Reversible & Reusable Swiffer Mop Cover

We have always loved the idea of making your own reusable Swiffer covers, but usually we just end up cutting up an old towel instead. Our rendition is always a little flimsy, but not if we had this reversible knit cover that picks up dust or mops. We don't knit or crochet, but know plenty of people who do and will be bribing them shortly to use this great tutorial.

Linda Permann is the lady behind this great pattern. Did we mention it's free? Once completed this Swiffer sock of sorts can be used on either side, one as a mop and the other as a floor duster. We think it's a great solution to buying to pads every time you're ready to do some cleaning.

Download The Pattern Here

You will need roughly 125 yards of worsted weight acrylic yarn in two colors: 75 yards in color A and 50 yards in color B. You'll also need a size H-8 (5.0 mm) hook to get the job done. Even if you're not a big needle-crafter, most friends and family members who can crochet are willing to trade their goods for something else. Snacks, drinks, baby-sitting... the list is endless!

(via: Craftzine)
(Image: Linda Permann)

Comments (15)

This isn't a knitting pattern, it's a crochet pattern. So your knitting friends will probably...not help.

Thanks for the catch kjps19, lucky for us many of our knitting friends are our go-to crochet friends as well!

This is now a dust broom... like your grandma had... which is great because it reduces waste... but still seems a bit ironic that we all bought swiffers, when we could have just stuck with a dust broom and avoided the whole thing.

Great idea!!

Swiffers are nice because they're compact and light and can get in tight spots, but I always hated them because 1) The scent they use smells awful and makes me feel sick 2) Not crazy about disposable culture. This way you can wash and reuse, not to mention use your own cleaners.

Wish I had the patience to crochet a pattern these days, this is awesome!

There's a lot of these available on Etsy if you do a search.

I use the O Cedar hardwood mop which has a terry cloth cover that fits on with elastic, like a shower cap. I have several of these covers so I can change it when it gets really dirty, and it goes in the wash with towels. I've been using them for at least 5 years, if not longer. I don't use any cleaners, I just get it wet, wring it out, and mop away, after I've vacuumed. My hardwood floors look great considering we have a maniac dog sliding around all the time.

Heh -- I jumped when I saw that picture, because the pattern has been up in a Firefox tab for two weeks and I literally just finished making one of these out of leftover afghan scraps. It works great, and it's super-cute.

Yeah, next time let's not tag a pattern 'knitting' unless it's actually a knit pattern. On the other hand, I was just looking for a pattern for one of these today, and here you are in my RSS with the answer. I'll use the KNIT pattern someone posted in the comments. :-)

OR, go to the fabric shop and get fleece remnants. I have gotten amazing deals. I cut them to size. There are so cheap, they are not worth washing.

HOWEVER, my new condo has a nearly 400 sq. ft. living room. My Swiffer looks like a miniature in the land of the giants.

This weekend I plan to cut paper box rectangles the width of the Swiffer, but about three feet long. I will glue several sheets of cardboard together for strength. Then I plan to cut fleece rectangles that will wrap the new VERY LONG Swiffer, and clamp in place on top. That way, I can Swiffer about six times as much space in one swipe. I have so much sun, I can see every piece of dust even after I vacuum. I will wash these. They will be too large to keep making again and again, and I plan to use them only after I vacuum.

I use one of those reusable dust cloths, and attach it by pushing the corners into the holes like you would the regular Swiffer cloths. This is neat, though.

This is a great idea... I've never purchased a swiffer because I cringe at the disposable waste idea.

This makes me feel a lot better about the whole idea.
I've always just used an old school dust mop... like grandma had. granted, I can't just pop the top off and wash it - oh well.

RE knit vs crochet. The one that stumped me was knitting /quilting... when Quilted Northern had an ad with cartoon women making the quilted pattern using knitting needles! I looked it up and apparently, part of our culture uses the terms interchangeably - they both make blankets I guess... but knitting needles would never produce a quilted pattern. I always wondered how that ad got passed so many people involved that it actually aired with that mistake!

Makes me wish I could crochet, but maybe I'll modify the fleece idea. (NOT disposible, no matter how cheap -- that's not very ecological!)

Swiffers are nice for those of us with difficulty lifting and hauling heavy cleaning equipment, including buckets of water. But the disposible components are dismaying.

I prefer to use cotton for cleaning cloths (or Swiffer covers) rather than acrylic. For wet mopping, it's a lot more absorbent, and it just gets better as you use it more.

I LOVE the idea of making my own cover, but acrylic yarn is not great at absorbing (just for the record). I'd get some cotton or cotton/acrylic blend. The acrylic keeps it from shrinking in the wash, and the cotton actually absorbs.

Bernat makes a GREAT (seriously, it's fantastic) cotton/acrylic blend. It's a bit pricey, but it'll work well and be less expensive than the disposable cloths in the long run.

I looked at the knit pattern (and the featured crochet pattern), and I see pluses and minuses to both... So, since the idea is AWESOME, I'll probably do a hybrid.