Is keeping your floor clean a challenge? Do you go through disposable floor cloths like crazy?? My homemade Swiffer cloths get the job done and are reusable!
This winter has been weird… usually here in Ohio we can expect freezing temperatures, a decent amount of snow… you know general wintry weather.
However, this year has been pretty mild, really rainy, and the little snow we have gotten has melted pretty quickly, do you know what that means?? Mud… lots and lots of mud.
It means dirty shoes, and big dirty dog feet.
Yep this guy… he tracks in so much dirt… look at those paws, they’re almost the size of my hands. They seem to be perfectly designed to absorb mud and bring it in the house.
He’s trained to wipe his feet… He spins around the mat and gets some off. I have a Norwex pet mitt I wipe them with… yet some remains. Or sometimes the kids let him in without wiping his feet and the mess follows.
In addition to Bear and his muddy feet we also have 5 people, 4 cats and another dog that all come and go through our door. The laminate flooring in our entryway, hallways and kitchen gets messy! Kitchen messes, dirt from outside, it needs wiped a lot!
I’ve always been a fan of how quick and easy Swiffer wet cloths are to use but I wanted something a little better. First I’m a fan of reusable, I don’t like spending a ton of money on stuff I’m going to throw away. Second I’ve been trying to eliminate chemicals from much of our home and cleaning is a huge area I’ve cut down. Third, and finally I find that with disposable cloths I needed two to do the whole floor, they just don’t stay wet long enough to get the job done, and if they encounter spills etc. they don’t really absorb it….
Sooooo I made some myself! Yep my own custom homemade Swiffer cloths.
Here’s what you’ll love about these. They start with cloth diapers so they hold a ton of cleaning solution, and I’ve sewn on microfiber cloths to help get your floor nice and clean without leaving streaks.
Once they’re made you can have them on hand ready to use over and over with your favorite cleaning solution. Each diaper can make 2 cloths, so with a pack of 5 you can make 10! You’ll want to get microfiber cloths that can make 2 each as well.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own homemade Swiffer cloths-
5- Pack – Prefold Cloth Diapers- I used these Gerber ones
5- Microfiber Cloths – I used these
Sewing machine, thread, scissors etc for sewing.
Your favorite cleaning solution I highly recommend my Laminate Floor Cleaner You’ll need a triple batch of it for 10 of these cloths.
A shoe box size plastic container
Conveniently the Gerber diapers are almost exactly twice as long as a Swiffer sweeper base. So the first thing you’ll want to do is fold your diapers in half and cut them. If you’re using a different brand you’ll want to measure it against your base to make sure you can get 2. If not just cut them to the size of your base.
Once you’ve got your diapers cut it’s time to measure and cut out your microfiber cloths. I just traced the edges with a marker, you’ll want to extend past the end about an inch or so that way it wraps around the edge, great for scrubbing!
Once you’ve got everything cut you’re ready to get sewing!
You’ll want to center your microfiber cloth on the diaper. You’re diaper should have a sewn edge and a cut edge you’ll want to start sewing the end of the microfiber along the sewn edge of the diaper, using a zig zag stitch. Then sew down each long side of the microfiber.
Now you have a choice here on how to deal with the cut side of the diaper. You can tuck the edges in about 1/4 of an inch and pin them to give it a nice neat edge, or you can just sew along them. It’s a matter of preference and how pretty you want your finished product to be.
Still using your zig zag stitch sew all along the length of the diaper, securing the final side of the microfiber cloth.
Repeat on all your cloths until you have a nice big pile.
The great thing about the diapers is they’re pre folded into thirds and when you’re done sewing them you can fold them up quite nicely.
Take the stack of finished cloths and put them in your plastic shoe box. By storing them in the box saturated with cleaner your homemade Swiffer cloths are ready to go any time you need them!
Now pour over your cleaner, enough to saturate all your cloths.
You can use them immediately but it’s a good idea to let them sit for a couple of hours to make sure each cloth gets nice and wet before using.
You can use them just like you use the disposable cloths, just set your Swiffer base in the center, fold the edges up and tuck them in the base.
Now you’re ready to clean! When you’re done you can just toss them in the washer, I recommend not using any fabric softener to keep them nice and absorbent. When you’ve washed them just put them at the bottom of the pile in your container so that they get saturated with cleaner again, add cleaner as necessary to re-wet them.
Now get cleaning! These homemade Swiffer cloths will save you time and money and keep your home nice and clean!
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Clever idea to use a diaper as the base. I’ll have to try since it will save me so much money.
I figured since diapers hold a lot it would work! It does save a lot to have them to reuse!
I like this idea. I think I will try it. I use so many of the Swiffer Sweeper Wets. Like you, I have animals that love going in and out several times a day. Our yard is fenced and has no mud, but it seems like there is a lot of dirt in those lovable paws that we treasure. Thanks for this idea.
Love your dog! So sweet! Great project, as I have 6 dogs, 6 cats and laminate floors too in the kitchen and I mop the kitchen floor every night before going to bed. Like that this is earth friendly and those pads can add up, plus I do not use chemicals around the animals. Great share! Thank you!
There’s different textures of microfiber towels! If there’s no diapers,just use the thinner ones for dry and thicker for wet! Just cut to fit applicator holes! Been doing this for years!
Thanks! He’s great! We’ve got 2 dogs and 4 cats so I know how it is! I hope these work well for you and make your life easier!
I started with using just microfiber cloths but thought the diapers would help hold even more liquid which makes them even better!
They’re good at finding dirt aren’t they!? These are a great alternative to the disposable ones!
I clean houses as my profession, can’t wait to try these verses the swifers
I hope they work really well for you! I love mine & use them every day!
I broke down and finally made these. Swifter cleaning pads are expensive so I thought I’d see if these were cheaper and better.
Iofront, the cost is expensive, but once they are made, that’s a one time expense and a moot point.
I’m not in love with them, but I like them well enough. I only mop our bathrooms once a week. I deep clean every other week, but in between I clean, sweep, and mop them.
My one issue is the Swifter head keeps turning onto its side. Maybe it is because my microfiber is thicker than the ones used in the original post. This happened occasionally when using the Swifter pads, but with these I’ve found I have to mop with the short end of the head pointing out. This is the only way I can make the Swifter head not skip with each stroke I take!
Plus, the pads have also started to get moldy. I can only assume it’s because I only mop the bathrooms and laundry room once a week.
So I will make up the awesome solution and simply spray the cleaning pads and spray the floors. Hopefully this will help with that problem.
Otherwise worth the time to see the pads together!