How to Make Easy Cloth Wipes Without a Machine

Friendly to skin and the evironment, cloth wipes are easy to make.

Homemade wipes are softer and more gentle on baby's skin than store-bought wipes and are also kinder to the environment. If you've made the change to cloth diapers, changing over to cloth wipes also makes sense. Soft, absorbent, natural materials work best for cloth wipes---think flannel sheets, receiving blankets, old towels or cotton T-shirts. You'll need a good supply so you always have fresh ones on hand, so plan to make around 20 of them, adding as many more as you need.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton T-shirt
• Ruler
• Scissors or pinking shears
• Needle
• Thread

Instructions

Single Layer Wipes

1. Lay the T-shirt flat on your work surface. Measure 6 inches up from the bottom seam and 6 inches in the from the side seam to mark a square with equally sized sides.

2. Cut out the square. Separate the squares to make two wipes.

3. Turn a 1/4-inch hem on all four sides and pin it into place. Don't worry about making mitered corners for the wipe as they are functional items rather than decorative.

4. Sew the hem into place using a small running stitch. On the corners where the fabric is thicker, make a couple of extra stitches to reinforce the corner.

Double Layer Wipes

1. Lay the T-shirt flat on your work surface. Measure 6 inches up from the bottom seam and 6 inches in the from the side seam to mark a square with equally sized sides.

2. Cut out the square, then pin the two layers together. If you have patterned material and you want the pattern on the outside of the wipes, turn the squares over so the patterned sides are on the inside.

3. Sew around three sides of the square with a small running stitch.

4. Turn the square the right way out, so the stitching is inside the pocket.

5. Turn 1/4 inch of the fabric on the open side inwards to make a small hem, then pin the opening closed. Sew along the pinned edge to close the square.

Tips & Warnings

• For an even easier way to make cloth wipes, use pinking shears and don't bother to sew a hem. Remember what they're used for: these are functional wipes, not pretty items on display.

• Wash cloth wipes the same way you wash and dry diapers. That way you always have clean ones when you need them.

• Cloth wipes are suitable for tasks other than baby cleaning. Use them for children's hand wipes, or even for dishrags or dusting cloths.

• Make a selection of both single- and double-layer cloth wipes. Use single-layer wipes for light cleanups and double-layer wipes for more rigorous cleaning.

• Squares for wipes can be larger or smaller. Try making them 8 inches square. If you want them to fit your hand, spread your fingers and measure the distance between your little fingertip and the tip of your thumb, then cut the squares that size.

References

• "Simple Organic"; How to Make and Use Cloth Wipes; Megan Tietz; March 2010