When I started using cloth wipes, I had no idea what I was doing. I'm hoping that this tutorial will help someone take the plunge into using cloth wipes. It's really changed the way we've been cleaning around the house, as well as help us reduce costs in buying paper towels. We still do use paper towels for things that we can't use a cloth wipe (like killing spiders!) but we do use cloth wipes mostly for almost everything. Now we buy a 6 pack of paper towels once every few months.
I always thought that cloth wipes were for wiping babies' bums, so I didn't realize that you can use them around the house too. If you use cloth wipes for babies, here are some tips:
1. You can get a wipes warmer, and store some wet wipes in it instead of disposable wipes.
2. Or you can use dry wipes (stored in a cute container) and have a spray bottle or water bottle to wet the wipe before using it.
3. Once you use a wipe, have a handy wet bag and just toss it in there. Wash along with your cloth diapers.
We don't use wipes for dirty bottoms, but we do use it around the house. We have two sizes. 8" ones are good to wipe dirty faces and for shower times. The bigger size that's about the size of paper towels are great for wiping up wet messes. We use bamboo velour & fleece or bamboo velour & cotton sherpa wipes. I just love how the velour feels, and the fleece or cotton sherpa has a nice texture for grabbing dirty messes. It also has superior absorbency that you won't find in a dish towel or paper towel. Koreans use wipes all the time called "hang joo" so it was easy for me to get used to using cloth wipes to clean.
Here are some tips:
1. When you wipe up faces, it's nice to wet it with warm water. The kids love it.
2. Have an easy to access container in your kitchen so you can run to it if you get messes. We have a 3M command hook, and a wire basket hanging from it. The wipes are folded inside. The kids like to fold wipes when they're bored. *pic to come*
3. When you're wiping up dirty messes and you know you have chunky stuff, take it over to the garbage can, shake it out first.
4. You don't have to, but rinsing out the wipes before you put them into the wetbag can reduce staining. Chocolate milk is especially hard to get out if it's left on.
Care tips:
1. Don't leave wet wipes in the wetbag for more than 2-3 days since if you use it to wipe up food, it may start growing mold depending on where you live. We normally wash cloth diapers every other day, so we're used to washing wipes regularly.
2. Throw the wipes into the washing machine, run the soak cycle for about 20-30 with a bit of oxy clean to start releasing the stains, then wash in the hot cycle with vinegar in the fabric softener compartment (or if you have a top loader add the vinegar in the rinse cycle). The vinegar won't affect the absorbency of the wipes but will help keep the wipes soft. You don't want to end up with crunchy wipes.
3. Once a week or so, I'll use Ecover fabric softener to bring back some spring into the velour.
4. Dry in the dryer as normal.
I think I got the basics. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I'll get back with you. :)