Swiffer cloths

[Sybil Niemann]

I am prefacing this with a disclaimer: I do NOT pretend to be any kind of expert of housekeeping, okay? To me, life is just too short to waste much time cleaning house.

But, I DO like the convenience and effectivenees of the Swiffer. I ilke to keep one of the "cloths" in my car to dust the dashboard, etc. I also use them for dustrags inside the house, too. After I'm finished using them for dustrags, THEN I attach them to my Swiffer Sweeper. When they get dirty on one side, I turn them over and use the other side to sweep with.

[niftyneon]

you can also use old t shirts instead of buying new swiffer pads.

AND.......if you use the wetjet, when you run out of cleaner, just get some pliers and pop the top. You can refill with whatever cleaner you like :)

[Sybil Niemann]

Nifty, I knew about using old T-shirts, old diapers, etc. but did not know about refilling the wetjet container. Thanks.

[eve]

Hey, does that etc. include using a couple of maxi-pads?

Necessity is the mother of invention!

[Sybil Niemann]

Well, why not? Sounds expensive, though...

[niftyneon]

yep, quite absorbant ;)

[neecer]

I got a Swiffer vac last night and I LOVE it! We have those Pergo hardwood floors throughout the house (except the bedrooms.) They are so hard to keep clean. Now I can Swiffer vac, then Swiffer Wet Jet them to keep them clean!!

[Sybil Niemann]

I'm thinking that this was discussed previously, but I can't find it now. Okay; I use dryer sheets. I don't use them as a fabric softener, or to make my clothes smell "good". The reason I use dryer sheets is to cut down on static electricity, period. I buy the cheapest UNSCENTED brand that I can find, and then cut them into thirds to make them go farther. Consequently, I rarely have to buy a new box of the sheets. The worst part of this is cutting up the sheets. It takes time, and I can manage only 2 or 3 sheets at a time. Also, when I was cutting some up today, I noticed that a lot of sticky powder was falling out, so I had to wipe that up with a wet cloth.

Oh, and I read somewhere that fabric softener will clog your dryer screen. To test this, dump the lint out of the screen and then run water through it. If it takes the water a long time to drain through the screen, you're supposed to wash it in sudsy water. I did this, using dishwashing detergent and an old toothbrush. Your dryer will work more efficiently, saving you energy and money, if the screen is clean.

[niftyneon]

I clean ours quite often, although I no longer use the dryer sheets -- ( use those new Bounce dryer bars that stick on the inside of your dryer ). It's amazing how clogged up it is when it looks pretty clean.

You can also get some of those dryer balls (they look like spikey blue bouncy balls) and that is supposed to eliminate the static too (but I've never tried them)

[Sybil Niemann]

I clean ours quite often, although I no longer use the dryer sheets -- ( use those new Bounce dryer bars that stick on the inside of your dryer ). It's amazing how clogged up it is when it looks pretty clean.

You can also get some of those dryer balls (they look like spikey blue bouncy balls) and that is supposed to eliminate the static too (but I've never tried them)

Nifty, Thanks for posting your experience. I wondered if everybody would think I was making this up. It IS kind of hard to believe, when the screen looks so clean. I use the screen cleaning as one more small way to cut down on my electric bill. :)

[April West]

I also switched from the dryer sheets to the Bounce bar and I love it. It seems to work better than the sheets did plus it makes everything smell so good!

I have gotten frugal and put up a retractable clothes line in my laundry room and hang as much laundry up in there as I can. My furnace is in there and it is always very "balmy" in there so the clothes dry in no time!

[Sybil Niemann]

April, good for you, for hanging up your clothes to "line dry" in the house. My mom, who was the world's biggest scrimper and saver, kept doing that even after she finally broke down and bought a dryer. She said it helped to humidify the dry winter air in the house. She also hung her clothes outside, when weather permitted; said they smelled better. I've tried hanging out my clothes, but city pollution and city birds are hard on laundry. And I don't have room to hang them inside.

[Vance Lloyd]

Ive tried the old baby diapers in my Swiffer to cut cost but I just cant take the awful smell it leaves all over the house. How do you get all the poo out the old diaper I end up rubbing it all over the floors.

[Sybil Niemann]

Ive tried the old baby diapers in my Swiffer to cut cost but I just cant take the awful smell it leaves all over the house. How do you get all the poo out the old diaper I end up rubbing it all over the floors.

