Yesterday we published a post about whether the Shamwow really works and in the comments, along with some reader product reviews (both positive and negative), a great idea was posted by Breanne...
She commented, I cut mine down and use it instead of SwifferWet refills. Just rinse and reuse!
Dayjay responds:
what is it about that commerial? i can't stop watching no matter how many times I've seen it and then i find myself mouthing the words....
and the swiffer idea is great- i don't have to buy those stupid refills anymore. i have been enlightened today.
and Julieleanne says:
Good suggestion with the Swiffer pad replacement! I will definitely be trying that one.
So, end result? If you already have succumbed to the the Shamwow sales pitch, this may be a great way to get some good green use from them.
Original post: Product Test: Does the Shamwow Really Work?
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Thanks for posting a picture of Vince this time!
It's a rather creepy photo of him, to say the least. Still better than Billy Mays though.. *shudder*
That guy looks like he could unhinge his jaw and eat a rabbit whole...soooo very creepy.
Why you gotta make me puke, AT? He is soooooo grosss. He looks like he has a bottle of Roofies at hand at all times.
The left is for slap the right is for chop!
My wife stopped buying swiffers awhile back because she heard they are bad for pets. A chamois seems like a good substitute. We've even used heavy paper towels.
But if the S.W. is anything like the pad on my floor steamer it should work pretty well. When I was done steamer my floor I looked at the pad and didn't see much dirt. When I rinsed that sucker out though--ewwww, there was a lot of dirt in there. That does that make me a dirty person?
I cut up old towels and use them for swiffer replacements. It works great and its greeeeen!
I'd rather look at Billy Mays - I just don't like being yelled at...
Billy Mays grew up next door to my dad...
To those who use them as Swiffer pads, how long do they last? We love anything that takes the place of the use-one-time Swiffer sheets and sell our own hand-crocheted Swiffer covers in our store that last for months.
The Green Life
www.thegreenlifeco.com
(re: swiffer replacement) a microfiber towel (available by the bushel at costco and sams) works well, too. the microfiber-y goodness picks up dust better than the poly-chamois (sham-wow, etc.) and swiffer refills.
Hey art,
not any more! you've cleaned up your act!
As a protest to the lousy laundry room at my apt I did some laundry at home in the sink. I was amazed at how dirty the water got. I have found a laundry mat a few blocks over that I now use. I no longer have to face the dirty facts.
Everyone else, you have cracked me up over comments about vince.
btw Billy Mays claims he does not shout, we are ALL just confusing shouting with his excitement for the products.
I use left over fabric baby diapers in my swiffer. They are the right size and they work like a champ. I live in Michigan where snow gets tracked in and they absorb the water well-I also use them dry to dust the walls and ceilings.
Cally,
He must be a normally excited person, because every time I see him I reach for the remote to mute it. I think his "yelling" actually might raise my blood pressure! Haha.
How are Swiffers bad for pets? Do you mean the Swiffer Wet?
I've been using microfiber cloths on my Swiffer for a while now. Works pretty well.
art and jooly--> http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp
Swiffer wet jets are NOT bad for pets in any way. This is an urban myth and was disproved years ago. (The cleaner is mostly water, in fact -- but it DOES clean my floors, IS nicer smelling than plain water, and DOESN'T require a person with back issues to use a bucket -- so I'll keep mine, thanks!)
This is timely, I actually bought a pack of ShamWow's (at Bed, Bath and Beyond, not by mail -- no shipping) mainly for this use!
I like them so far, although I admit to not having cut them up for Swiffering yet. (Still have some actual Swiffer pads to use first.)
Method makes a reusable microfiber pad for their mop contraption. I had the mop - hated it - but the reusable microfiber pads are great. I bought a few, and use them on my Swiffer Wet Jet (they work dry, too). Best of all, they adhere to the Velcro-like surface of the Wet Jet.