Do you "swiffer" or too expensive?

[moredisneyplease]

I absolutely love my Swiffer system but it seems to be getting more and more pricey. Between the swiffer pads, the swiffer "juice" (spray), and batteries....not to mention the entire system to boot, it seems to really add up just to mop the floor!

What do you do for your floors and if you Swiffer how do you make it less expensive?

 

[Suzanna1973]

I buy the bundle package of swiffer wet jet at Wal-Mart. It's 8.97 and has 12 pads and large bottle of solution. It lasts me 2-3 months. I justify the expense because my floors are cleaner and my kids socks stay whiter which lessens the use of Shout.

 

[KristinU]

I use a "permanent" swiffer type of mop that I bought from QVC a few years ago. The cloth cleaning pads velcro on then can be thrown in the laundry. Cheaper in the long run and better for the environment. If you go on QVC.com and search on Don Aslett Mop you'll see a bunch of selections. I don't see my exact one anymore, but these all look similar.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I use the Swiffer vacuum for 'sweeping' and I have a Shark SteamMop (with the reusable pads) for 'mopping'.

 

[NicksMommy]

I just bought the solution and pads at Sam's yesterday I got 3 bottles of solution for $9.00 and pads under $10.00... I thought it was a great price, I hate carrying the bucket of mop water and a heavy mop around. Although I do mop ( with a mop and bucket) twice a month just to get a deep clean, I swiffer everyday!!

 

[ScrapperBelle]

I have both the swiffer wet and dry cleaners, but I rarely use them. I have wood floors throughout my house (2400 sq. ft.) and it is just too expensive to clean that amount of flooring every few days.

I only use my swiffer for spills. Occasionally I'll use it in the public areas when I have company coming.

I bought one of those terry-covered dust mops at Target and I think it actually works better than the swiffer (dry)...plus you can wash the terry cover. I have 2 covers...so one is always clean and ready.

 

[eclairemom]

I use the Swiffer vacuum for 'sweeping' and I have a Shark SteamMop (with the reusable pads) for 'mopping'.

Do you like your shark steam mop? is it easy to use and does it do a good job?

 

[delmar411]

I use the swiffer dry clothes and the wet ones to do clean up. I know there are ppl who just refill the ones that have the bottled solutions. If you poke around and do some googling there should be instructions on how to fill it with homemade solution.

I buy the swiffer dry and wet clothes in bulk when I find them clearanced places. And combine with a coupon. Makes them pretty inexpensive.
We only have a small amount of area to mop though so they last a long time.

 

[ajk912]

I agree, my whole downstairs is hardwood and it would cost me at least $6 every time I clean if I used my swiffer system on it. I have a swiffer for quick cleanups (probably will use it today to get ready for the ILs!) I have a Hoover Floormate for the big jobs, all you do is put solution in it (I use 1/4 lysol 3/4 water and it works fine!)

 

[CherylA]

It's expensive but I almost never used to clean my floors and now I do. Although still only about once a week My point is if it gets you to do it it's worth it!

 

[javaj]

We used to use swiffer -- but I found that after a while, it discolored our linoleum in the kitchen! It was a gradual thing but it turned it yellow-ish!

 

[JandJ]

I have both the swiffer wet and dry cleaners, but I rarely use them. I have wood floors throughout my house (2400 sq. ft.) and it is just too expensive to clean that amount of flooring every few days.

I only use my swiffer for spills. Occasionally I'll use it in the public areas when I have company coming.

I bought one of those terry-covered dust mops at Target and I think it actually works better than the swiffer (dry)...plus you can wash the terry cover. I have 2 covers...so one is always clean and ready.

Not to hijack this thread, but we have hardwood in 90% of our house (smaller than yours at 1500 sq. ft.) and we just had the old hardwood refinished. It looks gorgeous - I never thought it would look so good! My question is, what do I use to clean it? I have one of those Target terry mop things but I never got a solution before. My floor guys said anything but Murphey's Oil Soap is good but to spray it on the terry, not on the floor directly. Any tips? TIA!

 

[HeatherC]

We have Mahogany floors that we had put in a few years ago. What I actually do to clean them is use the swiffer thing...but I use a hot damp dishcloth on it instead of the swiffer pads. It does an amazing job and gets the floors clean. I just keep rinsing it out and you can see the dirt coming off.

When I tried the Swiffer pads on the floor it seemed to make them dull. So that's what I use on them.

 

[CherylA]

Good Idea Heather I just might try that!

 

[mominwestlake]

We also have hardwood floors in our downstairs and were told to use 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water. I have a spray bottle of this solution and use a mop with the terry pad covers for a quick clean. You are not suppose to soak the wood floors.

 

[ocalla]

Do you like your shark steam mop? is it easy to use and does it do a good job?

I also have been wondering if this works as good as they claim?

 

[lulamc]

I love my Swiffer wetjet, but it is costly to use. I only 'swiffer' with the wet jet once a week, just sweep up on other days. Would love a cheaper solution, but until one is available I'll use Swiffer.

 

[kfeuer]

Do you like your shark steam mop? is it easy to use and does it do a good job?

I just bought one of these a couple days ago and I absolutely love it! Here's what I like about it:

It heats up extremely fast (30 seconds) and it's easy to assemble and refill.

I have a bad back, but I was able to use this without any problems.

It's a non-chemical way of cleaning.

The pads go right into the wash and can be reused over and over.

I used it on ceramic tile and hardwood floors. It did a perfect job on the hardwood--it barely gets the floors damp, but the finish looked perfect when I was done.

It also did a great job on the tile, but it isn't able to get into the grout. However, there was some food that was really stuck to the grout and the steam loosened it up so that it was easy to get off.

I couldn't believe how filthy the pads were when I was done My floors feel the cleanest they have in a long time.

I bought mine at Sams Club, and it included a hand steamer as well. I haven't tried that yet.

 

[ScrapperBelle]

Not to hijack this thread, but we have hardwood in 90% of our house (smaller than yours at 1500 sq. ft.) and we just had the old hardwood refinished. It looks gorgeous - I never thought it would look so good! My question is, what do I use to clean it? I have one of those Target terry mop things but I never got a solution before. My floor guys said anything but Murphey's Oil Soap is good but to spray it on the terry, not on the floor directly. Any tips? TIA!

I actually DO use the Murphy's Oil Soap on my floors, but I dilute a capful to an entire bucket of water. I also really wring my mop out until it is just damp. I think I got the oil soap thing from my mom and grandmas...they all had the really old wood that just had years of polish/wax on them and/or marble (entryways/bathrooms) and the oil soap always worked wonderfully on them.

 

[mnasmom3]

I have a Method mop that I got from Target. It's like the Swiffer Wet....not the battery one, but the original one with the wet wipes you put on. This mop has microfiber pads that sort of velcro to the bottom and I mop with a vinegar and water solution. I run the cloth through the washer, air it dry, and back on the mop it goes.