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Day #4 – diy swiffer cloths

October 4, 2013

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Look at us go.

Day #4 of the 31 day series and things seem to be going strong without a hitch. Get started at the beginning here. And I’ll apologize now if there’s a delay in adding this weekend’s links to the main page. I’m headed to Cali, baby!!

That’s right, I’ve been sharing pictures all week on my Instagram feed from when Joel and I lived in Carmel, CA and I am beside myself excited to be heading back.

I begged Joel to come with me but something about work and a job is keeping him home. Stupid job.*

*By stupid I mean awesome and keeps all of my randomness funded. Love that job. Really, I do.

Today’s little tip is one of my favorites!

What costs $1, was totally bought for a different use and is going to save you and me a bunch o’ money?

diy swiffer cloths

I bet the words “Handy Shammy” were at the tip of your tongue. 😉

Update:  Here is an affiliate link to the exact shammys I bought.

And holy cats I can totally share the real reason why I bought the Handy Shammy in another 31 things post because that is something I have practically forgotten about but is definitely something you need to know!

Anyway, you can tell from that picture above what I ended up using these bad boys for.

DIY swiffer cloths!

And they’re reusable.

And you can just toss them in with your regular laundry.

I’ll apologize for this little picture duo right up front.

diy swiffer cloths

It is supposed to illustrate that I use both sides of the cloth. Tell me you do that too. I always did it with swiffer cloths to save money, but even though these are reusable I couldn’t stop myself. I guess thrifty habits die hard. 🙂

What these pictures actually illustrate is that I have no shame am an infrequent swifferer. Let’s just agree that I wanted to let the dog hair pile up for proper photos for this post.

Yeah, let’s go with that.

But, take that hot mess and toss it right in with a regular load of laundry and it comes out ready for more abuse.

diy swiffer cloths

Does it make any sense that I actually swiffer more now because I know I don’t have to go buy new pads? It’s true. Insane, but true.

I bought the two pack of Handy Shammys at the Dollar Store. So that’s $1 for FOUR diy swiffer pads.

And, technically, they fit like this when you cut one shammy in half.

diy swiffer cloths

But whatevs, it covers the whole bottom of the swiffer which is all the matters.

I seriously love this.

diy swiffer cloths

Please tell me you think this is awesome, too?!?! And what do you think of the series so far?

31 things you need to know

« diy wooden mailbox {and why we needed a new mailbox ASAP}
Day #5 – the difference between dogs and cats »

Comments

  1. Nancy Carr says

    October 4, 2013 at

    I have thought about using something other than the actual Swiffer cloths, however, I have too much dog hair even when I Swiffer every day. I don’t want the dog hair in my laundry and one of the dogs has medium length hair which means more dog hair. You have a good idea, however, I will continue to buy the Swiffer sheets for now. Thanks for all of your great ideas and fun and informative reading. Have a nice trip.

  2. Kim says

    October 5, 2013 at

    I’ve been doing exactly this for years…I inherited a Swiffer from the previous homeowner, but I can’t stand the chemicals, cost, or waste of the refills, so I’ve been using a shammy as my reusable refill. It works great for the big dog’s dog hair, the big guy’s coffee spills, and the little guy’s everything else spills. I usually wash the shammy in hot water with our towels and the dog hair doesn’t get stuck. Another option is to use paper towels and hot water, if you just must throw something away.

    • Karah says

      October 7, 2013 at

      I’m always amazed that the dog hair does just disappear in the washing machine.

  3. Natalie Klemek says

    October 5, 2013 at

    What a great idea! … Since those swifter pads can get expensive when you gotta lots of floors to keep clean.
    It’s amazing how small the world really is … It was a surprise to read you are heading to CA and mainly the Carmel area because we live about 45 minutes from Carmel and my husband works at the firehouse there. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing visit on our west coast … You deserve it!

    • Karah says

      October 7, 2013 at

      I had so much fun in your neck of the woods. Was bummed that JD was actually in Miami for the weekend but got to spend some great time soaking in all the beauty!!

  4. Erin says

    October 5, 2013 at

    Are you using them for dry mopping or wet?

    • Karah says

      October 7, 2013 at

      I primarily use them for dry, but I have been known to just spray antibac cleaner right on what I’m cleaning and scrub a little with the shammy to get it up.

      • Erin says

        October 7, 2013 at

        Thanks Karah! Hope you enjoyed your trip to Carmel.

