The first section of our new flooring is finished. Now that I have a very large surface of vinyl tile, I thought that I would finally go modern and try a Swiffer. The ads on television make them look very effective at picking up dirt,, and everyone seems to be using them to the point that "swiffing" seems to be a new verb. (I have not checked to see if it in fact has made it into the latest Oxford Dictionary.)
My wonders before I made the purchase were: What is the difference between a Swiffer and my microfiber dust mop? Can I use my Shaklee Basic H with it, or will I have to use the Swiffer formula? and, What about all of the waste and expense involved with the wipes? I had seen something on someone's Pinterest board about making one's own wipes, so I decided to search a few web sites on DIY Swiffing supplies. I found a few, looked, and decided I could replace the Swiffer refill products with my own home-made. I decided to swing for a purchase.
First, which one to buy? Should I get the Swiffer which picks up particles in a dust pan before wiping the floor? Hmmmm. Sounds too much like the broom and dust pan I already have. What about the scrubbing Swiffer, which my daughter has? I already have a mop, although I prefer scrubbing small spaces on my hands and knees. The floor duster alone? I settled for the wet/dry version so that I would have another mop head which would fit into small spaces for both dusting and scrubbing. My current sponge mop, dust mop and broom are not very effective in getting into corners, and the packaging says the Swiffer is good in tight spots.
I was ready to scrub when I got home, so I opened up my purchase immediately. Took me a few minutes to figure out how I was supposed to attach the cleaning cloth. The label was not very clear. That blue strip looked like Velcro which was supposed to attach to something. Finally figured out that those holes with the teeth were what was meant as the "fixer". I'm thinking that it will not take many uses before those teeth start bending and breaking, just as the teeth do on disposable wipe containers. My second reaction was that the cloths were making more of a mess on my floor by the dripping solution than the spots I wanted to clean. It would not be very efficient if each time I went to wipe something up I had to clean up after the Swiffer cloth first. The third response which I had was that the smell of the wet solution was very strong, and heavily scented. I was glad when I had my three refills used up so that I could throw them all away. I thought I was going to have to move the dirty clothes to the fireplace immediately for burning to get the odor out of the house so that I could breathe again. Now I know I will never buy them again.
I used all three wipes in the package to scrub about twenty-five square feet. Granted that I was wiping grout off of a newly laid floor, and it was dirty, but I thought that if I have to continually change my cloths as I am scrubbing our kitchen/family room, I may as well use my mop and bucket.
I have not tried the dust cloths yet. Those may be more practical depending on how often I "swiff" the floors. The draw-back with my current microfiber dust mop is that it seems to get so dirty so fast, and it takes so long to dry after washing. At least now I will have two mop heads to trade off with. As recommended in one blog, I immediately stopped at the dollar store and bought three pairs of chenille socks to use as Swiffer cloths, so with six changes, that should last me a week. I will still have to use the broom and dust pan to get the larger, heavier stuff, just as I did before with my dust mop.
All that said, I finished scrubbing the floors this evening with my pail, sponge mop and Basic H. The water was clearer than after last night's scrubbing, but I still see spots where I think I will have to wipe off grout by hand.
'Til next time, happy cleaning.
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