DIY Swiffer Pads for Guilt-Free Sweeping

Our Swiffer has been living in the closet for quite some time now, but we recently pulled it out again, and I made some DIY Swiffer pads for it!

Oh, Swiffer! You are so convenient; why must you also be so wasteful? The thought of all of those pads ending up in the landfill has had me racked with Swiffer Guilt. Our Swiffer had been living in the closet until we  pulled it out again, and I made some DIY Swiffer pads for it!

Our Swiffer has been living in the closet for quite some time now, but we recently pulled it out again, and I made some DIY Swiffer pads for it!

This time, though, things are going to be different, because this time I’ve got reusable, DIY Swiffer pads made from scraps!

Related: How to Sew an Upcycled Denim Skirt from Old Jeans

My handmade pad project borrowed heavily from this genius Instructables but is a bit more simplified. I made the one pictured above using my serger. If you don’t have a serger, no problem! You can still whip up your own reusable, DIY Swiffer pads.

Our Swiffer has been living in the closet for quite some time now, but we recently pulled it out again, and I made some DIY Swiffer pads for it!

How to Make DIY Swiffer Pads

To complete this project, you will need:

  • a piece of paper that’s bigger than a Swiffer pad
  • a pen, a t-shirt that has seen better days
  • a sweater or yarn blanket that’s past its prime
  • a sewing machine or serger
  • a pair of paper scissors
  • a pair of fabric scissors

Directions

  1. Make Your Pattern – Loosely trace one of the disposable pads that came with your swiffer onto a piece of paper and cut it out.
  2. Cut Your Fabric – Use the pattern you just made and cut out four pieces of t-shirt fabric and one piece of the sweater or blanket material. Layer everything together right side out with the yarn material on the outside.
  3. Sewing, part 1If you’re using a serger, just run all four sides through it with the blade down in the cutting position. If you’re using a regular sewing machine, set your zigzag stitch, and zigzag all the way around. Carefully trim any excess fabric, making sure not to cut the threads you just stitched.
  4. Sewing, part 2 – Sew a few rows of stitches horizontally and a few vertically using your regular sewing machine. This will stabilize all the layers of fabric. You can do this by hand, too, but the machine makes this really quick!
  5. Attach to your Swiffer. The sweater material will cling easily to the hook and eye on the bottom of your Swiffer, just like the disposable pads do.
  6. Swiff away! The layers of t-shirt material will absorb moisture and pick up dirt and grime.

Now I just need to figure out how to refill the empty Wetjet cartridge with a green floor cleaner. This thread on Mothering has some good ideas for refilling the Wetjet. They mention drilling a hole, refilling with a funnel, and plugging the hole up with a cut up eraser. That sounds like a good one! The syringe idea they talk about sounds good, too, but I have no idea where I’d get a syringe. Have any of you had luck refilling the Wetjet cartridge?

4 thoughts on “DIY Swiffer Pads for Guilt-Free Sweeping”

  1. Do you have a pet? Next time you’re at the vet’s you could ask if they’ll let you have a large syringe. There won’t be a needle on it but you probably don’t want or need one anyway! You can also but them online but I’m not sure if you can get them singly – I bought them in bulk to give my guinea pigs medicine.

  2. Kimberly K Eiland

    I cut a hole in the top of the Wet Jet bottle and used hot glue to attach a 3/4″ x 1/2″ PVC bushing. The hole is big enough to fill from the faucet or with a funnel. When the bottle is refilled, seal it with a 1/2-inch PVC plug.

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