Does anyone still use the old mop and bucket to mop your floors? I got tired of dragging the bucket of water around while mopping and I bought me a Swiffer Wet Mop. Works great but the pads are very expensive. Any ideas on what I could use instead of buying the replacement pads? There is no holes on top of the Swiffer Mop that can hold anything.
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Do a search on Swiffer Wetjet. There are great tips on making your own cleaning solution and some tips on using other pads. ;)
I never bought the Swiffer because of he cost. I just mop with a sponge mop and hot water and vinegar. It is safe for my children and my pets.
i use the mop and bucket. i do have a swiffer but i am not a good housekeeper so when i do get around to cleaning the swiffer cant do the job
I use those blue j cloths, they have some cheap ones at the dollar store.
Just fold them like the swifter pads, you can fold them so they have the dust catcher flaps like the swifter pads. I usually use 2 j cloths to make 1 pad.
i always figured the reason to use those disposable things was, well, to dispose of them. i kind of think that is wasteful and adds to the trash problem. i have one of those mops and use it for quick touch ups but i use old diapers for the cloths. a diaper dampened with slightly soapy water or vinegar and water is good for a quick swipe here and there and the mop bucket is for once a week or so and a good sanitizing with borateem or bleach.
Can you use rubber bands to hold the pads on? I use a mop and bucket so I don't know for sure what it looks like.
I used to have the Swiffer Wet Jet but gave it to my daughter. However, my suggestion would be to attach velcro to the top of the Swiffer and make some cloths (out of old diapers or new for that matter) and sew the other piece of the Velcro to the 4 corners.
I had read about what was in those swiffer wetjet cloths and decided I didn't want to use them so never bought one. I think there is a warning on using them in a household with pets and small children!
I purchase Dollar Store sponge mops and save old dishpan scrub pads for harder spots to clean until ready to toss. The mop is about $2.00. I use the older one for the front porch tiles and around where the pet eats. I find the squeezing is cleaner and easier to use with a Dollar store cheap plastic bucket and my own DIY hot (LINO and ceramic) floor cleaner mix made of 1/2 tsp. Les-toil, 1 tsp. Spic n Span, 1/4 C. of bleach to a gallon of hot water,( then RINSE WELL with PLAIN HOT water). If not all used, cap it and heat it in microwave next time.
If anyone has been coughing or sick, I can clean the floors a few days, then toss the cheap mop not recycling any old germs. This Swiffer thing is a great but too expensive idea for low income folks like me.
AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO TOUCH THE PADS SO THE SPONGE HANDLE WORKS PERFECTLY WELL.
The two mop, recycling works just FINE. I store them, when there's no sickness around, to dry on some
loose ceramic tiles in front of the furnace. Not necessarily the "safest" place, but the furnace is wrapped in metal, so if the mops burn, the floor would have to be on fire FIRST because our furnace is raised inside our closet. The mops would not add much to the fire.
Regardless, my first goal is health, next comes
cheapest convenience. This plan works very well since the Dollar store is one mile away. I've used this plan for twenty years and more.
I use an old (very old) dish towel. I just use my lysol cleaner in my bucket of water, as when using my old mop. I wring out my towel spread it on the floor then put the swiffer head on the towel & push it around.
I just use old washcloths. You don't need velcro or rubber bands to hold them in place, as they are the same size as the swiffer pads. I first get my washcloth wet, with bleach water or pine cleaner and water, then ring it out good, and attach to the swiffer. For hardwood floors, I use a washcloth but apply floor cleaner to it. I wash the washcloths with the rest of the rags--(we have a lot of rags as we are a farm)
No! I just go on my knees! and wash with an old cloth and Pine-Gel in hot water. That way, I can reach all the little nooks and crannies and scrub away at the dirtier spots.
I hate Swiffers! The cleaning solution in the pads leaves a residue which attracts dirt, so in a couple of days the floor needing mopping again. I'm looking for ideas for what to do with the mop handle and pad, since I don't use it anymore. I went back to my trust old O-Cedar cloth strip mop.
I bought a swifter also but stopped using it for I didn't feel like the floor really got clean with it. I bought a small wet mop for a once over at night for spots and then have another bit larger one for real deep cleaning. I grew up scrubbing kitchen & bathroom floors on my hands & knees also...my grand taught me this on Sats. Nothing seems to get those deep under the counter corners like a scratch pad can in your hands though.
About 6 or 7 years ago I bought an Enviro Steamer by Eureka. It uses a half cup of water and will steam clean a large area. No going back and forth to the sink to rinse out. It does a great job getting into all the nooks and crannies. I love it.
I bought this thing called a powermop by Black & Decker. You can use all kinds of things for pads and there is a handle you can flip up that raises the 'pad' part and has a spinning scrub brush for grout and sticky spots. Best of all the solution bottle is large and you unscrew it and fill it with whatever you want. I got mine at walmart.com, but you can order direct from Black and Decker I think.
I have Swiffer Wet-Jet that mainly sits around attracting dust; only use it if there's a quick spill. Like so many other posters, I just don't think the floors really get clean until you're down there on your hands and knees. Not my idea of a good time, tho. :)
I use the swifter for quick cleanups on spills but it won't get the floor clean all over. My back door comes right into the kitchen so dirt gets tracked in. I use a steam mop sometimes but I really don't think anything cleans like a string mop and soapy water. I buy the small 2.00 ones at dollar stores. They are light and easy to wring out.
I have the Swiffer that holds the pads that you attach by pushing in piece of the pad into holes on the back. When I ran out of pads I couldn't and decided not to buy any more. I am in love with paper towels for cleaning, and I hate to keep rags used for cleaning around. So...
- First I spray cleaning product on floor
- Then place large flat green scrubber (like the rescue pads w/o the pad) onto the floor and then use the swiffer to move around the scrubber on the area with the cleaner
- Then I use paper towels to dry up the cleaning product and the dirt.
- Then I use clean wet paper towels to rinse floor.
- And I may do this twice.
It may sound expensive to use the paper towels, but I love throwing them away and having a clean floor. I cannot get down on my knees anymore,
and of course the only paper towels I use for strength is Bounty.
I don't use the Swiffer because of pet concerns, just a lightweight mop from the dollar store with the pine-sol mixture, so yes, it's the "old mop and bucket" for me.
I am part owner of a cleaning company and 80% of our customers request that we use the old fashioned mop and bucket on their floors in place of the swiffer. I also think that it cleans best on the floors in my home.
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