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I love the Swiffer Wet Jet. It makes it so incredibly easy to clean up any kind of mess on the floor – even my preschooler's sticky grape juice spills! But what I don't love is how expensive the refill solution is – it costs about $7 at my local superstore. Fortunately, I learned how to save money making my own Swiffer solution. In fact, I've got three tried and true recipes!
Recipe #1
1. Fill a bucket with 2 quarts of water.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of Murphy's oil soap to the water and stir to combine.
3. Insert a funnel into an empty Swiffer Solution bottle and pour in your homemade solution. Or you can dip the Swiffer mop head directly into the solution and mop your floor as normal.
Recipe #2
1. Pour 4 cups of hot water into a bucket or pitcher.
2. Add 1 cup of lemon juice.
3. Measure out 3 cups of vinegar and add it to the bucket.
4. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of liquid dish soap.
5. Mix thoroughly and pour mixture into a recycled Swiffer container.
Recipe #3
1. Mix equal parts hot water and vinegar in a bucket (a cup or two of each will work.)
2. Dump in a splash of alcohol to keep anything gross from growing in the Swiffer refill container.
3. Add a couple of drops of an essential oil. I like to use lemon or orange scents because they also work as degreasers.
Tip:
It can be tricky to get the cap off the Swiffer refill bottle. But I discovered an easy way to do it!
1. Boil a few inches of water in a pot.
2. Turn off the heat and dip the end of the Swiffer bottle, lid-side down, into the water. Dunk it until the whole cap and just a little bit of the bottle are submerged.
3. Wait 20 to 30 seconds and then remove the bottle from the water.
4. Put a kitchen towel over the lid so you don't scald yourself and twist the cap. It should come right off!
Homemade Swiffer Pads
You can also make your own Swiffer pads!
Just cut a microfiber cloth or bath towel into rectangles. Use the Swiffer mop head as a guide to gauge the correct size. Give it about 1 1/2 inches of overlap on the longer sides so you can tuck the ends of the cloth into the Swiffer mop cloth holder. I like to use microfiber towels from the dollar store. One towel makes four Swiffer cloths! After using the cloth, just throw it in the washing machine with your other rags.
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