How to Hack Your Swiffer
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.27.07
We're still not sure what Gianfranco Zaccai, CEO of the design consultancy that brought us the Swiffer, was smoking when he called P&G's best-selling (and admittedly revolutionary) cleaning system "eco-friendly." We're stumped: Was Zaccai referring to the toxic chemicals or the prodigious waste?
We scoured the Internet landscape to find the best ways of fulfilling Zaccai's sustainable dream, so you can haul your pre-green Swiffer dust mop out of retirement and back into action picking up cat hair and errant dust motes. And here's the kicker: You can kiss one-use disposables and poisonous ickiness goodbye for good.
1. Wrap it
Cut up a rag—say an old T-shirt that's too weathered to give to Goodwill, or better yet, a towel that's practically bound for the animal shelter or landfill—and wrap it around your dust mop the same way you did with the original dry and wet wipes. Thanks to a simple scientific principle known as static electricity, dirt and debris will cling onto the fabric like crazy on Britney Spears.
Microfiber cloths work amazingly well because of their millions of dirt-loving microscopic hooks, though we haven't been able to find any that aren't made in China. We bought ours from Eco-Me after finding nothing suitable in meatspace—Home Depot's cloths were bagged in vinyl packaging, while Bed, Bath & Beyond had some chintzy-looking As Seen on TV fabrics in cringe-inducing neon colors. Our local Target, Kohls, JCPenney: Nada. (Method's Omop microfiber covers don't fit the Swiffer.)
Use a biodegradable, nontoxic, and all-natural floor cleaner—we particularly dig concentrated cleaners from Ecover and Shaklee because paying to transport water is just silly, not to mention a waste of packaging—or mix up your own with vinegar and some warm water.
2. Knit it
Knit your own reusable Swiffer covers, which you can double up for dry or wet use. One knitter had the brilliant idea of modifying a dishcloth pattern and whipping up her own cheery knitting pad. She doesn't provide a pattern, unfortunately, although it looks like all she did was seam together different-size rectangles; the main piece uses a variation of this textured stitch. Here's one free pattern we found. A knitting loom will do the trick, too.
3. Crochet it
Not a knitter? Crochet your way into reusable-pad goodness by following these instructions. (Here's another pattern.) Also, if you happen to have a Swiffer duster handle lying around, you can crochet a reusable duster. Give it a good shake out the window to get rid of the dust bunnies, and then, when it gets too cruddy to use, simply toss it in the wash with the rest of your laundry.
4. Sew it
Maybe you're handier with a sewing machine. Old clothing can be stitched into reusable pads, as well. You can run with the same idea to sew your own replacement Swiffer dusting mitts.
5. Screw it
Maybe you've fallen in love with your conventional mop all over again and the Swiffer isn't going to cut it anymore. A sheet of magnetic rubber and some adhesive can turn your dust mop into a handy screw retriever you can put to use in your garage, workshop, or craft room to pick up nuts, bolts, nails, and the like, so you can spare your back.
Do you have any other Swiffer hacks? Let us know in the comments below.
Don't forget to turn over your swiffer sheets and use both sides before you throw it out. I'm sure this is totally obvious but if you didn't realize it I bet you're feeling pretty stupid now.
There are also ways to hack the swiffer wetjet ones with cleaning fluid.
http://www.instructables.com/id/EFQACE9HWCET9K5KYO/?ALLSTEPS
The above is an instructable on how to make it easy. Personally, I just used a livestock sized needle/syringe, and put in my own floor cleaner.
You do realize that the point of the swiffer is that static electricity picks up the dust and dirt, and that the cloths being used here won't do that?
This still isn't a bad idea though, if someone don't mind the static loss
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JMC: Actually it does, just not as well.
ths problem has occurred to me, and i use old socks. u cut up a slit on the top to make room for the long pole part, and it slides right on. and it can be washed :)
RE: Static pick-up...
I use a microfiber cloth and it picks up far BETTER than the original Dacron, or whatever they had.
As a bonus, you can buy your microfiber cloths from ME! I make them in North America, so that's good for wealthy people who need more money. But I do make them out of the soot from burning tires, so I guess when you consider the average, China makes the most environmentally friendly Microfibre textiles in the world :/
Yeah - OK that last paragraph was apocryphal, but what alternatives are you comparing to and what outcomes are people hoping for by boycotting one sixth of the world population?
Staying on topic - does anyone know the impacts of manufacturing MicroFibre textiles? They really are the best long-term performer for this application!
After salvaging a swiffer mop from a dumpster following the move-out at my college in 2005, I went to Wal-Mart (gag), to the craft section, and bought a few feet of a fuzzy polyester fabric which is sort of like a super thin fleece material. It gets crazy good static and picks up everything. Comes off of a big roll. No packaging necessary. You don't have to sew it either, but just cut a rectangle and stuff the corners into the Swiffer's 4 little orifices on top.
FYI, Green Mountain Mama published her pattern:
http://greenmountainmama.blogspot.com/2007/09/swiffer-cozy-pattern.html
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