Oh, Vance; I keep forgetting that nobody anymore has ever even SEEN a washable cloth diaper, much less used one!

[niftyneon]

actually washable cloth diapers are making a comeback Sybil :) I personally could not use them (mainly for the ick factor) but they have the cutest names for some of them now (like fuzzybuns LOL!)

[TheAlien]

Washed out many a cloth diaper in my childhood, and with my first child. Our parents and grandparents did it, and it didn't kill them! I babysat my nieces and nephews, rinsing out diapers and putting them in the pail of bleach water. Imagine what that did to a baby's butt! These babies have tough butts today, with that bleach water and then Dreft detergent. Then those rubber pants were a different story. Hated those things.

[Sybil Niemann]

When my oldest son was a baby, I once told a sitter that he was wearing an old dish towel for a diaper, and that old dish towels make pretty good diapers. (The dish towel had been in my rag bag.) She informed me that old diapers also make good dish towels. Now, to me, that's where the "ick factor" comes in. No matter how much rinsing, washing, and soaking in bleach, I don't want to dry my dishes with a diaper that has been covered with baby excrement. (Oh, wait, with automatic dishwashers, most people don't dry dishes anymore, either!)

[April West]

When my oldest son was a baby, I once told a sitter that he was wearing an old dish towel for a diaper, and that old dish towels make pretty good diapers. (The dish towel had been in my rag bag.) She informed me that old diapers also make good dish towels. Now, to me, that's where the "ick factor" comes in. No matter how much rinsing, washing, and soaking in bleach, I don't want to dry my dishes with a diaper that has been covered with baby excrement. (Oh, wait, with automatic dishwashers, most people don't dry dishes anymore, either!)

That's funny Sybil, my grandmother and my mother both have an old cloth diaper that used to be mine that they now swear are the softest cloths for cleaning their glasses. I am sure after 38 years now there is no longer any "ick" left though! LOL!

[jennifer]

Swiffer seems like an expensive way to clean to me. Especially when you are trying to keep up with a busy 24 hour health club on 4 floors with 9,000 square feet of floor to clean. I'd go through 4 cloths both sides in one room! Now I suppose if it were my home... Nope. I'm too cheap for that too...

I don't like using harsh cleansers. I like good old fashioned water and elbow grease for the floors. My husband likes the smell of cleansers, so he uses those when he cleans. On surfaces above the floor that people touch, I use a disinfectant called Lucasol- one capful to 12 ounces of water. It's what most tanning salons use for disinfecting their goggles.

I use old t-shirts or sports towels cut up into squares and throw them away after each cleaning.

I used to use dryer sheets, but when I started making my own laundry detergent, I stopped using dryer sheets. The stuff doesn't have static cling anymore.

Cloth diapers are awesome to clean with. I tried using them on baby #1 in their intended way, but she got such a terrible diaper rash she bled. I felt so guilty! I guess she was peeing every 10 minutes & the instand a cloth diaper is wet, it is touching their skin & she had very sensitive skin. She went diaperless for many days to clear her skin & then we bought the disposables. Sorry, environment. My baby's touche was more important at the time! Disposables absorb the urine into the material, keeping it off the babies' skin.

[Sybil Niemann]

Swiffer seems like an expensive way to clean to me. Especially when you are trying to keep up with a busy 24 hour health club on 4 floors with 9,000 square feet of floor to clean. I'd go through 4 cloths both sides in one room! Now I suppose if it were my home... Nope. I'm too cheap for that too...

I don't like using harsh cleansers. I like good old fashioned water and elbow grease for the floors. My husband likes the smell of cleansers, so he uses those when he cleans. On surfaces above the floor that people touch, I use a disinfectant called Lucasol- one capful to 12 ounces of water. It's what most tanning salons use for disinfecting their goggles.

I use old t-shirts or sports towels cut up into squares and throw them away after each cleaning.

I used to use dryer sheets, but when I started making my own laundry detergent, I stopped using dryer sheets. The stuff doesn't have static cling anymore.

I was going to make some of that laundry soap, but couldn't locate all of the ingredients up here... I'm glad to know that it works for static clean.

I love all the things that you are doing! I think it's great to "repurpose" old stuff.

