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Monday, July 9, 2012

reduce, reuse, recycle

I've always been a fan of the 3 R's.
But when it comes to keeping the house clean, it is sometimes hard to feel like I'm helping the planet AND actually getting things clean.

Enter: Swiffer.
I was amazed when i first got a swiffer. however, i quickly realized that the whole planet-saving goal was going straight out the window with each use.

So I began to experiment. I tried using wash cloths but they were a little small. Dishtowels were not absorbent enough...
A few with materials and designs later, I think I've come up with a good a reusable solution to my swiffer problem! Here is a short, quickly thrown-together tutorial I created.

Materials Needed:
1/2 yard of 100% cotton flannel (it will pick up the dust like a champ!)
Sewing machine with coordinating thread
fabric scissors
ruler
* iron

* disclaimer: I am usually one who irons seams and fabric for a crisp, clean, even look. However, it is HOT right now and I made a judgement call. I do not iron my kitchen rags and towels, thus a few wrinkles and slightly uneven edges on this project would not compromise the effectiveness of the product. That being said, feel free to one-up me and iron between steps for said crisp, clean, even look. These make nice gifts too ;)

 
 
 
 
 
 


These cloths can be used dry to catch dust and some dirt. You can also spray the cloth with a bit of all purpose cleaner for to improve dirt collection. I have also used the cloths sans swiffer to do light dusting and scrubbing where a paper towel might previously been used. So many options! Now go, save the planet and live in a clean house!

**One more disclaimer:  I know I am not the first to create a reusable cloth to be used with a swiffer but the above images and measurements are my own creation.

4 comments:

Juliann in WA said...

I am so excited to see this. I keep meaning to ask you about this project and now I can proceed to making my own. Thanks!

Taylor [LorTay] said...

Nice for a gift, eh??

Lynn Koeppen said...

Thanks to Juliann's recommendation, I'm going to try your tutorial as well.

Jess said...

Hope the tutorial works for you all. Let me know if you have any additional ideas!