DIY Reusable Swiffer Covers
The Swiffer dusting mops are a such a handy tool and I use mine often. But spending money on the disposable pads for my Swiffer wasn’t my style. Instead I just make my own Swiffer covers that I wash and use over and over and it’s a great money saver. I’ve written before about my 5 ways to make Swiffer covers, and this will be a closer look at my sewing pattern for a DIY Swiffer pad for dry dusting.
Using Fleece Fabric To Make Swiffer Pads
First, let’s look at the type of fabric we’ll be using to make our DIY Swiffer covers. I always use fleece fabric for sewing homemade Swiffer pads for dry sweeping. Fleece doesn’t ravel or fray on the cut edges which makes it a good choice. It also has a fuzzy texture that’s not only soft on your floors, but the loftier texture also helps trap the dust and hair as you sweep.
Fleece fabric is usually affordable too. I only paid $1.47 recently for a quarter yard of 60″ fleece and was able to make three reusable Swiffer pads from that amount of fabric. That’s comes out to 49¢ per pad that I can use over and over again for years! And because each Swiffer cover only requires a small amount of fabric, it can be a great way to use up fleece scraps you might already have too.
Steps To Sew A Homemade Swiffer Cover
This is a quick sewing project that only takes a few minutes. In fact if you don’t have a sewing machine, it would be very simple to just hand-sew the seams instead for this small project. Let’s take a closer look:
Step 1: Cut Your Fabric: Cut a piece of fleece fabric 16″ long by 5½” wide. Make sure the stretch of the fabric is length-wise. If you have one of those fancy cutting pads that help you measure, great! If not, you can improvise like me and make yourself a template of the correct size from paper.
Step 2: Fold The Ends: Fold each end of the piece in by 2½”. Note: If your fleece fabric has a “right side” that is fuzzier, make sure that side is facing down when you fold in the ends.
Step 3: Topstitch Around The Folds: Sew around the three sides of the fold to hold it in place. Do a topstitching type of seam that is close to the edge. This will create two pockets at each end of the fabric piece. Now your homemade Swiffer pad is complete!
You can also watch my video below to see all the steps in action for making this type of homemade Swiffer pad:
Using Your DIY Swiffer Cover For Dry Floor Sweeping
To use one of your sewn fleece covers, place it onto your Swiffer mop by stretching each pocket onto an end of the mop. You can then use this fleece pad for dry sweeping of your floors and watch it do a great job of picking up unwanted dust and hair. This fleece mop cover can then be easily added to any load of wash, although I do usually pick off any larger bits of hair or fuzzies before tossing it into the washing machine.
So this is one method I use for making a homemade Swiffer cover. But I’ve made some knit DIY Swiffer covers that also work great, and I sew my own pads for my Swiffer Wet Jet (and I also make my own refills!)
Maybe one of these projects will inspire you too! You can use the links below to find instructions for knitting a Swiffer pad or for sewing a Wet Jet pad and start saving money by just making your own!
How To Sew A Reusable Swiffer Pad For Dry Sweeping
Equipment:
- Sewing Machine (Or hand needle can work too)
- Scissors
Materials:
- 1 piece fleece fabric (1/4 yard will make 3 covers)
- Thread
Instructions:
- Cut a piece of fleece fabric to a size of 16" wide x 5½" high. Make sure the stretch of the fabric is lengthwise when cutting your fabric.
- Fold each end of the piece in by 2½". Note: If your fleece fabric has a "right side" that is fuzzier, make sure that side is facing down when you fold in the ends.
- Sew around the three sides of the fold to hold it in place. Do a topstitching type of seam that is close to the edge. This will create two pockets at each end of the fabric piece.(This could also be hand sewn if you do not have a sewing machine)
- To use for dry sweeping: Place your cover onto the Swiffer by stretching each pocket onto an end of the mop. After dry sweeping, remove cover and it can be washed in any regular load of your washing machine. You may wish to pick off any larger amounts of dust or hair from the cover before washing.
