In my opinion, the Swiffer Wet Jet is terrible. It is expensive, leaves a film and/or build-up on the floor and did I mention it is expensive? I have an old Swiffer Wet Jet and threw away the cleaner bottle before I saw all these fabulous tips online (click HERE to see them). I refused to go out and buy a new bottle so I improvised. Honestly, I prefer my method a lot more and it is very easy. All you need is a spray bottle, 2 micro fiber cloths and a Swiffer stick.
Fill up a squirt bottle with cleaner. Homemade vinegar mixes work great (my cousin recommends half vinegar and half water). Rubbing alcohol mixes work great too (there are lots of blogs on these too). I experimented for a few months with different mixes and decided that Mr.Clean was for me. It cleans well and has a pleasant scent. Some mixes have a lingering smell that I don’t care for. I liked using essential oils, but they take time to make and I am lazy. It is bad enough that I have to clean the floors! Find the cleaner for you that works for your floor-whether it is vinyl, linoleum, or wood.
Spray the area that you are cleaning and let it sit for a few minutes (to kill germs and other bad things).
My old Swiffer Wet Jet has velcro already on it, so a micro fiber cloth sticks perfectly on. On models without the velcro you can add some to it or use rubber bands to secure the cloth in place.
Scrub the floor like you normally would and remove the cloth. Get the other cloth wet with water (squeeze the excess water out) and place on the mop. Run the new “mop” over the floor. This will remove any stickiness that some cleaners leave. Place the cloths in the laundry and you are done. No need to keep a dirty mop in the closet or buy expensive cleaners. You also only need one “mop handle” for all the types of floors and areas of your home. Just have enough cloths on hand to do the job.
If you make your own cleaner and do the refill bottle method on the Swiffer, the Swiffer Wet Jet may eventually die =( My cousin James gave me this advice that I will pass on to you: One more word of Swiffer advice. If it starts screaming and barely squirting after five or six years, take it apart and fix it. I just fixed ours this afternoon. Between the motor and the spray nozzle there are two check valves, I took them out and put one long piece of aquarium air pump tubing in their place. Now Swiffenstein works like new again. The only downside is from now on I have to store it upside down so it doesn’t drip.