[jennifer]

I found it all together at JayC-
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels Naptha

My food processor doesn't make the Fels Naptha in small enough bits, so I'd like to try to make the liquid sometime- but I don't have a stove at PF, so I have to schedule some home time for that

[Sybil Niemann]

I found it all together at JayC-
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels Naptha

My food processor doesn't make the Fels Naptha in small enough bits, so I'd like to try to make the liquid sometime- but I don't have a stove at PF, so I have to schedule some home time for that

I don't have a JayC store. Will ck. again at Kroger the next time I'm there.

[niftyneon]

Krogers should have it Sybil since Jay C's is a subsidary of Kroger :) Marsh might carry it also if you have one of those near up there.

[Sybil Niemann]

Krogers should have it Sybil since Jay C's is a subsidary of Kroger :) Marsh might carry it also if you have one of those near up there.

Will check again tomorrow. Thank you.

[Sybil Niemann]

I found it all together at JayC-
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels Naptha

My food processor doesn't make the Fels Naptha in small enough bits, so I'd like to try to make the liquid sometime- but I don't have a stove at PF, so I have to schedule some home time for that

I found the Fels Naphta bars, but not the other ingredients. I looked on here for the "recipe", but couldn't find it. Will somebody please post that again? Thanks!

[jennifer]

Did you ask for them? The manager had to find them for me. They don't spend a lot on fancy packaging to get your eye, so they blend in.

I think we decided it was 1 bar to 1 cup to 1 cup. One of the things comes in a bigger container, so some use a cup and a half of that. In case someone was wondering- yes, I do measure. EVERY time. I'm weird in that way.

[Sybil Niemann]

Did you ask for them? The manager had to find them for me. They don't spend a lot on fancy packaging to get your eye, so they blend in.

I think we decided it was 1 bar to 1 cup to 1 cup. One of the things comes in a bigger container, so some use a cup and a half of that. In case someone was wondering- yes, I do measure. EVERY time. I'm weird in that way.

Thanks, Jennifer. Well, no, I just saw the Fels Naptha and got some of it. I looked all up and down that aisle, though. They recently remodeled this store, and the last 2 times I asked where to find something, the clerks didn't know (or seem to care). I seriously doubt if the manager spends much time in the store.

[Hede A]

We have been using this homemade laundry soap for four years now! We use both the liquid and the powder form.

Sybil, if you need any assistance with this, you can PM me!

(It's one bar Fels to one cup Arm & Hammer SUPER WASHING SODA to one cup BORAX.)

Two TBS MAX of the dry form for whites and 1TBS max for darks or you can fade your darks.

We get ours at Schnucks because I always forget about JayCee's. You can go to the Arm & Hammer website to search for locations that sell it in you area!

[Sybil Niemann]

We have been using this homemade laundry soap for four years now! We use both the liquid and the powder form.

Sybil, if you need any assistance with this, you can PM me!

(It's one bar Fels to one cup Arm & Hammer SUPER WASHING SODA to one cup BORAX.)

Two TBS MAX of the dry form for whites and 1TBS max for darks or you can fade your darks.

We get ours at Schnucks because I always forget about JayCee's. You can go to the Arm & Hammer website to search for locations that sell it in you area!

Thanks, Hede!

[Sybil Niemann]

Okay, when Hede gave me the exact names of the homemade laundry detergent ingredients, I looked them up online so that I'd know what the packaging looks like. (I had bought some 20 Mule Team Borax once, but it was so long ago that the colors of the box have changed, with new packaging.) So, I went back to Kroger today, and found both the borax and the washing soda, side by side on the shelf, just as Jennifer had suggested. (They were NOT in the same area as the Fels Naphtha, though.) Anyway, I'm going to mix up a batch and try it out! Thanks to those of you who helped me with this!

[niftyneon]

glad you found the ingredients!! :) Have fun makin' soap!

[Sybil Niemann]

glad you found the ingredients!! :) Have fun makin' soap!

Thanks. So far, so good. In addition to help from CGNers, I also found alot of info online. I have decided to make the liquid soap, but need to assemble some containers first.

That Fels Naptha smell is pretty powerful!

[niftyneon]

it also makes a good stain remover just by itself (fels naptha) :)

[Sybil Niemann]

it also makes a good stain remover just by itself (fels naptha) :)

Thanks!

[Sybil Niemann]

Update on my Fels Naptha laundry soap project:

So, I've been collecting milk jugs, juice jugs, detergent jugs etc. for a few weeks until I had more than enough. I had purchased my ingredients and a brand-new 5-gallon bucket to mix it in.

