A few years ago, before I was enlightened about all of the nasty chemicals lurking in so many cleaning products, I bought a Swiffer. This was before the Wet Jet time, so it was just a good ol’ Swiffer that you used with the wet pads you can still buy in stores.
After a few uses I stopped buying them because of the smell. It had an “off” smell to me—Off enough that I didn’t dare step on the floor while wet, not because of getting it dirty, but because I was leery of what unknown toxic ingredients would be seeping into my foot. I guess I’ve always been a little granola at heart. And then when my floor would dry, it felt slightly sticky so I would never walk on my kitchen floor without socks. And then I decided that was ridiculous so I switched over to what I’ve been using ever since—My trusty 2/3 water, 1/3 vinegar solution mixed in with some essential oils when I’m feeling fancy.
Then it dawned on me.. Why not combine my favorite floor cleaner with the convenience of the Swiffer? And that’s how a star was born.
To make your own Swiffer wet pads you’ll need the following:
4 C distilled water
2 C white vinegar
10-14 drops of pure essential oil
(12) 11”x11” clean rags
an empty Swiffer pad container, or a 2 gallon Ziploc bag
Directions for making your own Swiffer wet pads:
Pour the distilled water and vinegar into the empty container or Ziploc bag. Add your essential oil. I chose to use lemon today because of its de-greasing properties. You can see how far up this solution fills my container, below:
Next, place your clean rags in, one at a time into the container. They should soak up most of the solution between all of them. I’ve found the “11 x 11” cleaning rags are the perfect size, and because their edges are already sewn, they’ll last through lots of cycles in the washer. Here’s what it looks like when all 12 rags are in:
Store with the lid on, or if using the ziploc bag, with the top zipped.
To use, attach a rag to your Swiffer mop, just like you would the other wet pads. Make sure the rag is pulled taught. And by all means, feel free to flip the rag over and use the other side.
Here’s what my rag looks like after just a few minutes of mopping, and I just mopped my floors last week!
We don’t wear shoes in the house, so this is just from regular living traffic. Moral of the story? It does the job. To clean, just throw the rag in with your other cleaning rags and wash in the washer.
How does our solution cost compare to what you would pay for a container of wet pads in the store?
Distilled Water: $0.22
Vinegar: $0.22 (I buy my vinegar in bulk from Costco for $3.49)
Essential Oils: $0.81 (I used 12 drops of Lemon essential oil)
I already owned the rags, container, and mop so my total cost is $1.25 per batch. A container of 12 Swiffer wet pads at my nearest Walmart costs $4.47.
That’s a 72% savings!!!!!
I’d be willing to save 72% any day, especially when you consider that our version comes sticky-chemical & residue free.
DIY Swiffer Wet Pads
Ingredients
- 4 cups distilled water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 10-14 drops of pure essential oil
- 12 11”x11” clean rags
- an empty Swiffer pad container or a 2 gallon Ziploc bag
Instructions
- Pour the distilled water and vinegar into the empty container or Ziploc bag. Add your essential oil. I choose lemon essential oil because of its de-greasing properties.
- Next, place your clean rags in, one at a time into the container. They should soak up most of the solution between all of them. I've found the "11 x 11" cleaning rags are the perfect size, and because their edges are already sewn, they’ll last through lots of cycles in the washer.
- Store with the lid on, or if using the ziploc bag, with the top zipped.
- To use, attach a rag to your Swiffer mop, just like you would the other wet pads. Make sure the rag is pulled taught. And by all means, feel free to flip the rag over and use the other side.
How about you? Are you in love with your Swiffer? Do you have any other hard floor cleaner favorites?
Is this vinegar solution safe on laminate floors?
Yes, you can clean laminate floors with this solution. 🙂
Hi!! I am so excited to try this out but am wondering how long a box like this lasts? Do the towels start smelling because of the water or does the vinegar help prevent any mildewing? So excited for your answer!
I haven’t had any mildewing and so I’m not exactly sure – it’s lasted me for several months no problem!
Thank you! Are the rags cotton? 🙂 I am just starting to make my own cleaners. A fun way to spend my new found time at home!
Hi, yes they are. Just inexpensive wash cloths I bought at Walmart. 🙂
You say to use 11×11 cleaning rags, but your picture (and a Swiffer) are rectangular! Doesn’t make sense to me. Do you cut the rags?
You can use cut rags from home, the swiffers have holes in them so you can use a rectangular or square washrag.
Vinegar and Distilled water, will be ok with the stains or some kind of acid-base combination? Swiffer pads seem to have a long run.
Dollar store.
For some who want to save money that’s a good way, a lemon in a close container with cut up lemon peel for a week.
What about on slate and porcelain floors? I heard that citrus and vinegar are not good for them. Any reply would be helpful.
Dr. Bronner’s – Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner (32 Oz)
4 drops for 2 Gal water
Dr. Bronner’s – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (32 Oz)
1-2 Tablespoon for 2 Gal water
Will these work okay on wood floors (without staining them)? Also, is regular tap water an okay alternative if you don’t have distilled water? Thanks for the great idea!
Yes, I’ve used this on wood floors too. 🙂
And yes tap water will work.