Ditch The Swiffer And Try This Floor Cleaning Hack Instead To Save A Pretty Penny

Swiffers can be handy when cleaning but are disposable, meaning you'll constantly repurchase components. For example, a 10-pack of refill Swiffer mop pads is close to $17, quickly adding up if you have a lot of floor space to clean. Besides the wear and tear on your wallet, you're adding unnecessary waste to your local landfill. Instead of purchasing single-use products, you can use a simple trick to clean your floors — wet a towel with soapy water and push it around your floors with a broom. This might sound basic, but it's effective, and you won't have to worry about purchasing Swiffer refills every few weeks.  

Besides saving money, this trick is perfect if you're looking for minimal cleaning hacks to keep your home tidy. If you already have a broom handy, you don't need a separate mop to get your floors squeaky clean. If you don't sweep your floors or have a broom, a Swiffer sweeper (or something similar) is all you need. Just forego purchasing disposable mop heads. All you have to do is grab an old towel and get cleaning! You can buy a Swiffer-style floor mop on Amazon for $20; it even comes with reusable cleaning pads if you don't have a towel handy.

The key to this trick is wetting a towel with soapy water and moving it around your floor with a broom. This way, you can flip your towel over as needed, getting maximum use from a single one. If you want to secure your towel, you can easily make accommodations. Simply wrap it around the base of your broom handle with a rubber band or hair tie, preventing it from slipping off. However, if you opt to use a towel and a Swiffer sweeper, you can attach them the same way you would affix disposable pads — in the holes on each corner.

The brilliant part of this DIY cleaning routine is that you can use natural ingredients to clean your floors, removing harsh chemicals from your routine. Just be mindful of the products you use, especially if you have wood floors, as some may compromise the integrity of the material. Vinegar, for example, can erode your floor's finish. The same goes for ammonia, but this toxic chemical is best to avoid. You should also be mindful of how much water you use on wood floors, as it absorbs into the material and causes warping. This is why you need to thoroughly wring out your towel before cleaning.