Here's What You Can Substitute For Cleaning Wipes
These days, many people find cleaning wipes to be the best method for quickly wiping down and cleaning a surface. They are incredibly convenient, and it's hard to argue with a label that purports to kill 99.9% of household germs. However, there are legitimate reasons that may make you rethink your household cleaning routine. Not every brand of cleaning wipes is compostable or biodegradable. While this is common knowledge for some, many will be surprised to learn that disposable wipes were found to be the primary culprit behind sewer blockages, per Water UK.
If we've learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing supply chain crunch, it's to be prepared for when your favorite household cleaning products disappear from store shelves for months on end. Thankfully, there are several effective substitutes for your favorite brand-name wipes that can not only clean and disinfect your home's surfaces, but also save you money in the long run.
Cleaning with alcohol
If you ever run out of Clorox wipes, the key to disinfecting your home's grimiest surfaces might be found right under your bathroom sink. According to Good Housekeeping, rubbing alcohol serves as a suitable disinfectant, especially in mixtures that are made up of at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. While this may work for small objects or surfaces in a pinch, rubbing alcohol is not a viable solution for disinfecting larger surfaces such as your dining room table due to its propensity to quickly evaporate before its job is done.
For larger surfaces, consider making DIY alcohol-based disinfectant wipes using this popular recipe from USA Today. These DIY wipes include little more than isopropyl alcohol and water and can be applied to environmentally friendly biodegradable paper towels or reusable cleaning cloths to clean a wide variety of hard surfaces. Better yet, they can even be preserved in a sealable bag so that you can take them with you when you're on the go, or keep them safe and sound at your home for you to use later.
Cleaning with bleach
Bleach is another cleaning agent that can be used to clean and disinfect your house. However, according to the CDC, there are a few safety precautions to know before you use bleach. First, never mix bleach with household cleaners or ammonia, as doing so can release toxic mustard? gas into the air. Also, the CDC recommends wearing protective coverings over your skin and eyes, as well as trying to avoid inhaling any fumes from the bleach. Now that we covered safety, let's go back to USA Today for their bleach-based disinfectant recipe. Just like the alcohol cleaner above, this bleach-based disinfectant is incredibly straightforward, featuring bleach, water, paper towels, and an airtight storage container.
Since bleach is a powerful disinfectant, your DIY bleach-based wipes are best employed on surfaces that have a lot of bacteria. As such, your bathroom sink, toilet, and even your garbage disposal are perfect candidates for deep cleaning with your bleach solution. That being said, bleach won't do much to clean dirt off surfaces, so be prepared to scrub off some grime before you let your bleach solution work its disinfecting magic.