  5. Rebecca Moose says

    October 7, 2013 at

    I’ve used them for dry and wet mopping. I don’t have those exact shammy’s. I purchased something like this at Big Lots years ago. It has saved me a ton of money over hte years. When I do laundry, I have a bunch of my cleaning cloths that are used for a variety of reasons that are washed together. It helps….Wet mopping-I used a mix of orange scented vinegar and hot water. The vinegar orange sent is made through orange peels in a mason jar for a couple of weeks. It works great.

    • Karah says

      October 7, 2013 at

      love that idea for the orange scent!!

    • Erin says

      October 7, 2013 at

      Rebecca, do you just spray the vinegar ahead of your mop or on the floor? I’ve got a big space, so, i’m trying to figure it out. Thanks.

      • Rebecca Moose says

        October 7, 2013 at

        I have a spray bottle I mix about 1/2 and 1/2 with…spray lightly and swipe. I have 2000 square feet of wood, tile, and linoleum floors to clean 2-3 times a week. I only
        Wet wash one time a week. That’s about it. I used to pay a lot of money for an orange cleaning solution. Spray lightly and you are good to go.

        • Erin says

          October 8, 2013 at

          Ok, thanks so much.!!!!

  6. Catherine @ Happily Ever Crafter says

    October 7, 2013 at

    Very awesome!! I’m going to have to buy some of these because I do the same thing. I don’t want to “over-swiffer” and have to buy more! I’ll even rinse and reuse the mop cloths!

    • Karah says

      October 7, 2013 at

      we sound like kindred thrifty spirits 🙂

  7. Lynn says

    October 11, 2013 at

    “And what do you think of the series so far?” LOVE IT! But I pretty much love everything you do/write. [fyi, I said ‘pretty much’ so you don’t think you have some creepy stalker on your hands]

    • Karah says

      October 12, 2013 at

      I pretty much like creepy stalkers!! 😉

  8. kim h says

    October 16, 2013 at

    Using both sides of swiffer cloth….brilliant!! Thanks for the tip!

    • Karah says

      October 16, 2013 at

      Sure thing!

  9. Carol Sue says

    October 26, 2013 at

    I bought microfiber cloths that I cut down and serged the raw edge and use both sides and throw in the washer. Never thought of using the handy shammy. I too got tired of paying for swiffer sheets and then throwing them away.

    • Karah says

      October 27, 2013 at

      Two cheers for economical solutions 🙂

  10. bettina Elliott says

    November 14, 2013 at

    i have wondered about pet hair, as i have 2 cats & there is hair everywhere…i had bought the exact same thing for the exact same reason, but right now they are just stacked away cuz i wasn’t sure about running them thru my washer. didn’t want to risk a costly clog….plus i don’t have a dryer & i sort of figured i may need the help of the dryer to further remove left over hair. glad to see i’m not the only one flipping over the cloth….

    • Karah says

      November 14, 2013 at

      I do think the dryer does help get more of the pet hair off, but no clogs!!

  11. jadecricket says

    December 1, 2013 at

    hey, this is great timing. having this issue precisely and would love to try your solution. do you have dimensions for the shammy / link to purchase online?

    • Karah says

      December 1, 2013 at

      Hi!! Here’s an affiliate link to the exact product I bought. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CY2MVTA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CY2MVTA&linkCode=as2&tag=thespacebe078-20

  12. amber says

    December 31, 2013 at

    BRILLIANT!!

    • Karah says

      January 1, 2014 at

      sometimes it’s the littlest things, right!?! Happy New Year!

  13. cfrizzi059287 says

    January 29, 2014 at

    Are they microfiber cloths? It doesn’t say on amazon

    • Karah says

      January 30, 2014 at

      You know, I’m not sure. It doesn’t say on the packaging either. Sorry.

  14. Deboriah says

    November 27, 2014 at

    No the shammy is not a microfiber cloth. It is very similar to a sponge but not a sponge either. I do not know what they are except that they are not microfiber. lol

    • Karah says

      November 28, 2014 at

      Hahaha, glad we got that cleared up. 😉

  15. angie says

    January 9, 2015 at

    I hated mopping until I got the Swiffer and quickly decided that cutting up old towels (have many) into Swiffer sizes allows me to dry or wet mop as you described with the option to toss in the laundry to reuse or the trash. I like that the rough towels are still good for scrubbing spots off the floor or walls. Loving your tidbits!

    • Karah says

      January 10, 2015 at

      I love that idea of using old towels, too!!

Trackbacks

  1. 31 things you need to know {and won't believe you didn't already} the space between says:
    November 6, 2013 at

    […] are your light boxes small and old? Day #3 – the best leftover pizza tip ever Day #4 – diy swiffer cloths Day #5 – the difference between dogs and cats Day #6 – my favorite and most used organization […]

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