Make no sew reusable Swiffer dusting cloths to green your cleaning routine. You’ll eliminate unnecessary chemicals from your home, eliminate unnecessary trash, and save yourself some money! It’s a win-win!
Full Disclosure
I am a clean freak.
Gritty floors and dust bunnies make me crazy.
When my son was a toddler I cleaned our apartment EVERY SINGLE night until it was spotless. (Okay, okay… It wasn’t too hard to clean… we lived in Japan and had a very tiny apartment.)
The terrible air pollution in our area left a black film on everything. If I didn’t mop or dust nightly my son would have dirty marks on his hands and knees from crawling on the floor.
I cleaned so often that my son’s favorite toddler toy was the floor mop. Seriously!
I ♥ My Swiffer
Thus began my love affair with the Swiffer sweeper. It is easy to toss on a cleaning cloth and quickly dust the floors.
It’s especially convenient now that I have two kids, an 80 pound German Shepherd, and a larger house to keep clean. It’s a recipe for hairy, grimy floors!
GROSS!
I Hate My Swiffer
Unfortunately, as my love for green cleaning has grown I have had to face the facts. Disposable sweeper cloths are not great for our health or the environment:
- The Los Angeles Times notes that cloths are not recyclable and are infused with cleaning chemicals.
- According to the EWG, unscented Swiffer Sweeper Dry Sweeping Cloths rate an F for allergy and asthma concerns as well as skin allergies and irritations.
The Harsh Truth
My frequent sweeping was making a mountain of disposable cloths!
The cloths were leaving dangerous chemicals on my floors and household surfaces and then slowly leaching their toxic chemicals into the soil and ground water.
The Solution: No Sew Reusable Swiffer Dusting Cloths
There is a simple way to eliminate these problems without ditching your Swfffer: simply quit buying refill cloths!
No, I’m not asking you to re-use the same sheet over and over again. You simply substitute a cotton flannel cloth for the disposable sheets.
- Cotton flannel cleans just as quickly and efficiently as disposable Swiffer clothes. Its fuzzy pile attracts dust and hair just like a disposable cloth.
- It requires just one added step—washing the cloth—but they are easy to toss in with a load of laundry.
- An added perk? Reusable cloths will save you money in the long run! A box of 48 sweeper cloths cost approximately $12.00 or $0.25 each (about $90 dollars a year ). One yard of flannel costs about $3 forever (makes about 16 reusable sweeper cloths).
How to Make Reusable Swiffer Cloths
- Wash and dry the flannel fabric
- Cut flannel into 8.5 x 10 inch rectangles.
- To stop fraying:
- cut edges with pinking shears
- treat with liquid fray stopper, or
- zip-zag stitch
Use your new cloths with a Swiffer mop or other disposable mop handle. Machine wash and dry.
Tip: After sweeping shake the cloth over the garbage to remove any large debris before tossing in the laundry.
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Noel K
This is great. I got really fed up with swiffer refills in 2020 when the wipes started to leave an oily, sticky residue on your hands. Then I realized, oh man these aren’t just static plastic fibers. It’s chemicals! I solution was the generic ones on Amazon. No residue. But how am I to know if there are any chemical coatings? Now I must follow your steps, and sleep easy.
Nori
I use bath face towels and cut up old towels to the size fo my swiffer, I throw them in the wash with my area rugs— I have enough to wash my floors fail, or weekly ‘
Dorothy Ross
Thanks for a great post! I use the “bar cloths” cleaning rags that are sold in bundles at the dollar stores. They are just the right size to wrap around the Swifer head. I use two large safety pins, one on each side of the handle, to secure the cloth. The velcro on the Swifer keeps the cloth secure. When they are dirty, they go in the wash to be used again. Fast, easy and inexpensive!
Bren
Great tip, Dorothy! Thanks for sharing.
Alice
Question: what keeps these cloths from slipping off while mopping? Must have missed that part. Otherwise, love this idea.
Thx
Bren
There are holes in most swifter mops that hold the cloths in place.
Dorothy Ross
I pin it on top with a large safety pin on each side of the mop handle. There is just enough extra fabric to grab the safety pins. 🙂
Cynthia
I had no idea swifter sheets were bad for the environment! Thanks for the information, flannel sheets will be really easy. 👍🏻
Bren
🙂
Jennifer
If you have large enough dish rags, you can microwave a damp one for thirty seconds and mop the floor. I use a new rag daily and I am just tossing it in the washer anyway. Two birds, one stone.
Bren
Great idea, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing!
Sheila Koty
What about using microfiber cloths? You can get cheap ones at Harbor Freight. Of course flannel would be cheaper and you can find really cheap material by going to the clearance rack at your favorite fabric store.
Sheila 🙂
Bren
Yes, you can definitely use microfiber or whichever fabric you prefer.
Lisa (@retrohousewife5)
Such a great project. I need to make some of these so I can start using my Method mop again without wasting anything. Thanks for sharing.
Bren
Thanks Lisa! It is definitely worth the effort in terms of savings and environmental impact. Plus you never have to remember to buy refills!
promisinglypennywise
I was just thinking of trying to make something like this the other day and wondering what type of material would be best. Pinning this!
Bren
Hope you try making your own cloths! Let me know how you like them.