One of the handiest cleaning tools to come along in recent history (in my humble opinion) is the Swiffer, those rather ordinary looking floor sweepers that can make a quick clean up of a hard surface floor so much easier. Swiffers are made so that their disposable cloths can be wrapped around the mop for easy dusting.
OR – you can just make your own Swiffer cover!
Now wait a minute you might be thinking, aren’t those Swiffer cleaning cloths that you buy electrostatic so that the dust and fuzz just jump right on them? Why would you make your own?
Yes, it’s true that the store bought dry Swiffer cloths do work very well. BUT, I’ve also found that my homemade knit Swiffer covers seem to work in the same electrostatic type of way if I use a nice fuzzy yarn. I can’t give you the exact science on the subject of electrostatics, although I tried to do some quick research and found this article and this article quite interesting, and learned that softness and split fibers might have something to do with it. This might be why the soft fuzzy yarns seems to attract the dust and hairs, and in fact may explain why stray hairs can stick on a sweater you’re wearing too. It’s rather annoying when your stray hairs stick on your sweaters . . . but very helpful when they’re sticking to a homemade Swiffer cover!
I’ts nice that homemade Swiffer covers are reusable too so they save money and keep more disposables from the landfills. And I’ve always been pleased at how nicely these knit homemade Swiffer covers wash up. (In fact a few weeks ago I shared a picture of washing my homemade Swiffer cover with my copycat Molly Suds homemade laundry soap).
So yes, there are indeed some good reasons to make your own Swiffer covers – they’re fast and fun to make, they work well, they’re easy to wash and dry, and save money too because they’re reusable rather than disposable.
How To Knit A Homemade Swiffer Cover
My first tries at knitting a swiffer cover were using another pattern and cotton yarn like Sugar ‘N Cream. However as time has gone by, I ended up creating my own pattern and always using the fuzzy yarn.
At the time of this writing I’m using and loving the Bernat Pipsqueak yarn for this pattern. I’ve also made these with the Red Heart Buttercup yarn. These types of yarn are usually found with the baby yarns in the stores.
I’ve found that a finished piece that’s 8½” x 10½” works the best. Once you have your knitted piece, it’s just a matter of folding the long sides towards the middle, sewing the ends together, and then sewing the edges together toward the middle for about 2″ on each end. This leaves you with an opening of about 6″ so you can slip your Swiffer inside.
These fuzzy yarns are pretty forgiving too when it comes to seaming your piece which is always a great bonus for any knitting project. Also there’s really no right side or wrong side to your finished piece, another very helpful benefit of this type of yarn.
Homemade Swiffer Cover Knitting Pattern
My gauge for this project is about 2½ stitches per inch. If you knit a little tighter or looser, simply cast on more or less stitches as needed to get a piece that’s about 8½” wide.
Below is the printable pattern for these homemade Swiffer covers. It’s a pretty brief and simple pattern, which is exactly what I love about it. Enjoy!
Knit Swiffer Covers
Equipment:
- Soft fuzzy yarn labeled Size 5 Bulky (such as Bernat Pipsqueak or Red Heart Buttercup)
- US size 9 Knitting Needles
- Large eye blunt needle for sewing seams
Instructions:
- Cast on 22 stitches.
- Knit in garter stitch (knit every row) until piece measures 10½".
- Bind off VERY LOOSELY. Finished piece should be about 8½" x 10½".
- To create the Swiffer cover, fold the long edges towards the middle. Sew each of the ends of the piece together. Then sew the long edges together for about 2" toward the middle of each side. This should leave you with an opening of about 6" in the middle for inserting your Swiffer.
Notes:
More Swiffer Cover Ideas:
Check out these 5 Ways to Make Homemade Swiffer Covers including my quick-sew fleece method, and a super simple method using a fuzzy sock!
More Free Knitting Patterns:
I can’t wait to try this! I have lots of this kind of yarn, so I can start now. I think it work well for cleaning ceiling fans also. Thank you for sharing.
The fuzzy sock works a bomb!! I think you are onto something with the fuzzy yarn being the secret. Now if I could only knit….