Hede had sent me her mother's "recipe" for the liquid kind. I had decided to go with the liquid, since I had a lot of trouble with the soap just chunking up in my food processor, instead of turning into the little flakes that I had envisioned using to make the powdered form.

The recipe said to heat the soap in some water on the stove top until it melted, and then add to the bucket. But first you fill the bucket half full of hot water, & stir in the washing soda and borax, AFTER which you add the melted Fels mixture. Then you finish filling the bucket with water. Makes 5 gallons. Outstanding. :)

Okay. So far, so good. I did all of the above, and was in the process of transferring it to the jugs when I had a visitor. My friend Judy (former coworker) showed up to deliver 2 dozen farm-fresh eggs to me, and sat down to visit for a while. But I digress..

Two hours later, when I got back to my laundry soap project, the stuff was starting to "set up", and there was a thick gloopy 2" layer of slime on the top. I was scooping it out with a big insulated mug (similar to a Taco Tierra mug), and trying to tease it down through my funnel into the jugs with a shish kabob skewer. This was going really slowly, and my back was killing me, since all of the soap and equipment was on the floor of my shower. :eek: Finally, I hauled the bucket back to the kitchen, dumped was was left into a Dutch oven, and reheated (re-melted) it on the stove top. That did the trick. The first load of laundry that I do will include the three towels that I used to clean up the mess.

Live and learn. But I'm exhausted, and I think I'll take a nap! The good news: This will last a long time, and maybe by the time I run out, I'll be up for doing it all again. :D

[April West]

Hede, would you be up to sharing the recipe with the rest of us? I have been wanting to try making some, but was scared to try a recipe I had never heard of anyone else using.

[Hede A]

Congratulations!!!!!!

You made your first batch of snot!!!!!!!!!!

My mom uses an old broken off wooden broom handle for the stirring and she says it works great.

By the way, she only makes a batch about three times a year!


You are only planning on using a half cup per load, right?
If you you use more, it will take the color out of your darks!

[Hede A]

Yeah, I have the recipes and directions in the "ways you're saving money" thread.

I will look for the thread and add a link in this post if I can find it!

http://www.gibsoncountynow.com/forums/showthread.php?p=128150#post128150

post#56 in the thread

[Sybil Niemann]

Congratulations!!!!!!

You made your first batch of snot!!!!!!!!!!

My mom uses an old broken off wooden broom handle for the stirring and she says it works great.

By the way, she only makes a batch about three times a year!


You are only planning on using a half cup per load, right?
If you you use more, it will take the color out of your darks!

Thanks for the tip about stirring with a broom handle. I probably have several of those, since I never throw away anything that "might be useful".

Yes, I have the instructions; only 1/2 cup per load. I plan to put it in the water & let it agitate before adding the clothes...until I learn what to expect.

I gave a small jug to my egg lady. She laughed at me & said, "Wouldn't it be easier to just buy some detergent at the store?" Well, that's a valid point.

[niftyneon]

a lot of people just leave it in the 5 gallon bucket and scoop out what they need. much easier than trying to get it through a funnel :) Unless you don't have a space close enough to your washer for the 5 gallon bucket.

[Sybil Niemann]

a lot of people just leave it in the 5 gallon bucket and scoop out what they need. much easier than trying to get it through a funnel :) Unless you don't have a space close enough to your washer for the 5 gallon bucket.

Now you tell me! Ha. Ha. ;) Well, my "laundry room", with stacking washer & dryer, is now located in what used to be a hall linen closet. The area is very cramped and congested (doors to 3 different rooms, including the bathroom, lead off of this little hallway), so leaving a 5-gallon bucket sitting there probably isn't my best option. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out where to store the goop that I finally managed to get into the jugs. I'm giving some of it away, but still...

[Hede A]

We keep our jugs in the garage. When they freeze in the winter, I just bring one inside to let it thaw and then vigorously shake the crap out of the jug before I use it.

I also pour the liquid into an a plastic ice cream container with a lid and sit that on the shelf beside my washer/dryer. Then, I can easily scoop out a half cup of the mixture and pour it right into my washer.

[Sybil Niemann]

Yeah, I have the recipes and directions in the "ways you're saving money" thread.

