Truth be told, once upon a time I was a huge Swiffer fan. Between the wet jet mop and the dry pad duster, it was a very convenient way to clean up – especially for people with fluffy, shedding dogs with muddy paws!
But those pads (wet or dry) are not recyclable, compostable and have elements of plastic in them. Plus the cleaning solution in the wet pads had ingredients I wasn’t comfortable exposing my family to.
There’s no need to throw out your Swiffer sweeper! If you already have one, let’s make it count! If you’re still working through your single-use pads, that’s okay! I learned I could use both sides of the pad just as effectively for double the cleaning. And once they were gone, I reused the box they came in to store the reusable towels I used in their place.
Just like with the single-use Swiffer pads, I could press a washcloth into the corners of the Swiffer sweeper and mop with it just as successfully. Instead of using their cleaning solution, I used a mixture of water (1 cup), vinegar (1 tablespoon), and a couple drops of dish soap. Dunk the towel in, wring it out, press it onto the Swiffer sweeper, and mop like Jeff Goldblum is coming over for dinner.
If you’re looking for dusting/hair collecting – find a reusable microfiber towel, they work just as well!
I MUCH prefer this method to mopping. Once done, I toss the towel into the wash and nothing goes to landfill. I don’t worry about my floors being covered in unsafe chemicals and if you’re really put off by the vinegar smell, just add a little lemon juice.
So if you already have a Swiffer sweeper somewhere, get some more use out of it without creating any trash!
And if you have a similar sweeping/mopping device, like the one pictured in the feature image, the same idea applies. You can secure the washcloth to the pad-holder with two rubber bands or hair ties.
Zero Waste California 