Oh, I forgot to add and don't know if it's been mentioned, but those damn Swiffer people will not stop till they have completely taken over our cleaning cabinets: Swiffer dusters totally *rock*. These are the ones you pull onto a stick that look like the old-fashioned feather dusters.

They pick up dust fantastically and you can twist and squirm them into the wierdest little corners. Better for above the floor dusting than the dustcloths.

Or buy the generic brand clone from CVS. Buy it when they have a two-fer-one sale and use a dollars-off CVS brand purchase coupon, and it will be quite cheap.

Aso if CVS makes a clone, then probably similar retailers do too - check Costco, etc. under the house brand name.

Acambras, there is a product out there, I don't know if it's for reals or a gag gift, that combines slippers and a dustmop-type sole. I think it has battery-operated headlights too. Just in case you want to, you know, sweep the floors in middle of the night. They sell it through catalogs like Miles Kimball.

Attach 'em to kidlets, and awaaaaay they go!

You should not use Mr Cleans magic eraser- unless you like carcinogens-- it's active ingredient is formaldehyde. ICK!
And because the throw-away business is an eco- nightmare...
And because I use Roomba now.. who is superior to swiffer any day....

@Yesteryear: don't be such a jerk. People often knit to keep themselves busy on the subway, as something to fidget with while watching TV, or something to keep themselves sane while in line. Try being more snap-judgmental.

I clean my floor with a spray bottle of vinegar and water and flannel cloths, on my hands and knees. Vacuum in between washings.

We have pebbled/textured black and white 9"x9" alternating chessboard vinyl on the kitchen floor. The white squares pick up dirt almost instantly. They require hand scrubbing.

For others with truly smooth surfaces in kitchens and other rooms, the above suggestions are great. Textured surfaces demand significantly more attention, however.

And, I do wash my floor on my hands and knees - *after* I use a dry Swiffer, because it's easier when I'm not pushing around wet globs of hair and lint (I have a shag rug)

Put your kids in pajamas with feet on them, feed them M&Ms and Red Bull for breakfast, then turn 'em loose around the house. Voila! Dust-free floors!

Ahhh...Time saver, money waster.

Thanks for the post !

diapers are really expensive and much harsher on the environment. a good broom and mop work just as well. if you have to use swiffers, usually there is an online coupon or check the dollar store.

@MDSasquatch: A Pomeranian works equally well.

@Ohiomensch:

We do this once every couple months. Gives it a good, thorough clean occasionally, and mopping keeps it touched up in between.

@Kenneth:

This has been studied. In between the energy used for the water processing and the soap, ecologically they're a bit of a wash. Mopping is cheaper, but not greener.

Very similar to how everyone asserts that cloth diapers are "greener", when really they're just a different type of environmental footprint.

@bohemian:

That was what I was going to recommend. It's called the Omop and it's rather awesome.

With arthritis in my family, doing floors on my knees is a detriment to bones and I find thatonce every other mnth is enough of that. Keep the floor swept well and wipe up spills immediately.@Ohiomensch:

@Ohiomensch: Nope, I still do that. Although I'll fess up and say I only do the deep clean on my hands and knees about every 2 months, regular mop & water every week or so.

I've found that it takes just as much time to use a Swiffer as it does the canister vacuum and the canister vac does a far better job.

Definitely agree on the uselessness of the Swiffer Wet stuff. There's not enough fluid being used (and removed) to not just be shoving dirt around a floor, at least with as much tile I have.

Am I the only person on the planet that uses a bucket of water and scrubs floors on my knees? I am convinced this is the only way to truly clean floors. You dont miss anything, you dont swish stuff into the corners.

I use a wet sponge mop for spot cleaning, and do the floor every week. It really does stay clean like that.

My Swiffer just collects dust at the very front of the pad. At first I wondered what I was doing something wrong, but really, how can I be doing that wrong?

I think I'll stay the course.

KTHKSBI

I use these IKEA washcloths that come in a bag for $3.99...reusable, a great fit and you can bleach the hell outta them.

[www.ikea.com]

@fluiddruid:
They want you to think it's all about convenience, it's really about selling you a one use product that you throw away and have to keep on buying over and over and over and over again.

@Kenneth:
EXACTLY. Thank You

I cut up old flannel sheets - it's not like the Goodwill wants 'em, and they're gonna go into the landfill eventually anyway. I might as well get some good use out of them before tossing them.

Cut up sheets make good dusters, too.

I own a small cleaning service- I use my Swiffer 10-12 times a day. I bought a huge back of yellow static cloths for $9 and a pack of "auto" rags ( both in the auto care section at Costco) for about $12 about 2 years ago. I use the white "auto" cloths (basically bar towels)to mop floors ( anything except hardwood) and the yellow ones dry to pick up dusty floors, and wet to mop hardwood floors. You get about 80 re-useable rags between the 2 packages, and there's no need to buy the expensive disposable ones. I WOULD NOT use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on ANY floor! This suggestion should be removed RIGHT AWAY! These "erasers" take off paint and the gloss on a floor, and can leave permanent marks on your floor! I only use those to scrub out white sinks, and then only when they are on a great sale.

You can flip the sheets over and use them again - and you can usually get a few days use out of one swiffer pad.

If you're just using the swiffer to clean and nothing else, you have bigger problems than saving a dollar.

9. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Attach with rubber bands.

* * * B A D * * *

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is basically the equivalant of 600 grit SANDPAPER. That's SERIOUS overkill for simple dusting. Only use that stuff for spot-cleaning stains or taking off crayon. Use it LIGHTLY.

Then again, the Magic Erasers would cost more than the Swiffers.

I suggest getting a powerful leaf blower and about a half dozen air filters. Position the air filters strategically around your house and turn them all on.

Place anything that can be blown away into drawers and tie down anything fragile. Finally, set the leaf blower at maximum intensity and blast the heck out of your home.

Go to the movies.

Return home to a dust-free environment. Turn off air filters.

Enjoy ;-)

Then I realized the pad is little more than cleanser soaked paper so now I just squirt some toilet cleaner into the toilet and stick a wad of toilet paper into the end of the stick and scrub. End net result. Big savings. Plus its one less thing for the shopping list.