I will look for the thread and add a link in this post if I can find it!

http://www.gibsoncountynow.com/forums/showthread.php?p=128150#post128150

post#56 in the thread

Or, you can look here. This is copied and pasted from the email that Hede sent me.

"Here's the recipe for homemade laundry detergent:

1 Bar Fels Naptha soap (a hard bar soap but made for laundry)
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)

You can get Fels Naptha and Super Washing Soda at Schnuck's in Evansville. You need to buy a total of seven bars of Fels to use up the other two ingredients. You will have Borax left over but it has many uses...but I just use it for my next batch.

Just grate (or grate/slice) the Fels with your box grater or food processor then add the cup each of washing soda and borax. Use ONLY one to two tablespoons of the powder for a large load! Seriously! If you go crazy and use three tablespoons you WILL fade your darks. This is serious stuff.

Also, this mixture actually rinses CLEAN. There is no more need for fabric softener. Seriously. (Unless you want your clothes to smell like fake April breezes which is okay if that's your thing.)

I only make the powder, but my mom melts the Fels with water on the stove and then follows her own special directions to make the liquid. The liquid is cheapest because it comes out to 2Cents per load.

Essentially, she melts the shredded Fels with water in a saucepan on the stove, stirring frequently, then while the Fels is melting, she fills the five gallon bucket halfway with very hot water, (mom puts it in the tub), then she adds the one cup each of the other two ingredients, then adds the melted Fels, stirring well, then finishes filling the five gallon bucket with hot tap water. She pours is into her containers and let it set overnight with their lids on, and then it thickens into a slightly goopy mess overnight. She uses Tide jugs, Kemp's ice cream buckets, huge plastic cat litter containers, etc. and we split it between us. You only use a HALF cup of the "snot" as we call it. No fabric softener unless you like to use vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.

Both configurations are high efficiency. This mixture does not suds up. It also rinses clean and is recommended for persons with eczema."

By "both configurations", I think she's talking about the dry soap mixture and the snot (liquid) mixture. By the way, Hede says it doesn't suds up; however there were bubbles foaming out of the tops up my containers, as I was filling them through my little funnel. You should definitely do this in a place where a little bit of spillage is acceptable to you.
__________________

[Sybil Niemann]

We keep our jugs in the garage. When they freeze in the winter, I just bring one inside to let it thaw and then vigorously shake the crap out of the jug before I use it.

I also pour the liquid into an a plastic ice cream container with a lid and sit that on the shelf beside my washer/dryer. Then, I can easily scoop out a half cup of the mixture and pour it right into my washer.

That's good idea (storing it in the garage). I have decided to start saving plastic coffee "cans", the kind that contain Folgers or Maxwell House, for when I make my next batch. when you first mentioned putting this in ice cream buckets, I thought, "Why?" Now I know. It's easier to dip than to pour this stuff. I like the idea of using lots of fairly small containers that won't be too heavy to lift/carry.

Oh, here's another "pearl" for everybody: I found out the hard way that this stuff discolors aluminum. After wearing myself ragged making the soap yesterday, I just stuck my utensils down into the empty bucket set it in my sink, and filled it with water. This morning, when I got back to my "cleanup" job, I noticed that my aluminum funnel had a dull gray layer on it. You know how aluminum looks when you run it through a dishwasher? Well, it wasn't exactly like that. This was a darker gray, and splotchy where the viscous goop had stuck to it. I think the discoloration can be removed with steel wool, but I'll save that job for another day. :D I don't want to overwork myself, you know!

Also, something else I discovered, that nobody had mentioned, is that some solids settle out of this soap and collect on the bottom of the container. I could see this in the milk jugs that I used. I assume that you can redistribute this stuff by shaking it. ???

[April West]

I made my first batch of homemade laundry soap today! I went with the liquid type and used a recipe I found online. I have chosen to add natural essential oil to mine though, just because I love the smell of store bought detergents and I can make it smell how ever I want it to smell!

For the others who make the liguid, is it the consistency of water when you first make it? If so, does it thicken as it sits overnight?

Here is the recipe I used. I got it from the Dugger Family website.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

[Sybil Niemann]

April,

Yes, it thickens after it sits for a while. I wanted to pour some into a different container, so I set the jug down into a sink full of hot water for a while, shaking it occasionally, and it thinned down enough for me to transfer it..

It's a long story, but I also have made liquid Ivory Soap in much the same way. I can't recall the porportions of water to soap.