The Damsel loves cleaning wipes, especially for those oogie jobs. It’s always going to be cheaper and greener to use a cloth that can be washed and reused, but sometimes you don’t wanna. Cleaning wipes have become hugely popular, and some people keep a container of them in every room. They’re pretty nice for a quick, easy cleanup.

But they ain’t cheap. So here’s how you can make your own, and take away some of that guilt. The Damsel is all about guilt reduction.

First you need a roll of paper towels and a container. The Damsel used a leftover empty wipes container. When she looked at its size, she noticed a new roll of paper towels would be too big. The half-used roll in her kitchen ended up being the perfect width to slip into this container.

Cut the roll in half. If you have an electric knife, so much the better. If not, a serrated bread knife works, but it takes patience. Persevere, darling readers, and you will conquer.

The Damsel had thoughts of her Knight’s Saws-All (name a power tool: he has it) but forced herself to keep sawing. (Keep the other half for a refill)

Slip the paper towels into the container. Someone told the Damsel it’s best to put the cut side up, but she can’t figure out why it would matter.

Pour a cleaning solution over the towels to saturate. You can customize your cleaning solution: vinegar and water would be cheap and good; bulk-purchased Lysol type stuff; window cleaner, you decide. The Damsel discovered it takes less than she thought it would.

When it’s wet, you can now take out the inner cardboard tube if you want. This step is optional, but if you do, you can then have the towels feed from the center, making your homemade wipes even more like the store-bought ones. If you care. When the Damsel did this, the cardboard tube came apart and she had to fish it out in a few pieces, but everything turned out okay in the end.

Over time, your wipes may dry out (hey, just like the store-bought ones!). In that case you can just pour a little more solution in.

The Damsel figures she used 1/4 of a roll of paper towels and maybe 1/2 cup of cleaning solution for a total cost of somewhere less than fifty cents. Yay!

Lots of people have used a similar method to make their own baby wipes. Just don’t put Lysol in those! Google it up for recipes on baby-bum-friendly solutions.