Electronics Wipes

I've seen now that you can buy little packs of LCD Monitor and Electronics wipes at the grocery store for anywhere from $4-$7 (USD). I'm somewhat frugal and if I can make something at home that works as well or better, you can bet that's just what I'll do. For years I've been using Vinegar and Water with a microfiber cloth to clean my monitors and electronics, and they do a fantastic job and that's my preferred method. However, for my laptop I need something a little more portable and that's just not the best solution. What I'm going to show being made here is for a household size container of electronics wipes. It's easy as can be to make and can cost about $2 a container roughly.

Components:
Empty Clorox Wipes container ( Any sealable airtight container will work )
1 Roll of Viva select a size paper towels
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup distilled water
hack saw or sharp bread knife

This step is pretty simple, all you need to do is cut the roll of paper towels in half.  I used a bread knife since I hand sharpen my own knives so I won't be messing anything up.  You can use any sort of cutting implement you want, I chose the bread knife because it frays less of the paper on the ends so there's less cleanup and waste.

Once you get the roll cut in half you need to pull out the cardboard tube.  Easiest way is to just run your finger along the tube to crease it near the adhesive holding the towel to it.  Do this on both sides and then grasp the roll and pull it out.  You will have a sheet of the towel tear off connected to the tube and the other will pull out of the middle like you see below.

Drop your roll down into your wipes container and make sure your little towel tail remains sticking up.  Once you have it in there mix up your cleaning solution with 1:1 Distilled Water and Vinegar.  You can use Isopropyl Alcohol instead of Vinegar as well, this would be cheaper but may have problems if your airtight container isn't very airtight.  Do not use any solutions that contain Acetone, ethyl alcohol, toluene, ethyl acid, ammonia, or methyl chloride as they will damage your monitor or electronics.

Pour the solution into the container making sure to pour it onto the paper towels inside and out to get it nice and absorbed.  You might have to play around with the amount depending on your towels, having them too wet is alright, you just need to squeeze out excess solution before using them.  You do NOT want to wipe down your monitor while it is on, and you do NOT want to wipe it down with a soaking wet rag.  It should be damp, not soaked, so wring out the excess into the container or a sink.

I've seen lots of suggestions that you should wipe your monitor off with a microfiber cloth first to get rid of dust and anything not seriously stuck to the screen, this is what I do and then I use a wipe to get off any baby prints.

You can use this for just about any cleaning needs.  I first started making these for Baby Wipes when my son got a serious allergic reaction to one brand of wipes, so I started making my own baby wipes.  You don't have to use an empty clorox container and you don't have to use viva paper towels.  I originally used Quickables Dry Wipes: http://amzn.to/lYQIC2 since we bought a lot of them after our son was born.  These work extremely well but finding a container to fit them was problematic.

Hope you enjoy!