Yes if you can’t knit, the fuzzy socks are an easy peasy solution instead! 🙂
Hi can these covers be used to dry an already mopped floor?if yes will it dry the floor without leaving any streaks on the floor?
I don’t think these covers are thick enough to absorb enough water to do a good job of drying the floor. These covers are more about using soft fuzzy materials to attract fuzz and hair as you do dry dusting of the floor.
For the wet cloths I have cut some of the microfiber cloths to fit and simply zigzagged the cut edges on my sewing machine. They work just fine for mopping
Can you used any kind of wool.
Yes, you can use different kinds of yarn/wool for these covers, however I find that the softer fuzzier ones do the best job of grabbing the dust and hairs off the floor.
MERVEILLEUX QUEL ÉCONOMIE
Thank you Claudette (as your comment translated let me know “wonderful, what savings!” 🙂
Have you tried “Scrubbie” yarn ? It a scratchy element that may be what you’re looking for.
Thank you for this useful and great way to save money and help save the planet!
There’s another person named Barbara, with the Sugar and cream almost at the end of the post. Did you see her post? She has an Esty so you would be able to purchase them from her. God bless and I wish you both the bes
Beverly, is there a yarn that might be a bit coarse/scratchy so it could be used on the wet jet mop? I don’t think a regular yarn would work. The disposable pads have an abrasive area on them for light scrubbing on floors….i.e. spilled & dried juice/foods. Thanks for any info you might have.
Hmmm, that’s an interesting idea. Perhaps you could try one of the scrubby yarns that are available. Red Heart makes one called Scrubby, and also has one called Scrubby Sparkle. Hobby Lobby also has one called Scrubology. These types of yarns are designed for crafting homemade dishcloths, pot scrubbers, etc., so they do have some gentle abrasiveness.
Does the dog and cat hair come off easily?
I don’t have pets, but I’ve found that the bigger clumps of hairs and fuzz that are on it after sweeping can be picked off pretty easily, and then I throw it in the washing machine for the final cleaning.
It will not let me see the pattern when I click on printable patter
Sounds like a great idea. Will start knitting it tonight. Hope it turns out great. Thanks for all your information.
Can’t wait to try these. Thank you. Marlis
I made these for my father for Christmas and he absolutely loves them!! He asked me to make them for his larger swiffer too. Do you have a pattern for the larger size swiffer??
I currently do not, but I will get some info on those dimensions and see if I can adapt the pattern and let you know.
Wow thank you so Much
I do not knit but would love to buy them. Where can I get these ??
Maybe someday I will sell them, but for now I only have the free pattern available.
You could always set up on Etsy. To sell. I knit but good idea if you wanted to sell.
These are great!! I hate spending $$ on disposables!! I have a truck load of Sugar n Cream….why didn’t you like it? I have cat hair to pick up. ?
Do you have an Etsy store I can buy these from? I don’t knit butwould love them for our home.
I do have an Etsy store (West Window Studio) but currently am just selling a downloadable planner there. However I have thought about selling some knit goods there too so maybe someday I will have these swiffer covers available (thank you for asking) 🙂
Can these be used for Swiffer wetjet as well? Or just dry dusting? Great and easy pattern!
These are intended to just use for dry dusting. The soft fuzzy yarn works great for picking up dust and hairs, but I don’t think it would work well if it was wet.
I think the Sugar n Cream, or any cotton yarn, would work wet. I love cotton wash cloths. However, while wet they are quite stretchy. That quality is great for releasing crumbs and other particles when rinsing, but it might make the fitting seams challenging.
Thanks will try this pattern. Always lots of dog hair
At my house.
I think you’ll find that these covers will pick up the those dog hairs Alicia!
Ever had a really duh! moment? I have made swiffer covers out of fleece but never thought of knitting one. And I have a bundle of yarn ends left from community service knitting. Great timing for a perfect double winning idea. Thanks!
duh moment
Well I’m glad you have joined those of us who love to knit our swiffer covers! 🙂 I think you’ll find this to be a fun pattern that knits up quickly and yes, it can be a way to use up leftover yarns too.