Saturday, October 13, 2007

New Uses for Old Things...

Sooo obviously switching out my old non-green stuff to more eco-friendly things isn't always easy. Especially when I don't want to throw out the non-eco friendly thing!

Take my Swiffer Wet Jet for instance.

I love that thing, but lets face it throwing away the pads and cleaning with not so earth friendly cleaner each time isn't exactly Green. (Besides I hated that cleaning stuff for the Swiffer--it always left a film!!) My friend Mary mentioned she was using her Swiffer with washcloths so I decided to do it myself.

So what I did was take a washcloth and fold it in half and secure it with my old rubber bands for my hair on each side. My Swiffer had the Velcro on the back and that helps secure it in place. I walk around w/ a spray bottle of vinegar and squirt the offending spot and presto, its all clean again. I usually wet my washcloth just a little bit to catch dog hair and to really scrub the floor.

Of course this isn't the best way to really CLEAN a floor. But for quick jobs it does the trick. And I'm using an old thing and its like its new again! Plus I didn't throw it in the trash to replace it with a more eco-friendly option.

Thanks for your great idea Mary! Remember people that being green doesn't mean investing in expensive Green options. Really it means just thinking outside of the box and using what you already have. And you're being thrifty at the same time! (See previous post on being thrifty)

**Update: After using my redesigned Swiffer over the past 2 days I have discovered that its better to not fold the washcloth in half, but to instead just wrap it around the Swiffer. Makes it so the washcloth doesn't fold all over the place while cleaning.***

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I fold the washcloth over the swiffer head so that it doesn't slip and bunch up. For a deep clean, try filling your sink with a little warm water and vingar. Use that solution like you would a regualr mop. put the wash cloth in and ring it out. The warm water gets the sticky stuff and the vinegar cleans. I also hated the swiffer solution because it left a film. Although a couple of weeks ago my dog splatttered my kitchen floor with poo, I got out the rest of my swiffer solution and the last couple of swiffer pads I had and used that to clean it up. At that moment I was just glad I could throw those things away. I did follow up with a good cleanning with vinegar and water to get the swiffer film off the floor. :) Good tip for those who want to go green and not spend too much money.