a bit bigger than tissue size. There was however, a bit of wasted paper towel left over, which was kind of annoying because I'm trying to cut down on waste, but I had to cut the towels so that they were all roughly the same size.
When it comes to what paper towel to buy, (and this is the clincher) go expensive. I know we are trying to save money here but $4 for two paper towels still yields around 2 1/2 boxes of wipes, so it's worth it! The paper towel I used here was 'Viva', which in Australia is one of the best you can buy. It's very absorbent and has this fancy weave texture and it REALLY makes a difference. It doesn't break when I'm mid-wipe on a dirty butt and it goes the distance, if you know what I mean.
This is the wipes container I used, an old 'Huggies' one with the flip-top lid. I was a bit worried that these wouldn't be air-tight, but they worked fine.
I always feel like I should be wearing a big white coat and some safety goggles when I do this! I cut back on the quantities for this batch, I think I used 2 cups water, 1 tbsp each of bath wash, baby lotion, and vinegar (plus I add a squirt of aromatherapy blend).
The neat thing with this batch is that the paper towel is strong enough to pull through the container lid - very handy - especially with a wriggling two year old in my grasp! Even when the box got low, because of the texture the wipes are easy to peel away from each other.
See? Riveting stuff.
My second batch was when I tried to get reeaally tricky and cut the paper towel length-wise all the way through BOTH SIDES.
It looks wrong, I know.
When I had cut down one side, I turned the paper towel around and cut through the other side, lining up the cuts.
I have no photographic evidence of what happened next, but let me tell you, it got messy. The paper towel just went everywhere and I had to really hack into it to get any usable wipe shape out of it. So don't do it this way. Unless you like billions of pieces of paper towel flying all over your kitchen!
The waiting wipe containers with the liquid mix poured in.
For this batch I tried a different paper towel (can't remember the brand) but it wasn't nearly as good as the Viva batch.
So after this failed attempt I realised that even though there is a bit of wasted paper towel when you cut it once length-wise, it's worth it for the fact that they are easier to get too and do a better job than the toilet-paper style ones I originally tried.
And on the mold factor? I found none on any of these wipes until about week two, and I was really surprised by this. I think the key here is to use an air-tight container and make sure it's shut properly between uses.
I also tried using different lotions and creams in the mixes and it looks like the lighter, runnier creams work better than the dense ones, otherwise they don't dissolve into the water and you end up with some wipes covered in cream!
Oh the fun I've had with these wipes! But now I think I've got the winning method and I'm happy. It takes about five minutes to make and I'm not having to do special trips to the shops when we've run out (which used to happen a lot).
The only quandary I've had with all this is what to do with the nappy bag? I know I won't remember to grab the homemade wipes each time I'm heading out the door, and if I make some and leave them in the bag they won't get used quickly enough and they'll go moldy. So I'm planning on still buying one pack of generic wipes for the nappy bag, and that pack will probably last me 2-4 weeks. But I figure one pack per month is better than six!
I have really enjoyed this challenge so far and I'm so glad that I finally took the plunge and made these wipes. Do I miss the store-bought wipes?
Nope. Not one bit. The homemade ones feel nicer, they smell fresher and are SO! MUCH! CHEAPER! Plus I get to decide what goes in them!
And now, finally, my change for February.
(drum roll please...)
I'm going to purchase and use only eco-friendly/natural laundry powder. You know, the stuff without all the phosphates, fillers and perfumes that are bad for our skin and our waterways. I'm pumped, I'm ready and I'm armed with free samples I've been receiving through the mail!
If you're doing the challenge too, all the best for February and I hope January's change went well for you and your family!
I'm off to make some wipes.
(No, not really. I've run out of Viva. But that would have been a great ending to this post no?)
