DIY Camping Wipes (Stop Buying Packs Every Trip)

We used to throw a pack of baby wipes into every camping trip without thinking about it.

At first, it was because we had little kids with us. But over time, we realized something…

those wipes weren’t just for the kids. Everyone was using them.

Dirty hands, sweaty faces, campfire soot, quick cleanups before meals — they became one of those things you don’t want to camp without.

The problem is, those packs run out fast. Once we finished a pack during the road trip. The wipes didn’t even make it to the camp site! 

So we stopped and bought more. But then I realized that if I have the ingredients and paper towels, I didn’t need to buy them and I could “refill” the stash without having to hunt for a store near the campgrounds. 

These DIY camping wipes are what we use instead. They’re cheaper, easy to make ahead of time, and actually hold up better when you’re outside all day.

When water is limited or you just don’t want the hassle, having a reliable way to clean up makes a bigger difference than most people expect.

If you’ve never made DIY Wipes before, make sure to check out my DIY Wipes Guide first! 

Why We Stopped Buying Camping Wipes

• They run out faster than you think
• You keep rebuying them every trip
• Some don’t hold up well outdoors
• Ingredients aren’t always ideal

What Makes These DIY Camping Wipes Better

• Cheaper long-term
• Customizable for your needs
• Hold up better for real use (hands, face, dirt, sweat)
• Easy to prep before a trip

What You’ll Need to Make DIY Camping Wipes

We use a coffee can to hold these which is easy to use and carry assuming you’re car camping (or even take them in your RV or travel trailer). You’ll want to stay away from glass containers since glass and camping don’t always mix well.

If you’re going to hike in to your camping spot, then pull out a good handful of them and seal up in a zip-top type bag or homemade reusable bag for portability. I’d still recommend you put the whole coffee can with the rest of them in the car, though. When you hike back to your car after your camping is over — or if you’re going to head out to do some sightseeing — you’re going to be really happy to have an ample supply of these great wipes readily at hand!

 

• A container to hold your wipes -As I say, we find this nice squat coffee can worked well for today’s fat rolls of paper towels which sort-of “swell up” when they get wet. You could also invest in a high quality container like this (add your affiliate link) And remember, no glass.
• A roll of sturdy, good quality paper towels – This is not the time for your bargain brand towels which are likely to just fall apart when they get soaked. A sturdy brand like Bounty is perfect.
• A knife to cut the paper towels – This is a great use for that old 1980’s electric knife if you have one. (Yes, it is good for something other than carving turkey!) A long serrated bread knife will definitely do the job, too.
• Water – Distilled water if you have it. Or boiled for 3 minutes if you use plain tap or “regular” bottled water (which, let’s face it, is often just “tap water” put into a bottle!)
• Witch hazel – While this is a little less common than it might have been in years past, you can still find it at many drug stores or on Amazon. I use quite a bit so I order witch hazel it from Amazon as a subscription.
• Liquid soap – I like to use baby wash for this, but if you were even more “crunchy mama” inclined, you could go with something like castile soap (i.e. Dr. Bronners). And if you weren’t dealing with any skin sensitivities, you could just use liquid hand soap or shower gel. The recipe only uses a small amount.

Oils needed for the homemade wipes recipe:

• Carrier Oil – I love to use fractionated coconut oil here. It’s got great antibacterial properties, is very skin soothing, and the “fractionated” form stays liquid. If you don’t have any though, any light oil — I’ve used the avocado oil I cook with, for instance — would work fine. You could even use baby oil if the whole petrochemical thing doesn’t bother you.
• Essential Oils – For this mixture I really like using Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alterniforia) oil which is very cleansing, Lemon oil for its fresh scent, and Citronella oil. (You can also use Bug Off Oil here.) The three together are useful as a personal “deodorant” too… which can be a helpful quality when you’re sweating out in nature!

Bonus “Camping Wipes” Printables for Your Container

How to Make DIY Camping Wipes

Okay, got your ingredients assembled? Here’s how you actually make it!

1. Boil 1-1/2 cups water, let cool a bit so it’s warmish, but not hot.
2. While the water is cooling, cut your roll of paper towels to be the right height to fit into your container. (It will be “roughly” cut in half, but the particular container you use will obviously dictate what size you cut your roll to.)

3. Put cut roll of towels, cut-side down, into your coffee can (or other container) and set aside.

4. Add 1/2 cup Witch Hazel to the warm water.
5. Add 1 TBSP fractionated coconut oil (or other light oil). Stir to mix.
6. Add 1 TSP baby wash or other liquid soap. Stir GENTLY to mix — you don’t want it to “bubble” up.
7. Add 6 to 8 drops of Tea Tree oil, 3 to 4 drops lemon oil, and 6 to 8 drops citronella oil. Mix gently again.
8. Pour mixture over the roll of paper towels in the coffee can. Put the lid on and roll around gently and let sit upside down, then turn back right side up and leave until the paper towels have absorbed all the liquid.

9. Wiggle the cardboard center “tube” out of the paper towels. Once it is saturated, it should come out pretty easily and may also bring up the “end” of the interior of the roll so you can start pulling them from the middle.

You’re ready to go! Do be aware that Lemon essential oil can cause “photosensitivity” so if you’re super-sun-sensitive, you might even just want to leave it out. There is little enough in this formula that it should not cause problems, but if you’re concerned, the rest of the formula with just the tea tree and citronella oils will work fine.

When These Work Best (And When They Don’t)

• Great for: quick cleanups, hands, sweat, kids, meals 
• Not ideal for: full-body cleaning, heavy grime –> I make DIY Camping Shower Wipes for that! 

Need some camping meal ideas? 10 Easiest Car Camping Meals 

You might also like:

Homemade flushable butt wipes

DIY Wet Wipes for After Working Out 

All my homemade wipes recipes!