6.16.2010

Whats old is new again

I decided it was time to take a stained & ripped bath towel out of rotation once and for all. I couldn't just throw it away so I cut it up and made it into something useful again. 

Here is a hint...

I made some homemade pads for my old swif...we'll call it a "mop"


I hated buying those cleaning pads because I felt like it was such a waste throwing so many of them away. But now I can use my "mop" again and be green too!

The "mop" already had the hook side Velcro on it

So I stitched some loop side Velcro pieces on each corner to make it stick (look on the corner of the pad ,it's hard to see because I used white Velcro)


A cut up old terrycloth towel + Velcro + a little sewing

= GREEN cleaning pads


I don't use the cleaner that comes with the "mop" (it's not eco-friendly) so I typically just hand spray an eco-friendly floor cleaner and then sweep.


Now that I have a stack of reusable & washable pads I will be cleaning my floor alot more!


Yeah for green cleaning!

34 comments:

Unknown said...

i LOVE that ur green - makes me SOOOO happy!

ps .. wanna trade buttons or links?

*kiss kiss*
Erika
~Tiptoe Butterfly~

Janet Pelczynski said...

That is a great Idea.. I will be using that one!

Janell @ House of Fifty said...

SMART GIRL!!!!! Now that is a great idea, and green! The best...Janell

Design Esquire said...

You are so creative! Great idea.

Kay* said...

this is such a simple yet effective idea! i never bought one of those swiffer things because i didn't like the thought of having to buy pads/wipes for it all the time...now i think i may and just use some old towels :) (or buy some in the dollar store for use).

thanks for the idea!

Ariane said...

Clever! I love finding out that my favorite bloggers are environmentally friendly.

Valerie said...

I love this idea! I'm sure I'll sound like a simpleton, but could you post directions on how you sewed them? They look sturdy and effective. :)

l.alden said...

Great idea! I had pretty much given up on swiffer because I was tired of paying so much money to only partially clean my floor, its not really a good mop after-all. I think I'll go pull mine out of the storage closet and put it to good use again!

Audreya said...

Fantastic idea!! I'm sitting here kicking myself for not having thought of it who knows how many dollars ago! I shudder to think how much I've been spending on Swiffer pads. And yes, just throwing them out always bothered me too. Yeah! I will totally be doing this!!!

deliciously organized said...

YAY FOR BEING GREEN! I love this idea! You are so creative! I need to do this ASAP. I just bought a swifer recently...I was actually mopping for a while. Can you believe that? With a real mop? What a waste of time!

bluehydrangea said...

clever girl!! I was just using my swiffer..maybe i need some news usable pads!!

Jennifer said...

this is a fabulous idea!!!! seriously you should submit it to Real Simple's New Uses for Old Things. FOR REAL!!

Deepali Kalia Interior Design Blog Filling Spaces said...

Green idea:)

Anonymous said...

Great, great idea! I would have saved so much money if I had used an old towel instead of boxes and boxes of those cleaning pads.

pve design said...

Smartie!!! Wonderful green solution!
pve

Julie said...

Fantastic! I LOVE my Swiffer, but hate the waste. Great idea.

Laura@JourneyChic said...

This is such a great idea!

BTW, my cat is almost as terrified of our Swiffer as he is of the vacuum, which is so ridiculous!

Cristin // Simplified Bee said...

great green idea!

Abbie said...

What a great idea! We have the Swiffer that can use dry or wet pads that you push into the top (no velcro), but I would think that you could make it work on that too. I might just have to cut one of the many towels that have been deemed "dog-worthy"!

beki said...

this has been on to-do list. i've read that you can fill your empty bottle with your own eco-friendly solution (like vinegar & water) by putting the bottle under hot water to get the top off. i haven't tested this method yet, but sure will be trying!

Sarah said...

You are so smart! I need to do this. Thanks for the idea.

Sarah

Viva La Fashion said...

that's really cool. :)

Anonymous said...

So clever!!

Megan said...

Great idea and so resourceful!

Helena - A Diary of Lovely said...

yay, look at you, what a fantastic idea!!! love it! LOVE IT

Stephanie Sabbe said...

so crafty! love it

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

That is SO brilliant. Oh my goodness!

Lindsay said...

Very creative!! I'm impressed! xx

MFAMB said...

you lost me at "sewing", but i am very proud of you!!!!

Teresa Meyer said...

Nice!!! I do something similar with my old swiffer. I just fold old towels around it without actually using Velcro. The towel just seems to stay on by itself.

Your version is much better! :)

Marija said...

HOLY cow! YOU are a genius! I am totally copying this. The little sewing part might throw me but I'm willing to give it a shot! So creative. And yes, green!!

Anonymous said...

Wow you're crafty! Great idea and I love how they came out. Makes me want to clean!

Anonymous said...

That makes perfect sense, makes me want to buy a "mop" and sew some reusable covers so that I can use the handy little device.

prashant said...

I need to do this. Thanks for the idea.
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