For the past few years, we have tried to switch out a lot of items in our home to reusable/sustainable options (like making this unpaper towel roll) and while we have made a lot of progress there, I decided I wanted to focus more on adding more reusable beauty/personal care items as well. I don’t wear makeup every day, but when I do, I didn’t like the amount of cotton rounds that I was going through to take off the makeup, so I thought some reusable (washable!) makeup wipes would be perfect for the job!
Supplies:
-terrycloth towel fabric
-cotton fabric (I used fabric from our A Beautiful Mess fabric line!)
–ruler, mat, and rotary cutter
-sewing machine and straight pins
First, cut your cotton fabric into as many 4″ squares as you want finished wipes. Usually projects will tell you to wash your fabric first and then sew, but I was a little worried about the terrycloth unraveling in the washer without finished edges. So I decided to sew and then wash them in this case.
Repeat and cut the same number of 4″ squares with your terrycloth fabric. Pin your terrycloth fabric and your cotton squares together (right sides facing each other) and pin in place.
Sew all the way around your square with a 3/8″ seam allowance and leave a 1″ gap so you can turn your square right side out.
To reduce bulk when you turn your square, clip the corners and trim the seam allowance of the terrycloth in half. Turn your square right side out through the 1″ gap (you may want a chopstick to help you push it through and make sure the corners are properly turned) and pin flat.
Sew a topstitch all the way around the square with a 1/4″ seam allowance, which will also sew your opening shut.
Once your wipes are complete, give them a quick wash in the washer and your wipes are ready to store in a glass jar and use on demand!
It’s a good idea to let your wipes air dry before stashing them in a container to wait to be washed, so you can either set them on your counter or get a little clip or something to keep them hanging while they dry (I think one of these picture clips may work well for that too!). To wash your wipes, load them into a small mesh laundry bag for lingerie and wash on warm/hot with another load that you would wash on that setting (towels, etc.). FYI: Your wipes probably won’t stay pure white for very long, but you’ll know they are clean, so that’s the main thing (you could always get a darker fabric too if you didn’t want to notice the makeup staining). It’s also an option to do both sides with the terrycloth fabric if you would like, so you can use both sides for makeup removal—the fabric squares are a little harder to handle when both sides are the terrycloth, but with a little more patience, it’s doable. And for those of you who love the idea of reusable wipes but don’t want to make your own, here’s a great option to buy some already made!
So far, I love these wipes and I especially love to use them with this oil cleanser (it’s a favorite of lots of us here on the ABM team) after using coconut oil to remove my eye makeup first. You can also use these wipes to apply toner as well if that’s a part of your beauty routine. I would also suggest estimating how many you think you would use in a day and how often you do laundry so you can decide how many you would need to always have some clean. It’s good to think ahead! xo. Laura
17 Comments
Love how you’re focusing on creating more eco-friendly DIYs! Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I’ve found that the best material to make reusable cotton rounds out of is an old onesie. Soft,100%cotton stained onesies are the best + it’s truly zero waste as you’re saving a stained onesie from the landfill in the process.
Good idea Hanna!
Laura
I made reusable “tissues” with pinking shears and cotton baby blankets. Soft on sore noses and work perfectly with makeup remover, too. They’ve held up even in hot/bleach laundry for at least 5 years.
Love this for a simple sewing project and would make a great gift!! Where did you get the clear jar to store them….and would love to know where you go the white tray!
They are older items from Target!
Laura
Such a great idea! Basic makeup wipes break my face out so I cannot wait to give these a try!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
This is such an excellent idea! I absolutely love it. Thank you Laura!
I love that this is easy enough to even accomplish by hand if anyone lacks a sewing machine! Thank you so much for this awesome environmentally beneficial tutorial!
Since they are so small, do you stick them in a laundry back to wash them? What settings would you recommend?
Yes! I use a laundry bag to wash them on warm or hot water!
Laura
I started seeing these make-up removing cloths everywhere and finally decided to try them… they totally work! It doesn’t really make sense, but I’ve really enjoyed these, especially because my eyes get irritated by a lot of make-up removers. Also great for travel! Anyway, I’ve been telling everyone about them 🙂
https://latesbykate.com/collections/make-up-removing-cloths/products/reusable-make-up-removing-cloths-4-pack
I need to make these! I really like how this is a daily-use item with a pretty twist! …Also makes for a fun Saturday sewing project!
Wow! Very resourceful. Would love to try this. 😀
So great idea ! Thank you for sharing it ! I also try to switch out many stuff in my house to sustainable solutions. This one could be the next step in my bathroom !
Brilliant ideas for low cost, but more importantly eco friendly ideas….
The way to go
great idea,I want to have a try.
Hi! I love easy and fun sewing projects like this! I’ve got a round-up scheduled for today that links to your tutorial:
https://icansewthis.com/easy-sewing-projects-for-beginners/